Originally from the UK, Lucy’s stateside experiences span from a small town in rural Alabama (at the Rural Studio) to the West Coast (grad school at Berkeley) to over a decade in Austin running Thoughtbarn along with her husband Robert Gay. Their work focuses on architecture and public art projects that synthesize an economy of means with inventive material strategies and a responsiveness to social and environmental context. A skilled communicator and organizer, she has a passion for delivering project excellence within complex urban settings and in fusing design practice with public interest and advocacy work. She attended the Outreach Program at Auburn University’s renowned Rural Studio in Alabama and was awarded the Branner Travelling Fellowship from UC Berkeley, which enabled her to spend a year working with architects around the globe innovatingwith participatory design methods.
Lucy was the recipient of the 2020 AIA Austin Emerging Professional Award and currently serves on the Publications Committee of Texas Architect magazine and the board of Civic Arts, a non-profit which integrates the arts and culture into community planning. She lives with Robert and their two kids on a small lot in East Austin and is a champion of land use reform in the city that would allow more families to do the same.