As we continue to highlight the people behind all of the awesome craft design coming out of OPA Design Studio, we recently (virtually) sat down with Erica Flannery, The Brewery Architect’s newest project manager, who has been busy working on some of our newest brewery, distillery, and commercial architectural design projects.
Erica started with OPA a year ago and has been a valuable member to our design team in that time. We hope to see her continue to shine and grow with our team, lending us and our clients her passion for great design and strengths in communication and project management.
In her first year with OPA, Erica has been recognized for outstanding customer service to our clients and excellent project management and organizational skills by OPA’s leadership and design team.
1) In 3 sentences or fewer, what does your daily life at OPA look like (bonus points for haikus)?
Open Zoom, choose background.
Design, research code, and sketch.
Learn new things each day.
2) What advice would you give to fellow architectural professionals, clients, and consultants from your experience working remotely during the last year throughout the COVID19 pandemic?
The effort to stay connected goes a long way. Even though we are each working from home, the ability to stop and have a fun conversation with your coworkers is essential to keeping everyone connected and feeling less isolated.
3) What is the best thing about being in the architecture profession today?
We have so many tools available to us, like digital sketching and 3D modeling. It helps us to translate design ideas in ways that are clearer to our clients and helps everyone picture the end result. It helps take the older strategies, like physical model building and pencil sketching, and allows us to use those same skills in more efficient ways so that they can be used throughout our design process.
4) What do you like most about how our team has continued to develop in the time that you've been with us?
We’ve been creative with adapting to working from home, and it has kept us all connected and having fun even though we are in different places. I have also learned so much in this year about brewing, distilling, and design. Everyone helps each other to understand the ins and outs of what we do as a design team and the processes that our clients use for their production processes.
5) What do you consider your greatest architectural accomplishment so far?
Earning my architectural license, and each time a project opens. I can’t pick a favorite, but it is always an immense feeling of accomplishment when people start to use the buildings, and you know you have work through all of the phases of design and construction.
6) What motivates you?
The excitement from our clients as the designs become more and more real, and the impact of the buildings on the people who visit. You may not know what it is about a space, but well-designed spaces will leave an impression.
7) Please fill in the blanks: “Good architectural design problem solves , but great architectural design invigorates .”
8) Define great design in 5 words or fewer.
Inventive, decisive, effective, and inspiring.