Meet Maria Simon

With nearly 20 years of experience across the U.S. and abroad, Maria began her career working on large-scale civic, institutional, and transportation projects. Over time, she intentionally shifted her focus to smaller-scale work, bringing the same rigor and care to projects that support small businesses, families, and institutions on a more intimate scale. Her graduate research helped drive this shift where she researched the relationship between spatial tectonics and cognitive psychology, which continues to influence her design philosophy and NomiLab’s approach to practice.

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Before founding NomiLab, Maria served as Designer and Project Manager at several prominent firms. Her experience includes serving as the Site and Architectural Advisor for Hawaiʻi’s pursuit of the Obama Presidential Center and participating in the subsequent design competition with Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects in New York City.

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Her work has contributed to many award-winning projects, including Warren Village III, a permanent supportive housing project in Denver that received the 2025 Eagle Award. While recognition is meaningful, Maria believes the true measure of a project’s success lies in its ability for people to feel a sense of identity and aspiration reflected in their spaces.

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Maria stays engaged in the broader architectural and research community through roles teaching at the University of Colorado Boulder and at Arapahoe Community College. She is also on the Arapahoe Community College Architecture Advisory Board, and the Colorado Advanced Industries Early-Stage Capital and Retention Grant Jury. She is also a member of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture. Outside of practice, she spends her time renovating her 100-year-old home, exploring creative side projects, and spending time in the mountains.