I was drawn to McGranahan initially because of their focus on designing educational facilities. I was raised in a family that fostered learning and placed a high value on education. My mother worked as a reading specialist, my grandfather as a college professor, and my brother went on to become a college professor as well. I wanted to find a way through my own career path to help give back and contribute to the education of future generations, and McGranahan offered me the opportunity to pursue that goal.
The design approach at McGranahan is to provide learning environments that foster learning and inspire students to develop their own creativity; a student should want to attend school, and their learning environment should help to enhance that desire. A firm must hold design in a high regard to succeed in this approach, and I’ve found that McGranahan does. By having clear Project Designer and Project Architect roles, each team member can focus on their areas of strength. Simultaneously, collaborative opportunities are readily available for one to learn from the other. This way of working ultimately leads to a better building. The emphasis on collaboration extends to the project team makeup as well. The project Designer will help to mentor developing Project Architects and Designers, giving those with less experienced staff the opportunity to expand their focus and realize that design, technical resolution and project management are all interrelated and necessary for a project to be successful. Having practiced architecture for 15+ years, I’m able to be a mentor to some of the younger architects in the firm. It’s really rewarding.
Never before in my career have I worked for an architecture firm where design, constructability and budget have all been given equal value within a project team’s goals. McGranahan has adapted their project team makeup to allow for leadership in each of those three categories: Project Manager, Project Designer and Project Architect. Each role assumes the responsibility of working towards their associated goal through clear communication and collaboration with each other, and the team as a whole. By giving equal importance to all three team leaders, a set of checks and balances for meeting the project goals are established; it emphasizes the need for open collaboration amongst the team. Throughout the various phases of the project each team leader is involved in all design, detailing and budget discussions or working sessions. By maintaining leadership presence within the team throughout the design process, it allows for the core project goals to remain equally balanced. In the end, each team member has had the opportunity to connect with the project in a meaningful way.
Working as a Project Architect with McGranahan, I’m able to do my best work, collaborate effectively and ultimately produce an end product that is of the highest quality.
To join Tim and the McGranahan Team, check out our careers page, and apply today.