JULIA BARKSDALE

Julia is a licensed architect in Massachusetts, living on the native lands of the Naumkeag, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett), and Pawtucket peoples. Julia is currently working for Dewberry Architects Inc. as a Justice Architect, designing secure housing and behavioral health facilities with trauma-informed tactics and a passion to improve the quality of life for both staff and residents alike. The practice focuses on transformative design for restorative outcomes, reducing recidivism, and supporting residents physically and emotionally during their time in the justice system. She completed both her B.S. in Architecture and M.Arch at Northeastern University. Her design experience also includes high-end residential, model-making and wood-working, affordable housing, workspace, civic and institutional design. Additionally, Julia teaches an Architecture Site Design studio at Boston University each Spring.

 

During her academic career, Julia served as the Co-Director of Northeastern Freedom by Design from 2019-2022 where they led the design and build of a trauma-informed outdoor playspace for the children of a local shelter in Dorchester, MA. She also served as the Chair of the National AIAS Mental Health Task Force during her time in graduate school, which resulted in the planning and completion of revising studio culture policies in participating AIAS colleges across the country to prioritize students' mental and emotional well-being. She also led small-scale data collection related to the mental health of her peers at Northeastern's School of Architecture in order to monitor the short-term outcomes of such revisions.

 

In 2023, Julia began the 'Beyond Land Acknowledgement' JEDI Initiative at Utile, a previous employer, in which she and other colleagues have been curating a framework for AEC-related companies to support their local indigenous communities. Through this work, Julia became introduced to the ISAPD (Indigenous Society of Architects, Planners and Designers), and has since signed onto their research initiative, called LANDFRAME, as a partner.