Architect, Senior Urban Designer, Professor, Artist, Denver, USA

A consummate professional, Ms. Lilly Djaniants has an impeccable taste for design in both career architectural projects as well as in her private life. I’ve known Ms. Djaniants for almost 20 years and I can honestly say that when it comes to style and class, Lilly reigns supreme. In her home and personal life, she has a special talent for combining distinctive elements that result in the most unimaginable pieces (furniture, art, clothing) and she makes it all look effortless. Just pay attention to the artwork in the background in the photos - Lilly painted the pieces!

What’s more impressive are Lilly’s professional credentials and expertise, her desire to pursue ideas that are differentiated and truly unique. What inspired me greatly over the last decade was Lilly’s ability to jump ship and fearlessly get into something ambitious and off the cuff. When finding herself with challenging projects in a new architectural environment in a foreign country, Lilly gets fully immersed and thrives. From the outside looking in, I find Ms. Djaniants’s ability to turn dreams into reality edifying, worth emulating.

It gives me so much joy to hear stories of immigrants returning back to their home countries with the desire to improve lives of others, share their expertise and give back to the community. Ms. Djaniants’s love for her motherland, her passion toward the betterment of Armenia has stuck with and inspired me. Lilly moved to Yerevan to help preserve national treasures and protect the history of that ancient civilization. She did her ancestors proud. Then, as only Lilly knows how to do, she switched gears and found herself in Denver, Colorado, wearing multiple hats - both professional as well as new ones, to complement her hiking and biking gear. A complete reinvention and a shock to the senses, plus an additional role as a professor. Unsurprisingly, she thrives.

1. Name

Lilly Djaniants.

2. Where is your hometown?

The easy answer is High Point, NC, the complicated answer is that I've had multiple hometowns. I was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, where I lived till I was eight years old, and when war broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan, my family fled Baku settling in Zvartnots, Armenia, where I lived till I was 11. 

3. What is your profession/career/title/self-label/designation? What does your average day look like?

My career has been evolving for the past 20 years. I started out as an architect, and for 10 years worked as an architectural designer developing high-end projects. In 2012 I decided to expand the scope of what I do to larger-scale developments. I was curious to understand the impact of a building beyond its immediate site, both programmatically and technically, and I pivoted my career towards urban design and planning, maintaining a strong focus on architecture.

Currently, I work with the City & County of Denver within Planning Services, and my position is Senior Urban Designer. I work on a variety of planning projects through the City at multiple scales. A large part of my work is developing regulatory tools that shape the urban environment and building facades in downtown Denver, I also work on long-range planning for different parts of the City, and I oversee design reviews for urban developments. Simultaneously I teach graduate studios in architecture, planning, and urban design at CU Denver. I love taking part in knowledge transfer and contributing to the success of the next generation of architects, planners, and urban designers.

4. What did you study in school?

My academic career was very much architecture focused, I have a Bachelor of Architecture from North Carolina State University and a Master of Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University of New York.

5. What was the journey like to get where you are (in life and career-wise)? Write about some of the achievements that you are most proud of. What was the breakthrough moment for you (in your personal life and/or career?) that set you on the current path in life?

My life journey has taken me and my family through multiple experiences. We grew up in comfortable middle-class without a worry in the world, and I was consciously aware of our privileges even as a young child in how I was dressed, my toys, the quality of our home, the society we were a part of, -it was not lost on me in the moment. But overnight our world changed and we found ourselves as refugees in Armenia, struggling to survive daily, as the country was in the midst of a war, and we had no heat, water, electricity, or even proper nutrition, and then too I was conscious of the state of poverty arounds us. Even at the age of ten I refused to accept this new life as a given and hoped and prayed for a better quality of life. Through a miracle we immigrated to US in 1992 just as Soviet Union collapsed, and overtime we assimilated into the American society. I often say that what’s wonderful about a country like US is that its foundation is based on immigration, everyone’s background is mixed, -to be an American doesn’t have any single ethnic identity. Immediately after arriving in US we took intensive English learning classes, and the first few years my parents spend a lot of money on tutors to make sure that I was taking AP and IB classes in high school, their utmost priority was to make sure my siblings and I received strong academic base and went to good universities.

My professional journey started when I entered the field in architecture immediately after 9/11 and moved to New York City, where at the time the most thrilling work was focused on the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site. I was excited to be part of that legacy and worked for a firm that collaborated closely with NYC’s Port Authority preparing on-site analysis and redevelopment strategies. After that, I worked for 10 years predominantly in smaller boutique firms with high-profile clients and was privileged to have amazing mentors at work who invested in my in-office education. Because of my strong work ethic and attention to detail I was given a lot of responsibility early in my career to manage and oversee multi-million-dollar projects, which was stressful and exhilarating at the same time.

In 2010 I visited Armenia, and after returning back to the States I realized that I very much wanted to return to Armenia and live there, and made a decision to relocate, working as a construction manager on site for Tumo Center of Creative Technologies. I was surprised to find a yearning to live in Armenia, and even though I lived there for three years as child, I really didn’t have any relationship with that country, and had almost no Armenian friends in the States. But I felt that the privileges I was afforded in life came back to this moment to give back to my motherland. Although my family hasn’t lived in Armenia in three generations, and although I didn’t speak the language, it felt so natural to repatriate. I would encourage others who have similar backgrounds to reconnect with your native countries and create a working relationship to contribute in ways beyond the typical humanitarian aid. Knowledge sharing and intellectual philanthropy can be even more valuable. But what made my experience even more rewarding is the strong network of Armenians that I now have both locally and in the diaspora across the world.

Working at Tumo was also incredibly rewarding to me, I was able to play a role in such an amazing legacy, a technology-oriented school that is free of charge, that promotes self-learning funded by two Armenian philanthropists from Texas and under the vision of Marie-Lou Papazian. She was an exceptionally inspiring mentor, and through her leadership, I pursued a master's at Columbia University. Upon graduating I returned to Armenia and worked for four years with a Russian-Armenian philanthropist, Ruben Vardanyan, under the office of a London based firm Tim Flynn Architects, developing a master plan for one of the secondary cities in Armenia and establishing the first zoning in the country. Upon completion, I returned stateside and have been working with the City of Denver for the past four years.

6. How is your life different from what you pictured at 20?

I had no preconceived notions of what life should be like, and still don’t. I have tried to live multiple lifetimes in one life, collecting both experiences, knowledge, love, and friendships, and I think I’ve succeeded in achieving that.

7. Was there a time when life knocked you down or out and how did you get back up on your feet?

I grew up in a family with strong Christian faith, and while life has thrown multiple adversities, like becoming a refugee at the age of 8, or most recently unexpectedly losing my mom, what always gets me through is my faith.

8. Advice for other women?

Set your own rules in life, do not be bound by social expectations, and live a life full of integrity. Spend the time to discover yourself, identify your core values, without conforming to others. Use inspirational women whose character and traits you admire and aspire to attain those traits in yourself. Celebrate the success of your peers and support other women.

9. Knowing what we know now in a current political climate, can women be "all that we can be" in today's world? What is the way forward, as you see it, for "feminist values"?

I love being a woman, and I love the differences that women and men have, physically, emotionally, and even mentally. But I would not want to limit either sex to any expected standard. I think modern society, especially in the western world, has evolved beyond that categorization and in general, is very accepting. Celebrate aspects of yourself that you value as a woman. One can be feminine and be a leader at the same time, one doesn’t cancel out the other.

10. Where in the world do you feel “tallest” (i.e. where is your happy place)?

There are multiple settings that contribute to my happy place, it can range from being with my family and friends, working on a really exciting project, traveling around the world, spending time in Armenia and Artsakh, having amazing conversations with friends over good food and wine, or hiking the beautiful mountains of Colorado.

11. What extracurricular activities/hobbies are you most proud of? Why

Being a mentor to the younger generation, especially to my students. I've had such privilege of having good mentors that contributed to my growth professionally, that I think it’s important to be able to now do that myself for the next generation. I'm proud of my continued engagement with improving the quality of the urban environment in Armenia. I'm also proud of the friendships and relationships I've built with people over my lifetime.

12. What are your future goals/challenges?

I really love what I do, and I hope to continue to evolve and grow in my field transitioning to more leadership roles. I also hope to continue to be engaged in the urban and economic development of Armenia throughout my lifetime.

13. What fears are you still hoping to overcome?

Occasional self-doubt.

14. Anything you'd do differently if you had another go at life?

I’d like to think that I’ve lived a life with no regrets, but I always think one can continue to strive to be a better version of themselves today than the day before, working harder, being nicer, loving more, being more present, confident, and even taking time to relax.

15. What inspires you?

People that are driven to leave a positive impact in all aspects of life.

16. What are you hopeful about?

The awakening of the spiritual intelligence of the world. Armenia and Artsakh have taught me to value spiritual intelligence and wisdom.

17. What are some ingredients to a good life? Has the global pandemic changed your perspective about the world, about your life, your goals and dreams?

For me, the foundation of good life came from a happy and stable home. I received so much love from my parents and siblings that it continues to fulfill me to this day. Coupled with good relationships, as well as surrounding oneself with people that share your values for integrity and humanity, are the ingredients to a good life. It would be remiss of me not to mention that being passionate about what you chose to do in life also plays a major role in experiencing a fulfilled life.

The pandemic has taught me to value human connections and relationships more, but it has also reminded me that it’s important to enjoy one’s own company.

18. What are (at least) three qualities you most love about yourself and why? What are your superpowers?

The ability to analyze and evaluate solutions, logical and critical thinking, thoughtfulness, and strong intuition are my superpowers.

19. What advice would you give your 14-year-old self?

Continue to reinvent yourself every five years.

20. Who is a WOW WOMAN in your world who inspires you and why? Can you nominate three (or more) women you know who perfectly fit WOW WOMAN description? What would you tell them, if you had an opportunity, why you admire them?

My mother is my ultimate WOW Woman. She embodied strength, resiliency, femininity, sophistication, class, intelligence, and integrity. She never allowed us to settle for anything less than greatness, and she pushed us every day to be the best version of ourselves. She instilled in us strong work ethic, appreciation for knowledge, culture, self-worth, quality, decency, honesty, and sophistication.

There are so many incredible women that are in my life, including my sisters and close girlfriends, and I would nominate them all. In particular, these three women come to mind:

Marie Lou Papazian, director of Tumo Center of Technologies, who is an incredible visionary, human, mentor, mother, leader, and friend. If the world had more of Marie Lou’s it would be a better place.

Nora Bairamian, who immediately after having her first child, went to work on her masters at Columbia University, and after having a second child is working on her Ph.D.

Oksana Mirzoyan, an award-winning film director based in Detroit, who explores artistically the complexities of life and human emotions through film.

21. Where can others find you/your work (links to websites, blogs, etc.)?