Elsa MH Mäki

Elsa MH Mäki leads research on architecture and infrastructure. She received degrees in architecture from Columbia and Harvard GSD, and has practiced in Minnesota, Massachusetts, and New York. She specializes in helping offices develop their business strategy, research, and publications. Elsa is an author and project manager in North Brooklyn.

Elsa MH Mäki has published and presented work on land, infrastructure, reuse, and movement since 2016. Most publications and events featured on this site were commissioned directly but her projects have also grown out of loose ideas, chance conversations, community organizing, and long friendships, so please get in touch by email or another platform to collaborate on:

• design and demonstration projects

• exhibitions and residencies

• speaking engagements

• book projects

• consulting

New York Under Water, chapter, 2026. In Take Back the Land book (forthcoming) 
Protest Fields, foreword, 2026. For Sanie Irsay’s publication on domestic protest architecture in occupied Crimea (forthcoming) 
Dadaab Commons, artist residency, exhibition, 2025. Mapping and projection in exhibition curated by Anooradha Iyer Siddiqi in Nairobi ↗
San Diego Museum of Art Accessibility Study, report, 2024. Site survey, research, community engagement with JSA/MIXdesign and Foster+Partners 
WashU Accessibility Study, report, 2024. Site survey, research, engagement with JSA/MIXdesign 
Material Acts, chapter, 2024. "Stitching: Future Fabrication and Traditions of Reuse" in the exhibition book Material Acts: Experimentation in Architecture and Design ↗
Making Inclusive Museums Now, report, 2024. Community engagement, workshops, research, design contributions to report by JSA/MIXdesign and the Architectural League of New York. ↗
Architecture and Extraction, interview, 2024. In JSSAC special edition on architecture and extraction ↗
Architectures of Care, chapter, 2023. "Propping Up the Cloud" in volume edited by Brittany Utting ↗
Architecture of Migration, illustration, 2023. in Anooradha Iyer Siddiqi's book ↗
Jr. Architects, feature, 2023–2024. In Junior Architects: New Paradigms in Design Education ↗
Shinohara's Mushrooms, feature, 2022. Essay included in Women Writing Architecture series ↗
Falls Restoration, report, 2022. Contributions on design planning and community engagement prepared with Interboro Partners for Owámniyomni Okhódayapi, US Army Corps, Minneapolis Parks & Recreation, City of Minneapolis ↗
Disc Journal, illustration, 2022. “On the Hunt” with Ani Liu 
Building Backward, thesis, 2022. "Building Backward: Archaeology of a Queer Built Future"  ↗
African Community Center of Lowell, report, 2022. Community engagement, research contributions to report by Interboro Partners  ↗
The World Around: Land in Focus Foreword, foreword, 2021. For video series by Beatrice Galilee and Satomi Blair ↗
Non-Extractive Architecture, chapter, 2021. "On the Water" in Non-Extractive Architecture ↗
Healthy Housing for Native Communities, report, 2020. In series The Role of Architecture in Fighting COVID-19 by MASS Design Group ↗
Settler City Limits, illustration, 2019. 2 maps in "Anti-Indian Common Sense" by Nick Estes 
Empire's Tracks, illustration, 2019. 10 maps for book by Manu Karuka ↗
Interior Provocations, chapter, 2018. Co-authored with Virginia Black ↗
Ecologies, Agents, Terrains, illustration, 2018. In "'All Our Relations' as an Eco-Art Historical Challenge" by Jessica Horton ↗
Temporary Logics of Extraction, essay, 2017. In Avery Review 31 
Bloodless, feature, 2017. 4 illustrated booklets in The Funambulist 20. ↗
Standing Rock Syllabus, report, 2016. Open syllabus project, illustration, and community organizing  
Resources for an Urban World, exhibition, book, 2016. Curated by Gizem Karagoz and Elsa MH Mäki, exhibition book edited by Gizem Karagoz 

San Diego Museum of Art Accessibility Study, report, 2024. Site survey, research, community engagement with JSA/MIXdesign and Foster+Partners 
Portland Community College, building, 2023. Portland Community College accessible athletic facilities design with JSA/MIXdesign 
Greenland Bund Centre, building, 2021. Greenland Bund Centre, Shanghai facade and landscape design with KPF 
EP Admin. Center, building, 2019. Eden Prairie Schools administrative service center with DeVetter Design Group 
EP Theater and Athletic Center, building, 2019. Eden Prairie Central Middle School theater, athletic center with DeVetter Design Group 
Community Ed. Center, building, 2019. Prior Lake-Savage community education center with DeVetter Design Group 
Northern Spark, exhibition, 2019. "The Night Library" at the Northern Spark Arts Festival ↗
Westwood-Edgewood School, building, 2018. Westwood-Edgewood Elementary School connective addition, classrooms, landscape with DeVetter Design Group 
Hidden Oaks School, building, 2018. Hidden Oaks Middle School cafeteria, classrooms, collaborative education spaces with DeVetter Design Group 
Twin Oaks Theater, building, 2018. Twin Oaks Middle School theater with DeVetter Design Group 
Grainwood School, building, 2017. Grainwood Elementary School cafeteria with DeVetter Design Group 
Jeffers Pond School, building, 2017. Jeffers Pond Elementary School classrooms with DeVetter Design Group 

Education, Institutions, and the Path Forward, public talk, 2026. In conversation with Angelica Gallegos (ISAPD) and Chris Cornelius (UNM, studio:indigenous), moderated by Dagny Elise Carlsson. 
Building in the Mamdani Administration, public talk, 2026. In conversation with Edith Hsu-Chen (ED, NY City Planning) on civic engagement and the built environment, moderated by Francisco Brown (Metropolis Magazine 
Design Educators Roundtable, workshop, 2024. Invited workshop on public architecture education among leaders from NYC colleges, non-profits, and public-school-based programs. 
Architecture and Extraction, interview, 2024. In JSSAC special edition on architecture and extraction ↗
Art of a Movement, public talk, 2023. In conversation with Andrew Holder on exhibition and event series Art of a Movement: Disability, Dance, and Dynamism in Artistic Practice, Harvard Dance Center, Cambridge. 
Sklarek Lecture, public talk, 2023. In conversation with Sara Zewde  
Red Nation Podcast: Building Solidarities, interview, 2020. In conversation with Chris Cornelius, Nick Estes, moderated by Anooradha Siddiqi ↗
Design Voices Podcast: HIDC, interview, 2020. In conversation with Heidi Brandow, Zoë Toledo, Jaz Bonnin ↗
Petro-Biennial Complex, public talk, 2019. In conversation with Paulo Tavares, Todd Palmer, Fawn Pochel, Nitasha Dhillon and Amin Hussein, Ana María León, Andrew Herscher 
Standing Rock Syllabus, report, 2016. Open syllabus project, illustration, and community organizing  

Dadaab Commons, artist residency, exhibition, 2025. Mapping and projection in exhibition curated by Anooradha Iyer Siddiqi in Nairobi ↗
Before you were here, exhibition, 2024–2025. 4-part multimedia exhibition on Columbia University’s deep land history across Manhattan with the Buell Center, Columbia GSAPP ↗
WASTE Residency, artist residency, exhibition, 2023. On fabrication, waste, and reuse 
Jr. Architects, feature, 2023–2024. In Junior Architects: New Paradigms in Design Education ↗
Ruines, exhibition, 2022–2023. “10 Thousand Recollections” on view at the Carré d'Art, Nîmes ↗
Northern Spark, exhibition, 2019. "The Night Library" at the Northern Spark Arts Festival ↗
Now What?!, interview, 2018–2022. “Roadside Marker Series: An Interview with Dr. Alyssa Mt. Pleasant” 
Resources for an Urban World, exhibition, book, 2016. Curated by Gizem Karagoz and Elsa MH Mäki, exhibition book edited by Gizem Karagoz 

42 projects