KATHLEEN ANN ENGLISH
English + Associates Architects, Inc.
SAY IT LOUD - TEXAS Exhibitor
Texas Based Designer
Who or what inspires you professionally?
I feel like the biggest difference I can make is both challenge and model others at my firm, and in my community, to keep raising the bar on their own goals and aspirations to do better design and make change in our local community.
KATHLEEN ANN ENGLISH
Bio:
The great designer, Houston native Kathleen English, AIA, LEED AP BD+C founded English + Associates Architects, an award-winning architecture and interior design firm focused on Green and High-performance design in 1989. She is a Past President of AIA Houston and the Houston Architecture Center Foundation, as well as a Past Board Vice Chair of the US Green Building Council - Houston chapter, and currently serves as a steering committee member of the Houston Land and Water Sustainability Forum
How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?
I thought it would be a great way to stay connected to art and design, which I was exposed to while studying art at the High School for Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, while pursuing a more technical career.
What do you do?
I practice commercial architectural design in a small to medium sized firm in Houston.
What excites you in the work you do?
Often, our work does not start with an aspirational green driver/goal. It’s exciting to see our team charrettes and dialogs elevate a project to solutions that are greener than initially thought possible relative to project budgets and client goals.
Who or what inspires you professionally?
I feel like the biggest difference I can make is both challenge and model others at my firm, and in my community, to keep raising the bar on their own goals and aspirations to do better design and make change in our local community.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?
When someone tells me they took a leap of faith or achieved a goal in their career they attribute to something I did or said - that feels like a huge accomplishment. I now have 30 years of moments like that to collectively define my own career.
Featured Project Name:
TECHLink Dixon Library
Featured Project Location:
Houston, Texas
Featured Project Completion Date:
January 2021
Role in Featured Project:
Project Architect
Featured Project Description:
Dixon Library is the Houston Public Library’s first freestanding TECHLink concept; a program that bridges the technology divide in one of Houston’s most deserving neighborhoods. Users will be able to explore all aspects of video production, animation, music and video recording and editing. This facility opens opportunities to explore and build competence in technologies for children and adults that can lead to career opportunities as well as provide business management and growth opportunities.
