Archinect
Kirsten Harris

Kirsten Harris

New York, NY, US

 
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About 

Creative thinker with over 8 years of experience in Architecture, Design, and Construction. Successful management of multimillion-dollar capital improvement projects for major retail brands. A passion for leading, mentoring, and engaging others while delivering results in a fast-paced environment. Consistently recognized and promoted to larger levels of responsibility.

Employment 

Tapestry, New York, NY, US, Sr. Manager Construction

Estimator for all feasibility and prospective Tapestry (Coach, Kate Spade, Stuart Weitzman) projects. Developed budgets for Real Estate negotiations, landlord tenant allowance, Design benchmarks, and Executive capital expense approval.

Nov 2019 - Jun 2020
 

Tapestry, New York, NY, US, Construction Manager

Manage the construction and renovation of Coach and Kate Spade stores to meet approved design, budgets, and schedules in order to achieve corporate sales plan. Manage communication and work of General Contractors and subs. Negotiate price and approve/ dispute change orders. Coordinate work with consulting Architects, internal design teams, Contractors, and Vendors. Currently managing over $10million of renovations and new buildouts across the US and Canada. Projects ranging in scale from 2,800 - 10,000+ sq ft. Extensive travel required for Framing visits, Punch, and onsite liaison for Turnover week.

Aug 2018 - Nov 2019
 

Tapestry, New York, NY, US, Assistant Manager Construction

Feb 2018 - Aug 2018
 

COACH, New York, NY, US, Assistant Manager Design & Architecture

Responsible for designing and managing the development of North America Coach Retail and Outlet stores from initial concept through store opening. Leverage proficiency in Architecture and store design to develop layouts from sketch to schematic design for both internal review and further development into CAD documents. Manage the development and issuance of Design Development, Permit, Bid, and Construction sets by coordinating the work of consulting architects. Partner with internal Coach Construction, Procurement, Merchandising, Visual, and Real Estate and Business teams. Review shop drawings and finishing sample submissions. Following up with punch lists from distributors and Coach owned businesses at project completion. Notable accomplishments include 20 outlet renovations 9 retail remodels and renovations.

Sep 2016 - Feb 2018
 

Calvin Klein, New York, NY, US, Retail Development Coordinator

Oversee the execution and installation of North American retail concepts ranging from 300- 4,000 sq ft for Calvin Klein, CK Jeans, and CK Underwear. Includes coordinating and managing projects from design development through construction and punch list follow-up on project completion. Worked with Store Design to develop and launch the new unified concept for Calvin Klein Jeans. Managed external consultants including architects, vendors, millworkers, and contractors. Partnered with key internal teams: Global Design, Visual Merchandising, Planning, Sales, Facilities, and Field Services. Acquired licensed Tommy Hilfiger Underwear and Michael Kors Underwear brands for Retail Development. Created design concept for two 1,500 sq ft trade show booths which generated $1.9M in revenue over three days. Worked closely with sales and ad agency on marketing placement. Managed 3rd party construction, redlined and approved millwork drawings, and oversaw installation of booth.

Jun 2014 - Sep 2016
 

Barneys New York, New York, NY, US, Coordinator Store Design (Temp, Intern)

Member of Headquarters Store Design and Construction team leading redesign of all stores to one common Barneys aesthetic. Aided design coordinator on half million dollar project updating fixtures. Responsible for space planning, fixture diagrams and drawings. Reviewed millwork and shop drawings for construction. Created design packages of rendered images for buyers and CEO to present to vendors. Wrote purchase orders, made RFIs, participated in weekly construction walkthroughs on ongoing projects and created punch lists for General Contractor. Represented HQ at LA Grove store turnover.

Jun 2013 - Dec 2013
 

University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, US, Teaching Assistant for First Year Studio

Taught, lectured, and mentored a class of eleven students. Reviewer for midterm presentations.

Jan 2012 - Mar 2012
 

Königs Architekten, Cologne, DE, Intern

Five month internship in a small, progressive German architecture firm. Collaborated on conceptual drawings for upcoming competitions. Worked on renderings for clients and redline drawings for 5 million euro botanical garden and public greenhouse. Built process models. Office communications and meetings solely in German.

Apr 2011 - Aug 2011
 

Education 

The New School, New York, NY, US, MFA Interior Design

Aug 2012 - May 2014
 

University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, US, BArch, Architecture

Sep 2007 - Jun 2012
 

Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS), Copenhagen, DK, Architecture & Design

Jun 2010 - Aug 2010
 

Awards 

Lew Award, Nomination

CEO award at Tapestry

2019
 
2012
 

Areas of Specialization 

Skills