# Ayla Warwick **Architectural Historian and Spatial Researcher · Bellingham, United States** Architectural historian and spatial researcher examining how legal language constructs domestic planning frameworks and global commodity flows. I study how contemporary governance produces territory, jurisdiction, and memory across postcolonial landscapes. Profile: https://path.cv/aylawarwick *Last updated: October 2026* --- ## Experience ### Commissioner at City of Bellingham Planning Commission *Aug 2026 – Present* Review and recommend amendments to the Bellingham Plan and evaluate land use and development proposals. Advise City Council on zoning and development regulation updates to meet housing and employment growth allocations. ### Volunteer Driver at Bellingham Food Bank *Jun 2026 – Present* Deliver weekly food boxes to community members throughout Whatcom County. Gain firsthand exposure to access and equity issues shaping local planning decisions. ### Graduate Researcher at New York University, GSAS *Aug 2025 – May 2026* Conducted architectural history and heritage documentation research across post-industrial landscapes in the United Kingdom and Canada, with contextual research in the United States, England, France, and Germany. Documented and analyzed three historic properties functioning as nodes within a shared post-colonial industrial landscape: CRAB Park (Vancouver, BC), Promenade des Gouverneurs (Quebec City), and Canada Water (London, UK). Evaluated how heritage designation, planning law, and spatial governance frameworks shape the significance, treatment, and public access of historic properties through time and space Consulted directly with heritage and environmental planning organizations including Royal Parks (UK); engaged with Indigenous heritage and policy experts in Canada to contextualize contrasting governance frameworks. Applied comparative geographic analysis, heritage studies methodologies, and postcolonial spatial analysis to assess regulatory and planning contexts across jurisdictions. Familiarity with National Register documentation frameworks and Secretary of the Interior professional qualification standards in architectural history. ### Gallery Assistant at Western Gallery, Western Washington University *Sep 2023 – Jun 2024* Conceptualized and launched a monthly community education program for pre-K children. Delivered guided tours and interpretive programming for diverse audiences. ### Contracted Residential Designer at Interior Harmony Design LLC *Oct 2017 – May 2020* Coordinated project timelines and managed vendor relationships across multiple projects. Rendered architectural drawings in CAD/Revit and managed a green materials library. ### Teaching Assistant & Instructor, Revit and SketchUp at Bellevue College *Jan 2019 – Dec 2019* Led instructional sessions in 3D modeling and BIM workflows for up to 30 students. Provided individualized support at varying skill levels. ### Commercial Retail Designer & Visual Merchandiser at Molbak's Home & Garden *Feb 2015 – Oct 2017* Applied spatial design principles across a 40,000-square-foot commercial environment and managed budgets for large-scale projects. Collaborated with a design team to execute commercial space programming. ### Teaching Assistant & Tutor, English at Merritt College *Jan 2013 – Jan 2014* Provided writing instruction and tutoring to diverse student populations including multilingual learners. Supported ENG 101 and ENG 201 courses. --- ## Skills Heritage Policy & Governance · Historic Properties Documentation · Postcolonial Spatial Analysis · Archival & Field Research · Cultural Resource Consultation · Community Engagement · Sustainable Design · Project Coordination · Database Management · Revit · SketchUp · Adobe Creative Suite · Microsoft Office Suite · GIS · EmbARK Collections Management --- ## Projects ### The Construction of Heritage: Spatial Authority and Post-Industrial Geographies M.A. thesis analyzing how heritage designation functions as an act of governance across three post-industrial sites. ### Performative Power: 17th and 18th Century French Mirrors in Painting and Interior Design B.A. thesis examining mirrors as instruments of performative power and social technologies. --- ## Education ### M.A. in Historical and Sustainable Architecture *New York University, GSAS* Jan 2024 – Jan 2026 ### B.A. in Art History *Western Washington University* Jan 2021 – Jan 2025 ### A.A. in Interior Studies *Bellevue College* Jan 2019 – Jan 2021 --- ## Awards - **Gavin Stamp Award for Best Thesis** — New York University (Jan 2026) - **GSAS Masters Fellowship** — New York University (Jan 2026) - **GSAS Jill Lever Memorial Tuition Scholarship** — New York University (Jan 2026) - **Outstanding Scholar in Art History** — Western Washington University (Jan 2025) - **Merit Award for Commercial Design** — CIDA (Jan 2020)