Title: Designer
Department: Brand Architecture
What is your role at Larson Design Group?: As an architectural designer, I am responsible for compiling the documents necessary for constructing a building (some artistic license included). Each project varies by client, and my role is to fulfill the requirements based on the project's scope and the client's vision. Interestingly, our department is taking a more focused approach by moving away from "general" architecture to brand-related, prototypical design, which allows us to pursue more broad-reaching, national-scale opportunities.
What is your background?: Semi-fresh out of college, I graduated from Penn State University in May 2010 with a Master of Architecture degree. I also completed my undergraduate education at PSU and received my Bachelor of Architecture in May 2009, having transferred from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2005 after two years in its Architecture program. While a student at PSU, I interned at LDG during the summers and was eventually hired full-time in spring 2011. My educational and work experiences have cultivated my interest in the adaptive reuse of historic and non-"historic" structures. My approach to architecture, and design, in general, is sensitive in nature. A semester spent abroad in Rome, Italy, truly opened my eyes to the juxtaposition of styles – of architecture, people, and elements from diverse time periods – working together in one setting, and how these distinct ingredients form the framework of a unique culture.
What do you enjoy in your free time?: Crafting, savory cooking, antiquing, vegetarianism, horror films, interior design, (vintage) graphic design, photography, art,…
Posted in Architecture | Communities | Innovative Solutions | Stewardship | Sustainable Design | Urban Development by Katrina Endresen (Designer - Brand Architecture) on October 24, 2011
One of LDG’s more recent endeavors, the establishment of its “Brand Architecture” department, has simplified the company’s architectural design goals. Its renewed architectural ambitions now concentrate on prototypical designs while envisioning a greater national reach. As a designer for our Brand Architecture group, I am responsible for the realization of a client’s vision, one that includes the expansion of the client’s brand with respect to its standardized architectural design.
Before becoming a full-time LDG employee, I was a student in Penn State’s Architecture program, which occasionally had guest speakers participate in its annual lecture series. One guest, John Hoke, a PSU Architecture alumnus, now designs for Nike, not a company one would instantly correlate with architecture. Still, his presentation was one of the most exciting and persuasive that I remember seeing as a student. It was not only the speaker’s words of encouragement that are imprinted in my mind but a Nike recycling initiative called “Reuse-a-Shoe” that can, oddly enough, be applicable to the brand architecture objective.
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