Meet Isabelle Nance, our new Project Designer

We’re excited to welcome Isabelle Nance, Project Designer, to the Framework team! A graduate of the UT Austin School of Architecture, Isabelle brings a thoughtful curiosity about how people experience space, something she’s been exploring long before her professional career began.

Let’s get to know her a little better now that she is part of the Framework family.

What led you to a career in architecture? What do you like about it?

I was raised in Laredo, Texas, and grew up surrounded by creativity and problem-solving, thanks to parents who are engineers and an aunt who is an art teacher. I found myself drawn to the intersection of art, math, and science.

Even when I was little, I was building homes in The Sims and thinking about space and functionality. My early intuition evolved into a fascination with how design shapes emotion and behavior. Everyone experiences architecture, whether they realize it or not. I love thinking about what makes a space inviting and what makes people feel at ease. I’m constantly living in the now of space.

Why did you join Framework?

When I began looking for my next job, I scrolled through the AIA directory and found Framework. I began researching them and connected with the firm’s approachable culture and collaborative energy.

There are videos on the Framework website that were great in helping me figure out this is the place I wanted to work. The team felt authentic and talked about learning and growing as a designer. My brain has been a ‘sponge’ for new knowledge while studying for my license, so that really spoke to me. I also liked the size of the firm—it feels like the kind of place where you can grow and wear many hats.

Isabelle embraces curiosity, adventure, and creativity!

What would you say your design philosophy is? What are you passion about?

My design philosophy as architecture with a lowercase a—design that’s accessible, inclusive, and made for everyone. I am passionate about architecture that removes exclusivity. That’s one reason I’m excited to work on commercial projects because they are accessible, allowing so many people from different walks of life to experience them every day.

I’m also influenced by Laredo’s vernacular architecture, Mexican Brutalism/Modernism and architects like Luis Barragán and I love architecture that embraces its surroundings rather than creating separation. As I went through architecture school, I began to appreciate how beautiful many of the buildings in Laredo are, like their courtyards, brickwork, and breeze block.  

What’s something someone would be surprised to learn about you?

I love cooking, spending time with my cat Quilladin (he’s 18 pounds of personality), and exploring Austin’s food scene.

I also have a flair for the theatrical and have been told I do great impressions, and I love transforming faces—mine and my friends’—with makeup. Once I’m licensed, I plan to take an improv or other preforming arts class for a new creative challenge.

With my sisters both in engineering and a roommate working as a baker at a local Mexican bakery, my world is a mix of pastries, cats, architecture, and constant creative energy.

Join Framework in welcoming Isabelle and we know she'll bring that same energy, and her thoughtful approach to design, to our team.