Professionally, over the last [8] years, I have been employed with Gensler as the Design Leader for the Entertainment Studio, where I led design teams of 3-10 on a variety of large entertainment, themed, mixed-use, and hospitality projects, locally and internationally, from concept design phase to construction administration. I am a dynamic and ambitious architect who possesses the design and development flair needed to plan, coordinate and be involved in all phases of an architectural project. Moreover, I have superb communication skills and client liaison ability as well as a strong technical understanding of unique building types. These attributes have helped me develop my platform of designing through storytelling and setting out to create a strong immersive experience in every project.
Academically, I hold a bachelor’s degree in science and architecture from Arizona State University, and a master’s degree in architecture from Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc). Along with these universities, I have studied abroad at Politecnico di Milano, Italy, where I experimented with the relationships between fashion, graphic design, and fundamental rules of classical architecture. While studying, I acquired the ability to quickly learn progressive software, understand and create complex forms and spaces, and advance my visual communication skills. I was also awarded [2] academic scholarships, and for graduating top in my class, I received the Henry Adam’s Award…which was accredited to my thesis on “The Invisible Infrastructure of Casinos.”
Gensler, Los Angeles, Senior Architectural Designer
Responsibilities:
• Led design team in entertainment, hospitality, and mixed-use projects, from concept design to construction administration.
• Lead designer for Entertainment Architecture studio.
• Developed conceptual story boards for immersive architectural experiences, on large entertainment and themed projects.
• Collaborated with IP clients for immersive experience design on entertainment and themed projects.
• BIM manager for Revit projects.
• Client Relations representative for the Entertainment and Hospitality studio.
• Worked alongside contractors and artist for onsite art direction in construction phase on show set design.
• Intern Mentor.
• Traveled internationally and locally to meet with clients and consultants for design review and coordination.
• Construction Documentation: Show Sets, Themed Facades, Senior Living/Residential projects, Hospital, and Mixed-Use projects.
• Worked internationally on site for structural and architectural coordination.
• “Storytelling through Visuals” seminar group leader.
Selected Projects:
• Shanghai Disney Resort [large entertainment] - Our design focus was on the back of house administrative offices, parking lot structures, entry + gateway, and Mickey Avenue retail structures. Located in Pudong, it’s the first Disney park resort in mainland China, and the second in Greater China, after the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, so the large theme park and resort set out to create a Disneyland unlike any other. The park consists of a wide array of architectural styles ranging from European Classical to ultra-futuristic modern. As you make your precession to the front gates, you are first greeted with parking lot structures and entry turnstiles giving an ode to art nouveau architecture. Once you have passed through the monumental gate, with its signature ornate hand clock, you have now entered Mickey Avenue, which guides you to the magical kingdom. Mickey Avenue consists of a candy shop, photo shop, toy store emporium, themed fire station, and many dining destinations. Thematically the avenue has been designed to immerse its guests in the streets of Europe, experiencing various facades from the street of Europe. Worked alongside Walter Disney Imagineer designers, and worked on-site for structural coordination.
• Great Wolf Lodges - 7 Locations [water park, entertainment, hotel] - Large 500,000 square foot resorts that include 300-550 key northern woods themed suites, 8 restaurants + bars, retail, family entertainment center, outdoor adult and children’s pool, and its main feature a 100,000 square foot indoor water park. The entire resort becomes an immersive experience taking its guests on many unique adventures through the northern woods. These projects also included re-imagining the resorts brand through the exterior, interior, and water park design. Led the design team from concept through construction.
• Eko Atlantic [mixed-use development and master plan] - Standing on 10 million square meters of land reclaimed from the ocean, and protected by a 8.5-kilometer-long sea wall, Eko Atlantic will be the size of Manhattan’s skyscraper district. Self-sufficient and sustainable, it includes state-of-the-art urban design, its own power generation, clean water, advanced telecommunications, spacious roads, and tree-lined streets. Our first stage was to develop a high-level master plan for the entire community, and then a detailed master plan for the main Marina District, consisting of over 80 mid and high-rise office and residential towers.
• Incheon International Airport [aviation + retail] - Developed for the 2018 Winter Olympics, Incheon Terminal 2 is designed to surpass all current standards of excellence for international travel. Conceived from the inside out, we teamed with Heerim Architects, to create a building that calms, refreshes, entertains, and excites passengers while encouraging them to engage with Korean culture. Created with passenger connectivity in mind, this airport has points of entry by bus, car, taxi, or train and reduces passenger connections between transfer flights while providing a spacious, artful community to explore. Once inside, the soaring space features boutique avenues, parks, lounges, and play areas with sunlit spaces that harbor plants and trees. Top tier retail, dining, and entertainment amenities are also present throughout the space. The winged roof owes its form to both structural efficiency and culturally significant images of the mythical phoenix.
Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), Los Angeles, CA, US, MArch, Architecture
Digital Design and Architecture
Arizona State University, Tempe Camp, AZ, US, BArch, Architecture
Science and Architecture
