Chris Brown, AIA, LEED AP
Principal, Higher Education Studio Leader
Master of Architecture, University of Texas at Austin
Bachelor of Environmental Design, University of Colorado at Boulder
Chris leads DRAW Collective’s Higher Education Studio, with nearly 30 years of experience as an architect, planner and sustainable design specialist. As an accomplished academic planner and designer, Chris has guided the development and implementation of strategies that bring vision to life and create spaces students can fully engage with. Throughout his career, he has worked with colleges and universities on projects ranging from technical upgrades to comprehensive campus master plans and consensus-building initiatives. A recognized leader in sustainable design, Chris has overseen the successful achievement of LEED certification on more than 30 projects. Chris also supports a number of DRAW’s community clients and brings a unique perspective in serving these clients through his service as a first responder.
Get to know Chris:
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I enjoy serving my community as a volunteer firefighter and EMT with the Mt. Lebanon Fire department, which is conveniently located right across the street from the DRAW office. I also enjoy running – especially getting out on trails in the woods.
What are your most impactful projects at DRAW?:
Waynesburg University eHIVE because it was such a fun and dedicated group to work with and we spent years planning how to bring that space to life for a unique program that incorporates art and business education into a makerspace. I’ve loved connecting back with the faculty there and hearing about the new and innovative ways they’re using the space and how engaged all the students are in the eHIVE.
For the Pittsburgh Public Schools Salon Perry at Perry High School project, we were able to create a training center for the cosmetology program that was modeled on a professional salon. It has been so rewarding to hear about how much the students have enjoyed using the space and how it has prepared them for a career in cosmetology.
The PennWest University – California New Science Building is an exciting project for me personally since I worked on the campus master plan 20 years ago that identified the location for the building. Today, I’m working to realize that vision with the construction of the new building and expansion of the large front lawn on the campus. I look forward to the day students and faculty will be able to move into their new space with modern and flexible labs, study spaces, and a welcoming lobby that serve the science program.
What keeps you coming back to work everday?
I really love being a part of creating spaces that matter in our communities. I also love that architecture is such a varied profession – one day I can be working on the overall master plan for an entire campus and the next is figuring out exactly how a window should sit in a wall. You never know what kind of day it will turn out to be!
What is your favorite architectural building?
The original Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, TX. The combined use of scale, space, light, and details all come together to create a unique museum that still allows art to remain in the foreground.
