PROJECT LEAD / DESIGN ASSOCIATE
Noel’s architectural design work at INTERSTICE has demonstrated his continued interest in design-thinking as a form of empathy, with an emphasis on adaptive reuse work as a critical sustainability strategy, particularly relevant in urban places. Noel considers himself an avid student of beautiful older buildings, carefully analyzing the materiality, color and textures to understand what makes buildings unique in their time and place, and the simple and careful additions and subtractions that bring new life to these older structures. He is equally interested in the role that landscape spaces place in the city or town-scape – honing his awareness of the positive impacts that green and open space bring to a community, most certainly having begun that pursuit in spending his childhood in the dramatic landscapes of the mid-west.
His design, and documentation work at IA has included public projects at UC Berkeley, park structures for a public park in Mountain View, mixed-use outdoor amenity spaces in San Francisco, a multiple building retreat in Sonoma county, and San Francisco residential renovations. His work at IA follows on the successful completion of a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Noel enjoys spending free time distance running, lifting weights, hiking, or trying new coffee and pastry stands at local farmers markets. Noel practices mindful cooking to relax and stay in the present – he enjoys the planning, precision and of course the delicious reward of following a great recipe to its conclusion. Sketching and painting contribute both to his professional work and his deepening knowledge of San Francisco and the Bay Area.