As a residential architecture firm we have the privilege of really getting to know our clients. We love learning about their passions, dreams, and background to design a home customized for them. We thought it would fun for our clients – past, present and future – to get to know each of us a little bit better.
In the past two years, the studio has grown rapidly. We’re excited to be able to take on more projects, but we’ve been just as committed to collaborating with one another as always. We still have fun, we’re still sketching collaboratively, and we’re still learning from each other. With a few new faces on the team, this felt like the right time to give a sneak peek into why we all do what we do. We’re taking a look at each of our team members – beyond just our job titles and what we do for our clients. This new Meet the Team series will give you an inside look into our inspirations, passions, and quirks. To kick us off, let’s meet Marisa Kaugars, Colbi Campbell, and Ben Sandell.
Meet the Team: Marisa, Colbi, & Ben S
Marisa Kaugars
Marisa (MK), our Creative Director and one of our Project Managers, is drawn to communities of care. She currently lives in an old Victorian house in Brooklyn with her partner, roommates, and two cats. She’s spent the pandemic valuing the family-like vibe of her home – shared meals, baked goods and care have carried them thru the past two years. Her cats, Seelie, a loveable grump, and Aline, a toothless polydactyl who loves to play, are both rescues. When escaping the confines of Brooklyn, Marisa will run away to Acadia National Park or to the White Mountains to hike, camp and fall in love with the trees.
Colbi Campbell
Colbi (CC), our Technical Director, is an animal whisperer of 5 cats and “too many fish”. She enjoys feeding wild birds by hand and taking photographs. Colbi’s go to comfort food is Shoyu ramen – its warmth and simple yet effective taste are incomparable. Colbi was born in Rochester, New York, but lived half of her life in Ridgefield Connecticut. She considers Tucson, AZ home for its desert, architecture, and friends.
Ben Sandell
Ben (BS), one of our Project Managers, is a big soup lover- “a good chicken soup can’t be beat”. Ben is an incredibly thoughtful office mate, picking up other peoples’ lunches and always asking about weekend plans. He highly recommends the book Single-Handedly; a book of hand drawn illustrations from different contemporary architects. “I like seeing all the different ways that an idea can be represented and communicated”. He has also recently confessed his love for the Korean reality TV series Singles Inferno.
Digging In
Beyond getting to know them on a personal level, we asked Marisa, Colbi, and Ben the same questions. They each shared their unique perspectives about architecture, the creative process and the team.
How did you get into architecture?
MK: Growing up, my dad had those big coffee table books of architecture in his basement office and lots of MC Escher prints. I loved all of them and would spend time just occasionally sitting on the floor and flipping through. In college, I was planning to study Biomedical Engineering – but realized quickly that I wanted something more creative – I was doing lots of theater on the side. I had the quintessential college crisis and had this moment where I had a friend read me the entire list of available majors as a way of finding a new thing to study…The only one I found myself saying oh…that might work – was architecture.
CC: I have always wanted to be an Architect since I was about 2 years old. My first design was a house high up in the trees in the Giraffe exhibit in Kansas City Zoo. I later found out I have many ancestors who were Architects and Engineers through an adoption search. Most notably, General Montgomery Meigs who designed Arlington Cemetery as well as the cast iron frame for the Capitol Building in DC…so you could say it’s in my blood.
BS: I have always been interested in the built environment. As a child, I was mesmerized by the hallways, and double height living room, but most of all the sunlight in my parents’ home. When I learned I could design these spaces and experiences as a profession, architecture was the natural next step.
What is your favorite part of the process when working with clients?
MK: I love that very first meeting. The process of sending out the questionnaire and getting responses back – it really feels like such a special moment. You get a little window into the lives of your clients and are able to share in their reasons for building a home. Everyone’s answers are always so different, that I find it’s such a touchpoint for me throughout the design process. I come back to the questionnaire and those first answers over and over again. And that first meeting is where the job of listening really starts – listening and understanding before jumping into design – and letting that listening carry you through the entire process.
CC: I love hearing the client’s thoughts and dreams and we turn those into a residence, then seeing their reactions when the house is finally done.
BS: I really enjoy the time spent getting to know our clients on a more personal level. Having conversations where we get to understanding their needs and wants for their new home, their design aesthetic, and what inspires them. I am interested in designing a home, so getting a glimpse into who our clients are really helps to make that possible.
What do you like about working with a team of fellow creatives?
MK: I think we’re a pretty collaborative group – and one that doesn’t hold back when we’re asking each other for feedback. There’s such a generative loop that happens with the office – someone always has a thought on how to solve a design moment.
CC: I love all our personalities coming together to create something amazing. It is very faceted process with diverse ideas and experiences all coming together.
BS: Collaboration. Working collectively helps to generate the most successful design for our clients and their needs. Having other designers in the room creates the opportunity for new ideas, feedback, references and past experiences, to come to bear on a current design, all of which can be tested, filtered and developed to move design forward. Having the opportunity for feedback is a great resource.
It’s show & tell with the team, what are you showing & telling?
MK: Latvian folk dance – though I’d have to do a bit of practicing first…
CC: I’d bring in one of the very first facsimiles ever printed in history. My father basically invented the fax machine that we are all (maybe not all because some may be too young) are familiar with. It’s pretty cool!
BS: My skateboards. I grew up skateboarding and always liked how this activity changed the way that I would look at and engage with the same built environment that I now design in. Stairs became an obstacle, handrails a place to slide, and ramps to jump.
We are excited to continue this series and invite you to learn more about our team – diverse in our life experiences and together in our commitment to collaboration. Keep an eye out for the next post – and the next group of team members!
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