MEET NICOLE WILLIAMS
With over 20 years in the field of architecture, my experience runs the gamut from the initial conceptual design and entitlement process to the finished and built project. I’ve managed and executed each phase of small to medium size projects with budgets approaching 50 million dollars. I’m well versed in several practice areas including, but not limited to – Commercial, Office, Life Science, Hospitality, Residential, Community/Education, Restaurant, Retail, as well Tenant Improvements and Interiors.
ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
My roles and responsibilities encompass many facets of the design and management process including:
* Project Design (site planning & test fits, building design, space planning & test fits)
* Project Management (schedules, budgets and staffing)
* Project Quality Assurance / Quality Control
* Business Development (proposals, RFQs, RFPs, interviews, networking)
* Design realization and implementation (carrying the project design forward while maintaining the design intent)
* Staying up to date with building codes, zoning, jurisdictional processes, building materials, specifications and construction techniques and details
* Coordination with consultants (structural, MEP, civil, AV, IT, etc.)
* Time management (tackling multiple projects and deadlines)
* All phases of project design (Concept, Entitlement, SD, DD, CD)
* Project documentation (Revit, AutoCad, Photoshop, BlueBeam)
* Construction administration (RFIs, Addendums, Bulletins, OAC Meetings)
* Code research, analysis, interpretation and implementation
* Growing and mentoring people
* Maintaining client relationships, communication and leadership throughout design and technical process
* Coordination with all necessary jurisdictions and entities (Planning, Building and Public Works / Engineering Departments, DSA, OSPHD, Department of Environment Health, Coastal Commission, EsGIL, FHA, etc.)
EXPERIENCE
Founder, Principal Architect + Designer | CONCEPT26designs
April 2019 – Present
Studio Manager | Ware Malcomb | San Diego, CA
November 2019 – January 2022
Director of Design | Prest Vuksic Greenwood Architects | Palm Desert, CA
May 2019 – November 2019
July 2004 – June 2018
Senior Project Architect | Gensler | San Diego, CA
June 2018 – April 2019
Intern | CO Architects | Los Angeles, CA
(Formerly Anshen + Allen, Los Angeles)
January 2001 – April 2004
Intern | Kristi Hanson Architects, Inc. | Palm Desert, CA
April 1999 – May 2000
OTHER EXPERIENCE
Associate Design Professor | College of the Desert | Palm Desert, CA
August 2012 – May 2016
PROFESSIONAL AWARDS
National AIA Housing Award
One and Two-Family Production Homes | May 2018
LINEA | Palm Springs, CA This project is a 14-house development with 4 unique models, the award going to the Residence G. As the Architect of Record, we took the project on at the conceptual phase and coordinated with the design architect, Poon Design, owner and contractor to create a new kind of spec home tract that embodied the essence of mid-century modern architecture. My role on the project ranged from project designer and architect to construction administrator and everything in between.
ACADEMIC AWARDS
King Student Medal Award
Research | December 2023
Named in honor of the late Jonathan King, co-founder and first president of the Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC), the King Medal is awarded to one student per ARCC member institution. Selecting recipients is at member institutions’ discretion based on criteria that acknowledge innovation, integrity, and scholarship in architectural and environmental design research.
Housing Solutions for Our Communities
Grand Prize | May 2002
The Warehouse | Sand City, CA
This project was a response to the Housing Solutions for Our Communities Competition prompt for architects and students from all over the world to propose housing solutions for Monterey County, California’s intense housing crisis.
The proposed design approach was to convert the abundant inventory of abandon warehouses in Sand City to housing. The solution not only generated new opportunities for housing by utilizing existing infrastructure and buildings, but also changed the dynamic of the urban fabric of the area. The existing fabric is mismatch and scattered. This solution provides the opportunity to build neighborhood zones and industrial zones that are more appropriately distributed. Designed to attract both families and professionals, flats and townhouses are proposed with different configuration options to create diversity. Social interaction is encouraged through a central courtyard bringing light and air into the interior of the warehouse.
EDUCATION
North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC
January 2021 – May 2023 | Master of Advanced Architectural Studies
University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA
May 2000 – May 2004 | Bachelor of Architecture
College of the Desert | Palm Desert, CA
May 1997 – May 2000 | Architecture Major, transferred to USC
LICENCES
Architect | State of California
June 2010 exp. 2025
Architect | State of North Carolina
June 2023 exp. 2025