6
P R O F I L E
Extraordinary: Renée Strand Managing director of Holst Architecture (Portland, OR), a women-owned architecture firm that is devoted to turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
S trand is a leading force behind the day-to-day operations of the firm. She’s a skilled detailer and exceptional communicator with the ability to clarify sophisticated design strategies for her clients. “[Our founders] started with small projects that were mostly renovations and interiors,” Strand says. “Over time, the projects grew larger in scale and our reputation spread in the region as a design firm that can do a lot with a little. Our ability to make the ordinary extraordinary has been in
hard work. In addition to our design portfolio, we focused our submission on our commitments to the profession through four lenses: Our community, equity and diversity, sustainable design, and the next generation. One could argue that all four of these categories are inextricably linked, however it takes intention to make sure we nurture all these aspects of our practice. We decided early on that what mattered most to us as owners was creating a place where, together, we all get to create architecture that people love in a supportive and inclusive environment. How we work deeply affects the work we produce together, so we have put just as much focus on our process as we do our product. This is a key to ensuring we’re doing work that feeds our souls, helps our community, and ensures enduring success into our future. TZL: How do you anticipate COVID-19 permanently impacting your firm’s policy on telecommuting? RS: To do the best work, we’re always evolving how we collaborate – whether through our studio space,
our DNA since the beginning.” A CONVERSATION WITH RENÉE STRAND.
The Zweig Letter: Congrats on being named the Firm of the Year in 2020 by AIA Northwest and Pacific Regions. On the website it says your “submission demonstrated commitment to the profession and to the community.” Can you give me some highlights of how that was communicated in the submission? Renée Strand: We were thrilled to be recognized for our
THE ZWEIG LETTER JUN
Made with FlippingBook Annual report