Philosophy

I believe that ‘real’ places— ones that move us closer to a greater understanding of each another and the world around us— are more important than ever..

Infographic titled "The Practice" with four illustrated steps comparing black shapes to finalized forms, highlighting concepts like style, process, strategy, principles, purity, hybrid, resistance, resilience, agency, engagement, form, space, meaning, and related keywords.

My work is shaped by clearly articulated ideas rooted in the integration of program + site.

More than a catalog of rooms and sizes, I see ‘program’ as an outline of a big social idea about people and institutions, while ‘site’ transcends the pictoral or physical landscape to include the broader cultural and environmental context of which these projects strive to be a meaningful part...

collage of three images. The larger left image shows a large crowd of people gathered outdoors at night, with a tree in the center. The top right image shows three people standing outdoors in the snow at night, looking at their phones, with a large building in the background. The bottom right image shows people walking up yellow stairs inside a modern building with large windows.
A collage of images of Seagrove Community Arts Center, including a 3D map of the site, historical photos, a map with a route labeled 'Pottery Highway,' and pottery artifacts. There is also a quote about Luck's Pinto Beans and a black-and-white photo of people working in a cannery.

...By looking closely at the unique intersection of these fundamental, seemingly prosaic conditions of architecture, and coupling with thoughtful and carefully integrated detailing and construction systems, this philosophy yields projects that are client-specific, site-sensitive and, in the end, contribute to the advancement of community and culture.

A black and white photograph of a group of four men in suits sitting around a table in a formal room with tall windows. There are American flags in the background, and the man in the middle appears to be speaking. The table has cups, napkins, and a bowl. On the left side of the image, there's a colorful, abstract drawing on graph paper with notes and labels. In the bottom right corner, there's a digital illustration of a circular arrangement of people, and next to it, a smaller image of a similar circular formation.
A wall display of 15 abstract, mixed-media art pieces arranged in a grid pattern, featuring layered cutouts, various shapes, and pastel colors.
A librarian in Cleveland Ohio leading a circle game with young children in a classroom, with children's artwork displayed on the walls.
A hand-drawn sketch by Robert Thomas of a sectional courtyard with labeled parts, showing structures and spaces in different colors, with some notes and arrows indicating features and directions.

“It's possible, in a poem or short story, to write about commonplace things and objects using commonplace but precise language, and to endow those things—a chair, a window curtain, a fork, a stone, a woman's earring—with immense, even startling power.”

- Raymond Carver