Insight
Every project is different. It may fit in a specific category, but the context, players, and constructs are all unique. The ability to LISTEN, ASK questions, and SYNTHESIZE the design opportunities and implications requires experience at all levels of a project.
I’ve contributed to design charettes, presented in board rooms and participated in on-site construction meetings over the years. These interactions have allowed me to experience the entire process firsthand and appreciate the complex choreography required to realize a development project.
5 10 15 25 30+
1 3 5 10 15+
5 10 20 30 40 45+
Years of Experience
Built Projects
Total Projects
Vision
Developing the vision for a project is indeed exciting, it is your project’s STORY. It’s when possibilities seem endless and excitement for ‘what could be’ is intoxicating. The key to success is aligning the PROJECT GOALS with the vision.
- A peaceful estuary becomes an eco-resort formed by an epic water vortex
- Custom toy designs inform the design of an entire theme park
- An eco-educational experience challenges children to zipline toward a snowy mountain to complete the final challenge
These are all projects that started with the flicker of an idea.
Adaptability
A project’s ‘life’ isn’t always fluid. Inevitably, roadblocks and setbacks punctuate the timeline. It’s important during these times to re-visit the project goals and align their intent with the new realities. Having the ability to RECOGNIZE these instances, ASSESS their impacts, and REACT with a new plan to keep the momentum moving forward is paramount.
I say that my two (2) years as a Design Manager on a construction site early in my career was a ‘masters degree’ in large scale development. The takeaway from that experience… ADAPTABILITY is everything.
Implementation
Bringing a ‘story’ to life involves a herculean effort. COMMUNICATING the key elements that embody that story to a complex network of disciplines, vendors, and site workers is essential so that they help champion the outcome while juggling the BUDGET, SCHEDULE and construction LIMITATIONS.
I have always enjoyed interacting with architects, engineers, project managers, and vendors because they all contribute to the evolution of the story with their ingenuity and creativity. They have helped me build a mountain, a Banyan tree, LEGO dinosaurs and an intergalactic Space Station.
Designer at Heart
There’s HAVING a vision and EXECUTING a vision. I feel lucky that I’ve had the opportunity to do both and to participate in all the important moving parts in between.
Working on construction sites, sitting in design review meetings and working with tradespeople over the years made me a better ‘designer’ and to this day still informs my approach to every project.
