Meet the Associate Principals – Lauren Coles
What is something you learned in school that you still think about / use every day?
As a child, I used to envision architects as sole practitioners toiling away alone in their attics. However, during my time in college, my perception shifted when I came across an article in Metropolis Magazine featuring the then-new Seattle Public Library titled, “We Built It”. Reading about the collaborative efforts of the team members involved opened my eyes to the reality that architecture is a collective endeavor. It’s a team sport where multiple individuals collaborate to design, engineer and build facilities. This realization has profoundly influenced my personal approach to design and management, emphasizing the importance of teamwork – whether it is with clients, communities or fellow professionals.
Which project did you find the most rewarding to work on?
Each education and healthcare project I have been involved in has provided immense personal rewards by improving care and education outcomes for the communities they serve. I especially enjoyed working on the Health Innovation Center for NKU in Kentucky. This medical education project addressed a critical need to create a pipeline of future healthcare workers in an area of the United States with a shortage of frontline workers.
What are your hobbies?
As a semi-retired marathoner, I have turned to backpacking, camping and hiking. I love being in nature and traveling to remote places. Among my most cherished adventures were trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru and navigating Kearsarge Pass in California. Looking ahead, I plan to one day tackle both Mt. Whitney in California and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Early in my career I learned the importance of speaking up and providing your design input at meetings. When you are just starting in your career, it is not always easy to put your ideas out there in a roomful of senior professionals, but design is best when all team members’ perspectives are examined.
