In the background: De Young Museum, Herzog & de Meuron, 2005
About
I am in pursuit of an everyday architecture: buildings and spaces that reflect the values of those who inhabit them, are grounded in their locality, and enable flexible multi-functional use while remaining sensitive to aesthetics, to the neighbors, and to the environment. I favor clean, light-infused spaces that celebrate domesticity and believe in simple pragmatic solutions that enable people to enjoy living. I prefer delineating overlapping spaces that extend perception and foster a sense of expansiveness. I love the materiality of things and find joy in honoring intrinsic qualities through honest and expressive use. While I am a modernist at heart, I find inspiration in a diverse range of aesthetic and cultural sources, from the past and from around the world. I believe it is important to balance the formal and functional with the richness that can come from nature, and from color, texture, and pattern.
From my first building projects as a Peace Corps volunteer through over twenty-five years of corporate experience leading teams on high-end professional offices and hotel interior projects, I've learned that the most successful projects generally result from collaboration and communication between owner, architect and builder, working together as a multi-disciplinary team that makes the most of each person's strength. My experience working across the US, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean has taught me the value of being a careful listener, to be cautious with assumptions, and to be honest about the things I don't know. While design is generally seen as a creative act dependent upon the talent of an individual, it is essential to understand that the practice of architecture is a service to the clients and society at large, and that every project is an opportunity to express optimism for the future.