Carolyn Sponza

Carolyn is an architect, planner and urban designer with great expertise in creating memorable, contextually relevant, and sustainable places. As a Principal at Gensler’s Pittsburgh location, Carolyn is responsible for leading major transportation and commercial office work in the Pittsburgh region, including the Pittsburgh International Airport Terminal Modernization and the FNB Financial Center projects. In addition, Carolyn is leading planning and entitlement efforts for an 18.8-acre redevelopment of a former coal-fired power plant in Alexandria, VA. Her international project work includes regional and master planning projects in the Middle East, South America, and Canada.

Trained in both social science and design, Carolyn has a unique background from which she approaches her work. She graduated with a professional degree in Architecture from The Catholic University of America and holds a MSc in City Design and Social Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Carolyn frequently speaks and writes on issues impacting the built environment, particularly around public space activation. She currently runs the Research Incubator for Gensler’s DC office, which supports teams researching resilient development, community engagement, equitable design processes, and other similar topics. Carolyn is a past president of AIA|DC, serving on the Board for five years and leading the Chapter’s Advocacy Committee. She is also a past Vice President of Professional Development at the AIA New York Chapter.