I believe that the built environment impacts our lives and we can design the process to create positive social change.

Patricia Gruits, AIA, LEED AP

Co-Executive Director and Senior Principal
Boston, MA, USA

Patricia Gruits believes that our built environment reflects our shared values and shapes how we relate to one another. Her work as an architect and researcher is rooted in the possibility of shaping a more just, beautiful, and connected world. 

At MASS Design Group, Patricia is a Co-Executive Director, supporting the strategy, development, operations, finance, design, and governance of the North American studios. Her decade-long tenure has seen her working at MASS’s Boston Studio and in the Africa Studio, where she led design teams on acclaimed projects, including the African Leadership University, the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, and the Maternity Waiting Village in Malawi. She is currently leading the design for the headquarters of Children’s Services of Roxbury and several affordable housing projects for older adults and vulnerable populations. 

Patricia uses research to advocate for more engaged and effective design practices. Her work on 'Designing Senior Housing for Safe Interaction in the Age of COVID-19' was showcased by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. She co-authored the Purpose Built series, a set of tools for creating impact-driven design, and has implemented this approach to the design of housing, schools, and health facilities around the globe. She is currently researching and applying Trauma-Informed Care into space design and the design process.

Patricia shares her expertise and experiences by advising, teaching, and through speaking engagements. She sits on the Board of the Boston Society for Architecture and has taught at esteemed institutions like the Rhode Island School of Design and Northeastern University. She frequently speaks at national and local AIA events, including the AIA 2022 National Convention where MASS received the Architecture Firm Award. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to architecture, Patricia received the 2020 Flansburg Young Designer Award by the Boston Society for Architecture.

Patricia holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.