Michael Quinn

DESIGN IS MORE THAN JUST A DETAIL

I just love architecture; I always have. I feel that our profession offers an opportunity to make the world a better place to live. What we do has a direct impact on the people who use and experience our buildings and their quality of life. It's not necessarily about great design, but design that brings people together and causes society to evolve and function in a positive way. That’s the ultimate challenge of architecture.

I like to think of architects as visionaries, translating our client’s goals and ambitions into physical built solutions—sites and buildings—that work for them as well as serve their needs and expectations. We create forms from ideas; and that is no easy feat.

Excellence can only be achieved if one acknowledges that design is more than a concept and it is more than just a detail. Design is the collective whole of a strong conceptual idea that is well implemented. One needs to delve deeper than just the defined program and bring forth a project that consciously, or subconsciously, taps into a special opportunity whether it be the needs of the client, a community, an historical event or a style of architecture.

QE|A brings a level of commitment, as individuals and as a team, to cultural heritage. We strive to learn and reflect on our current state of life in an experiential way. As architects, our job is to bring richness to people so that they become aware of their culture and heritage in the physical world that we preserve, craft, and change.

Michael Quinn, FAIA, is a founding principal of QUINN EVANS | ARCHITECTS. He has practiced architecture since 1970. A nationally reputed designer, his portfolio includes some of this country's most important and visible public facilities. He brings commitment to contextually sensitive solutions and design excellence to each project with the goal of renewing public awareness of America's architectural heritage.

Larry Barr

SHOW ME THE CANYON

For me, architecture is about renewal. Ultimately, the question is how to take something that has become obsolete, or is perceived to be obsolete, and transform it into something that is useful and meaningful. To do that you have to listen to the building, work with what it gives you and maximize its attributes.

There’s a quote by a designer at Ford, Guiseppe Delena: “Don’t tell me you need a bridge; show me the canyon.” I think this is an absolutely great quote; it’s a good analogy to our work. While there’s an art in what we do, ultimately, we are problem solvers… creative problem solvers.

What we do is all about responsibility to the people who use the building. We bring a dogged commitment to our clients and our projects. We are very good listeners, and work very hard to develop an understanding of our clients so that we can give them the best solutions that will serve them over time. Creative problem solving is not for the here and now but for the future.

Because of the projects that we do—high profile and important public buildings for the most part—we get to work with people who are at the highest levels of their fields whether they be engineers, landscape architects, or other architects we’re teaming with—even our clients. It’s the people who are rewarding and exciting to me; there’s not a day that you don’t learn something.

Larry Barr, AIA, is Vice President and Principal of QE|A’s Washington DC office. He has over 25 years of experience in the renewal of existing buildings and neighborhoods. Clients include the John F. Kennedy Center for the Perfoming Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, and the General Services Adminstration.

Steve Jones

COMMUNICATION IS KEY

The projects that we are involved with and have been involved with really enrich our cultural heritage. Through preservation, we re-establish, maintain and/or preserve a critical sense of history that belongs to buildings or sites for future generations to learn from and enjoy. We've created vitally interesting, economically viable, and active communities—in the buildings, neighborhoods and downtowns that we’ve produced; making sure that they remain useful well into the 21st century. Everything we do here at QE|A speaks to that and tries to do that— whether it is a small project, a large project, or a monumental project, we all work toward that goal.

The most successful projects I’ve been involved with have had very informed clients. They recognized their responsibility to preserve and protect an important resource for the betterment of the community; for the people who use it and the public at large. Often times, we have to educate our clients about the importance of their projects and the impact they can have through proper stewardship. To do this, communication is the key critical issue. Communication of this goal is the most important thing I can bring to the design process to ensure a successful project. If I can help an owner be a good steward of a historic resource, I know I’ve done my job.

Heritage, the passing down of a tradition, is so meaningful to architecture. There is a cultural heritage that we need to protect and foster. So, through my work, I try to create the type of environment that allows future generations to enjoy and learn from that heritage.

Steve Jones, AIA, is Vice President and Principal of QE|A’s Ann Arbor office. For the past 23 years, he has specialized in preservation and restoration projects providing an emphasis on project management. He is directing the third of three consecutive five-year indefinite quantity contracts with the National Park Service – Midwest Regional Office which has involved over 20 NPS sites.

Ken Clein

ARCHITECTURE IS FOR THE PEOPLE

I grew up in a very musical household and have had a life long affinity for music. My musical background has shaped my interest in cultural buildings, like theaters, concert halls, and museums, with the importance of rhythm, proportion, tempo, color, texture, and context as primary tools for sensitive design.

Promoting the arts and the places that support them is important to me. While there are many technical challenges in cultural buildings, the ultimate goal is to create an environment where people can immerse themselves in an event and be moved by artistic work. As an architect, it is wonderful to have the opportunity to play a role in that powerful experience. My life is much richer because of these experiences.

The ability to envision a place and convey that through drawings and models - to capture other's imaginations can be very rewarding. I try to consider the long term impact on the environment and future generations in everything. Creating buildings and places that last and beautify the community for the benefit of the people who live there is what keeps me excited about working with every client.

Kenneth Clein, AIA, is a Principal and Senior Project Manager with QE|A's Ann Arbor Office. He has worked with a variety of clients focusing on a range of projects from complex master planning and feasibility studies to renovation and expansion of older buildings and the innovative design of new facilities.

Bill Drewer

THE NEXT LEVEL OF DESIGN EXCELLENCE

The most important thing I do as an architect is create buildings that meet or exceed the expectations of the client while, at the same time, representing QUINN EVANS | ARCHITECTS as a quality architecture firm. The most important thing I CAN do as an architect is create buildings that inspire and enlighten people. In my quest for this goal, I try to improve with each design and build upon my experiences, striving each time to reach the next level of design excellence.

Each day, I get to come to work and design buildings, an opportunity for which I am thankful. Even more special is that I get to work with museums which, in my mind, is the epitome of preserving our cultural heritage. Museums are buildings that protect our heritage, they preserve artifacts that represent our heritage, and they develop exhibits that interpret our heritage. I have no greater sense of satisfacation than when I am working with a museum institution.

William Drewer, AIA, is a Principal in QE|A’s Washington DC office. He has a significant amount of experience in the design of renovations, rehabilitations, and new buildings within historically-sensitive surroundings. His portfolio includes work at several museums including Gari Melchers' Home and Studio at Belmont, Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens, and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.

Carl Elefante

PEOPLE MAKE DESIGN HAPPEN

I really love what I do, where I work and the people that I work with. Defining this new world of sustainable preservation is exciting, very theoretical, and ahead of the curve. Practicing architecture is also important for me. Defining projects is a vital part of my job, and I’m doing it with a greater and greater focus on sustainable preservation.

Architecture is such a multifaceted practice, but for me, it’s about one big idea: Sustainable Preservation. It works on many different levels, and one of them, and not the least of which, is architectural practice—the kind I like to do. I thrive on really challenging projects with real constraints: an existing building, on an urban site that has neighbors and a neighborhood. That’s when it gets exciting; coupling sustainable preservation with working within the context of the real world, on real buildings, in real places with history and aspirations for the future. I love having all those different layers of a situation to design within.

Design is not formulaic: there is no set style or set approach, there is not even a laid out process. It’s much more about human condition; that we bring a community of people together and define a project opportunity. It grows as a direct result of all of the human interaction. It’s the human element—in essence, it’s people making design happen.

Carl Elefante, AIA, LEED AP, is QE|A’s Director of Sustainable Design and a Principal in the Washington DC office. For over 30 years he has built an extensive body of work and become a recognized leader in architecture, historic preservation, urban design and sustainable development.

Lis Knibbe

WORKING ON THE CUTTING EDGE

I have a strong desire to rebuild cities and revitalize cities, providing an alternate lifestyle to suburban sprawl. City centers provide a realm for urban life that is vital and interesting and can be wonderful places to live.

In working with community development groups and developers that are on the cutting edge of bringing back distressed communities, we have found historic preservation to be significant in achieving urban revitilization. Bringing new life to key underutilized historic buildings and transforming them to provide new social, cultural, living and business centers provides a spark that generates more redevelopment in the neighborhood. These projects become community landmarks and symbols of new life and vitality.

Our projects become community landmarks as symbols of reinvestment and something to build a future on.

I approach redevelopment by using historic preservation as a significant tool. By leveraging historic preservation tax credits, people's visions are made into reality - creating something out of neglect by transforming blighted buildings into assets. For me, it's a real pleasure to witness the results of this work. To revisit a project site, perhaps years later, and to see people living there, working there, and playing there - seeing that activity in and around a building and within these renewed communities - that's the reward.

Lis Knibbe, AIA is a Principal at the QE|A Ann Arbor office and has over 25 years of experience in architecture and historic preservation. She is dedicated to a wide range of adaptive reuse projects including residential, office and hotel space.

Jeff Luker

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CONTEXT

Early in my career, Mike Quinn told me that the difference between QUINN EVANS | ARCHITECTS and other firms is that we look at what is there and then think about what could be, rather than first considering new or replacement architecture. That difference is significant. We start every project by developing an understanding of the context.

Some buildings, such as the United States Treasury Building or the Belgian Ambassador's Residence, are themselves important antiques, requiring careful stewardship and minimal change. For me, the challenge is to remain invisible as the building history is preserved. In contrast, there are transitional buildings - older buildings that are in historic neighborhoods, such as Alice Deal Middle School and the Rehoboth Beach Museum, where harmonious solutions must be developed that add to and improve our communities.

For me, QE|A is wonderful people working on projects that celebrate the past and strive to improve the future. I take inspiration and energy from all involved: the clients, our staff, key consultants, and the builders who craft the solutions. Celebrating these relationships is what makes each day special.

Jeffrey Luker, AIA is a Principal in QE|A’s Washington DC office. He joined the firm in 1985, a year after the firm's founding. Throughout his career, Mr. Luker has provided leadership relevant to master planning, additions, rehabilitation and preservation design in historically significant settings.

Baird Smith

NEVER SAY NEVER

I think the more one gets involved with historic buildings, the more you become intrigued and challenged by them, and you begin to understand that each one can be very different. We find ourselves having to be very careful not to assume things are a certain way. Someone once told me that there’s a word you don’t use with historic buildings—the word “never”. As soon as you think you’re so smart that you can assume that it was never done this way or that way, you’re wrong; because there are always exceptions to the rules. It’s those exceptions that we have to constantly look for and understand. Every building is unique and you have to really study it and get to know that building, and your solutions have to be based solely on that building. In our business, it’s about getting to know the building; with details and visual analysis and, often, with a hands-on approach—picking and peeling away layers. It’s that contact time that is irreplaceable.

The thing about QUINN EVANS, and what I am most grateful for, is the type of buildings that we are selected work on. They are, to me, so rewarding. When I reflect back on my whole career, and I look at those forty, fifty, or sixty major National Historic Landmarks that I have been able to work on, I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

Baird Smith, AIA, FAPT, Director of Preservation in the QE|A Washington, DC office. For over 35 years he has specialized in historic preservation and conservation technologies, building a national reputation as an expert in this field.

Ilene Tyler

PRESERVATION IS ABOUT COMMUNITIES

I’ve turned my interest in advocating for communities into advocating for the buildings that make up our communities. In preserving buildings and their context, and advocating for the people who inhabit them, I am applying my knowledge in a more intimate and socially responsible manner.

For me, preservation is not simply preserving buildings as artifacts; it takes into consideration the quaity of life affected by each project. In a community, there’s a fabric, it's not just one fiber, but rather how each strand contributes to a woven cloth with many attributes. Buildings are like strands in this fabric, so that when combined with the other aspects - streets, the spaces between buildings, texture that enriches and defines them - together they make up the larger community experience.

In a similar way, too, preservation is an inherently sustainable practice. The continuum of existence recognizes that changes in use and materials overtime provide a sustainable approach to design for communities.

Ilene Tyler, FAIA, FAPT, is a Principal and the Director of Preservation in QE|A’s Ann Arbor office and has been with the firm since 1986. She is nationally recognized for her technical expertise in preservation technology, based over 30 years of experience with a wide range of preservation projects.

Catherine Moore

COMMODITY, FIRMNESS AND DELIGHT

There is always more than one solution to every design problem, but no matter which you choose, you have to seek to achieve the three basic measures of excellence in architecture: commodity, firmness and delight. I think the delight, however, is most important. When you’re in a space and you feel, in a way, transformed by the experience of being in that space, when the architecture is so good that you notice where you are and stop and look around, then that’s an excellent project.

Catherine Moore, AIA, LEED AP, is an Associate of the firm and a Project Manager in the Washington, DC office.

Christina Breed

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Christina Breed is the Director of Marketing for the Ann Arbor office of QE|A, where she manages business development, proposal production, public relations and corporate communications.

Chris Cho

CAPTURING BRILLIANCE

Creativity, even on the smallest level, evokes a level of excellence in design. The most intricate details can capture a bit of brilliance. All of the pieces of a project must fit together to realize the bigger project as a whole. I, personally, find my greatest success when there are more details involved, but I always keep my eye on the global picture within a project. When you are working within an existing context this becomes so important. This is true for both existing buildings and new buildings. You have to be compatible. Whether big or small, renovation or new construction, your architectural statement has to make sense within that context as a whole.

Chris Cho, AIA, LEED AP, is an Associate and Project Architect in QE|A’s Washington, DC office

Paul Darling

ARCHITECTURE IS A BALANCING ACT

Preservation architecture is a balancing act between what our client’s goals and aspirations are for a project and what their existing building or site says it can accommodate. You've got to listen to both - the language of the building and the client. Our challenge is to be creative and develop compatible solutions that merge the client's aspirations with what fits with the building. Good design will enhance the building and extend it's useful life for our culture and society. That's our mission.

Paul Darling, AIA, LEED AP, is an Associate and Project Manager at the QE|A Ann Arbor office.

Maggie McInnis

I’ve always considered preservation to be sustainable. For me, architectural preservation combines environmental practices with design creativity. There is an exciting design challenge in transforming historic structures into modern working facilities.

I have an overarching value of the environment, and strongly believe it’s important that we sustain it. As a preservationist, there are enormous opportunities to improve energy performance of historic structures. I strive to create harmonious design solutions, while seeking out sustainable design opportunities in each project.

Maggie McInnis, AIA, LEED AP, is an Associate and Project Manager in QE|A’s Ann Arbor office.

Leora Mirvish

RESPECT

The most immediate effect that we have as architects is on the users of our buildings. In our work we not only have to meet the programmatic requirements and create beautiful spaces, but we have to respect all the people who use them. When working in an arts facility, you respect the public audience by creating space that is focused on aesthetics and enhances the cultural arts. Simultaneously, you respect the performers, artists, and crew by accommodating the technically complex, dynamic and ever-changing artistic activities that occur within that space. In an educational facility, you need to create space that serves all of the people who use it, including the teachers and the kids—especially the kids—in creating a school that is a place where they feel respected and is also an environment where they can learn. If you can accomplish all of these challenges, it’s very rewarding. You work for three or four years on a project and in the end it’s something to be proud of that other people can enjoy.

Leora Mirvish, AIA, LEED AP, is an Associate and Project Manager in the Washington DC office.

Alyson Steele

As architects we’re always building on tradition. In order to build appropriately - to create architecture that is responsive to its context and the surrounding community - we have to be aware of the larger picture, including the past.

For me, sustainability and preservation should be considered part of the same picture. In fact, I would argue that the best architecture takes into account the traditions of its place as well as the natural systems of its site. I call this cultural sustainability. Understanding and appreciating both cultural and environmental identity of a place makes you honest in the way you respond to each new architectural challenge.

Alyson Steele, AIA, LEED AP, is an Associate and Senior Project Architect in QE|A’s Washington, DC office.

Brenda Williams

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Brenda Williams, ASLA is....