Real change happens when people who need it lead it. A barrier to this is the gap between visual tools and the people they serve. I believe that as designers, it's our responsibility to involve communities and design for reflecting their voices.

Vrinda Sharma

Senior Designer
Poughkeepsie, NY, USA

Vrinda is an artist, designer, and urban thinker who is passionate about building resilient and thriving communities. She has lived in Poughkeepsie since she joined MASS in 2017 to help set up the Hudson Valley Studio. 

As a Senior Designer at MASS, Vrinda has contributed to various local design initiatives, from activating gallery spaces to conceptualizing neighborhood-scale visions. She has led graphic efforts to support projects in the Poughkeepsie office and engage the community in the discourse of design.

Vrinda has been instrumental in converting the Fall Kill Creek into a public asset for the community; designing Scenic Hudson’s Northside Hub— a carbon-positive adaptive reuse and brownfield remediation project along Fall Kill, which is currently under construction; and developing a framework plan for reconnecting College Hill Park to the neighboring community and the larger Hudson Valley. Part of this initiative involves repurposing an underground water tank into an arts venue. 

Vrinda studied architecture at the Balwant Sheth School of Architecture in India. She holds a Master in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.