WHO WE ARE

Frank and Megan Lin

Frank Lin - Principal, NCIDQ

- What made you want to become a designer? 

To be honest, I always wanted to be an artist.  Not until later did I realize that I could still be a passionate artist and use my imagination to create a tangible sculpture that could be translated into design.  Through design we can help connect with people, aspire their visions and build a community that will influence not only in the micro scale but a macro scale.

- What is your favorite example of well-known design and why?

I would have to say Peter Zumthor’s Thermal Bath house in Vals, Switzerland.  The building respects the surrounding landscape and uses local materials as a driving inspiration for the design.  The space provided a sensory experience that combined light and shade, open and enclosed space, auditory and olfactory stimulation.  co(X)ist believes that all projects should embody all these attributes when designing a building.

- Why do you feel it is important to embrace new technology in the field of design?

The power of new technology helps us cross the boundaries between various disciplines like art, science, biology and sociology.  By bridging these disciplines we are able to provide greener, more efficient and smarter buildings for our clients, environment and the communities. Another aspect of technology we embrace is information technology.  Having internet access from anywhere, we are able to begin our design process through social media like Pinterest and Houzz to communication ideas with our clients.  This instant feedback enhances our communication between client, contractors and everyone collaborating on the project.

- What is the most important thing for a client to consider when selecting a designer for their project?

I emphasize two important things when selecting a designer; first is to identify their ability to design a simple and clear project that stay within the budget.  Second, you don’t want an architect to design a building for themselves.  You want them to provide the best possible end product that expresses who the client is or who the client wants to become.

EDUCATION:

Washington University in St. Louis: Master of Architecture (M.Arc)University of Texas at San Antonio: Bachelor of Science in Interior Design
University of Texas at San Antonio: Bachelor of Science in Interior Design

Megan Lin - Principal, AIA, LEED

- How do you differentiate (or combine) art and function to make a useable space?

I believe that architecture is occupiable art.  Both art and architecture seek to expand our understanding of the world in a more profound and meaningful way.  While with most art, we experience it as a bystander, architecture allows us to be part of the experience, engaging all of our senses.  I think of architecture as a series of beautiful moments that are strung together to make an amazing journey.  As I design a space I look for opportunities to create these moments of pause.  For me this happens by harmonizing scale and controlling how the outside world enters a space.  Natural light and views can be as powerful as a paint brush.  I study the beautiful effects of how light and shadow animate a room throughout the course of a day and how windows are really picture frames focusing our attention on specific scenery.

- What has been your favorite project you have worked on to date and why?

I worked on a small, but very detailed, gallery project in Venice, CA that converted an old power station into a gallery and a complimentary new gallery was built adjacent to it using re-claimed bricks in a modern way.  It created a powerful dialogue between old and new and how this can be blurred and can harmonize in surprising ways.  This philosophy has stayed with me in my design aesthetic ever since.

- How do you help clients ask the right questions when beginning a project?

Designing for someone is really a very personal thing.  Architecture is really about recreating a memory or moment.  Most people have a specific memory that they are trying to recreate in the space they want designed.  I try and ask questions that get to the essence of this memory.  It is also important to find out what clients see in their future so that we can help them plan for new changes.  We ask about future goals and dreams and supply flexibility in design to allow this to happen.

- What is the most important thing for a client to consider when selecting a designer for their project)?

Clients should select a designer that realty listens to their concerns and has a similar design vision as them.  A designer’s job is to translate desires into realities and to do that a designer and client must be on the same page.  It is also important for a designer to have construction experience so that ideas can be translated into tangible realities within budget and on time.

EDUCATION:

Washington University in St. Louis: Master of Architecture (M.Arc)Tulane: Bachelor of Arts
Tulane: Bachelor of Arts

Beth Murphy - Project Manager, AIA

What made you want to become a designer? 

I attended preschool in an iconic Frank Lloyd Wright building in Wisconsin and have always said that I was inspired from an early age J Honestly, I have always enjoyed understanding buildings and spaces and the way that people move through them, use them, and experience them. So much of our time is spent inside buildings, so it is important to specifically design the effects that a built space will have on a person, both physically and emotionally, to make it a positive experience.

What has been your favorite project you have worked on to date and why?

I worked for several years on a new French school, as part of a campus, for kids ranging in ages from 3 to 18. It was a challenge to design a cohesive project that met the needs of such a wide variety of ages, and therefore, activities and learning styles. It was critical that there be some separation of the ages and activities, but an overall unified and cohesive design concept. We achieved this through the use of a large open atrium space that served to bring in natural light, create pockets for social learning, unify the multiple floors and grade levels, and create an identity for the school and the student body.

How do you help clients ask the right questions when beginning a project?

One of the key components to a successful project is a mutual understanding of the end goal. Often a client hopes to create a specific feeling within a space, and the designer must get at the heart of what that feeling is and how is can be recreated in built form.

What is the most important thing for a client to consider when selecting a designer for their project?

Communication and understanding between a client and designer are critical to the success of a project. The designer must be able to understand the vision of the client and create a living embodiment of that vision. The client must also be able to communicate his or her hopes for the project and ultimately what is meant to be achieved.

EDUCATION:

Washington University in St. Louis: Master of Architecture (M.Arc)
Columbia University: Bachelor of Arts in Architectural History and Theory

Columbia University: Bachelor of Arts in Architectural History and Theory

Bruce Harris - Hospitality Specialist

Bruce Harris, Founder of Conferon Inc. (Now Experient) has joined our team. Bruce’s company was the largest purchaser of guest rooms for meetings in the US. They provide site selection, meeting planning, registration & housing, marketing, lead retrieval and on-site management services to over 1,500 association and corporate clients.  His targeted knowledge of the hospitality industry provides us the organizational and spatial framework for functional and lasting designed elements.

He has provided event space design consultation for Sheraton, Loews and Hyatt hotels; and has served on many advisory boards for industry suppliers including the Cleveland and Ft. Worth CVBs and Sheraton, Starwood and Hilton hotels. 

Moji - Office Manager

Moji is an essential part of the team at co(X)ist.  His excitement to come to work each day motivates us all to work a little harder.  He is extremely dedicated to his job at notifying us when we have a guest or when the mail is being delivered.  While he has not yet mastered the ability to make coffee, he makes up for this short fall with sheer enthusiasm.  His ability to tackle any task regardless of his lack in stature is inspiring to all.