Elaine Tripoulas is a senior at Cornell University studying Interior Design with a concentration in Visual Studies.  Elaine has a passion for place and the unlimited engagement opportunities within it. She is a highly creative individual and is passionate about expanding her knowledge through research and collaboration.  One of Elaine’s greatest strengths is her ability to listen and see value in others ideas.  She credits this ability to her younger sister who experiences learning differences and has many health complications.  “Living with someone who experiences the world differently creates an understanding of the vast and beautiful human differences that should all be valued.”  Beyond human/space relationships, Elaine also designed “Evolving Socially”; a house for adjusting newly adopted cats to their new home, which placed 3rd in the AIA Buffalo Animal House competition. 

 

Elaine considers herself to be an exceptional leader, and credits her ability to listen effectively and see value where other cannot.  In the summer of 2013, Elaine had the unique experience of interning for the 9/11 Memorial in the Design and Construction department.  This internship gave her a deeper understanding of project management, which she continues to grow in all group collaborations. 

 

While studying Interior Design within Cornell’s department of Design and Environmental Analysis, Elaine was able to fuse her innovative design visions with her passion for human well-being.  One type of interior design that Elaine is interested in for this reason is healthcare design.  She has worked on interior design projects for Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes, Ithaca Hospicare, and Cayuga Medical Center intensive care unit.  She has also done research on how noise affects patient satisfaction and staff performance and in turn effects Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers (HCAHPS) score and Medicare funding.  Further, Elaine believes that human-centered design is crucial in all fields including health and wellness, retail, education and more.  

 

With a background in performing arts, including dance and choreography, Elaine is inspired by the movement of people and culture through space. Elaine has choreographed for multiple dance groups on campus, as well as Sartre’s No Exit performed at the Schwartz Performing Arts Center at Cornell. One of her favorite projects, was the adaptive reuse design of the Bevier Memorial Building in Rochester, New York, which she turned into UNREAL, a performing and visual arts education facility.  

 

 

​​ELAINE TRIPOULAS // FOUNDER & DESIGNER

Designer. Dancer. Entrepreneur.