I am a licensed architect practicing in north Florida with over 35 years of experience. I hold Bachelor of Design and Master of Architecture degrees from the University of Florida.
My project focus is predominantly non-residential: commercial offices, industrial, retail, restaurants, schools, medical offices, churches, and more.
In addition to being a licensed architect and interior designer, I also hold licenses as a contractor (inactive) and real estate broker. I have lived in Clay county for over 49 years and attended public school in Clay county. I know the area, the history, and the people better than most.
I enjoy a mix of large and small projects. I bring the same level of enthusiasm to each project I undertake and the same degree of concentration to find the best solution, for the best price, on the client’s schedule. Throughout my career I have intentionally diversified my selection of projects. I have designed and constructed porch additions; designed and supervised the construction of tilt-up concrete buildings, performing the tilt-up form work, steel placement and embed placement myself. As a staff architect I designed building-wide signage, escalators and moving walks, and restaurants at the Orlando International Airport; designed a hotel to sit on top of the airport; designed a Ritz-Carleton Hotel on Amelia Island, the “town square” at the Savannah International Airport and a commuter terminal at the San Juan International Airport. I also worked (simultaneously with the larger projects listed above) on smaller projects like a remodel of the Jacksonville Art Museum for the Andrew Wyeth exhibit; a real estate school; doctor’s offices, surgical centers, car washes; factory clean rooms. Since 1994, I designed 8 of the last 12 elementary schools built in the Clay County School District. I have also designed numerous classroom buildings and had contracts for continuing minor services for both K-12 school districts and the University of Florida. Often, I managed several school projects simultaneously, indicating the ability to handle a large amount of work, most notably three new elementary schools for a total construction cost of over $60 million. All these projects were competitively won through public solicitations.
It is a strange thing that most people expect architects to be specialized into one type of project or another. And some do by choice. But no architect is specialized by training. We learn broad design principles and techniques such as lateral thinking that can be applied to any design problem. Where engineers are specialists, architects are by nature generalists. Which is why so many architects also design parks, chairs, automobiles, tea pots, chess sets, light fixtures, etc. It is also why the Florida Statutes automatically allows architects to do their own interior design, landscape architecture and engineering. Our skill is in learning about any design problem and using diverse experiences to create something unique that achieves the client’s goals. Most of the time it just happens to involve buildings.
My goal is always to produce the perfect set of documents. And towards that end, I am constantly improving my speed, techniques and procedures; incorporating things I learn and refining my details. My documents are intended to solve the problems during design than during construction (this is from experience in the field). I strive for simplicity and clarity in my drawings: I focus on thoroughness for bidding purposes and clarity for construction.
I worked in construction while in college, during summers and afterwards. It is my good fortune that it was for a small design/build firm and that I had the opportunity to work in construction. Apart from masonry, I have worked in every building trade one encounters on a typical project. What I detail in my drawings can always be built. My emphasis on construction knowledge often sets me apart from most architects. I also do not believe that there is only one correct way to construct something and I am always open to suggestions from anyone if it will improve the project for the client. I fully understand bidding, scheduling, and cost.
I am a LEED Accredited Professional specializing in Building Design and Construction and I have experience on several LEED projects: a LEED Silver project, prototype renovation for married housing on the University of Florida campus; and a LEED Gold project, combination conference center and department office building, also on the University of Florida campus. Although I have the current credentials, I have always believed that sustainability is a necessary component of architectural design. The universal concepts of maintainability, cost control, careful material and system selection that result in energy savings and environmental conservation benefit every project, large or small. It is a responsibility not only to my clients but to those who visit and work within the environments I create. I believe that fundamentally all well-designed buildings can achieve some degree of LEED compliance.