Nicole Jenny,
Drafting & Interior Design Nicole is an architectural drafter, and leads interior design endeavors for residential and commercial projects. She grew up in Northeast Ohio where she excelled in the arts in her youth, especially in freehand drawing. She studied both at Baldwin-Wallace College and Florida Gulf Coast University. Nicki received her Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, excelling in courses in leadership and data analysis. Moving forward, Nicki returned to Ohio where she returned to her artistic talents, and acted as Arts Coordinator for the Tyler Village Drawing Group. She also worked assembling graphics in an advertising and marketing firm, and volunteered for health organizations.
She currently drafts both manually and with CAD and BIM software, and conducts field measurements and reconnaissance work. She generally makes the first round selection for all materials, colors, and textures for interior finishes, and also advises on aesthetics for exterior materials. Nicki balances her talents in the visual arts with music, as she is an accomplished singer. She has sung in numerous rock bands and duos, and has also performed the National Anthem at sporting events.
Kevin Krol,
Design Midwest Mr. Kevin Krol - a Registered Architect and Realtor in the State of Ohio - has applied more than 16 years of design, project, problem solving and management skills to a wide variety of architecture and construction projects. Also a licensed Real Estate Agent, he is a partner at Callahan + Krol, a primarily residential-focused real estate team serving Greater Cleveland.
Kevin’s expertise ranges from small residential to large civic and institutional projects, with a major focus on healthcare facilities. Projects he has either led, or been part of the design and construction delivery team, include the Cleveland Clinic’s Jacobs Family Health Center, the Cleveland Medical Mart and Convention Center, the Splashzone Aquatics Center, Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center, various renovation projects at Kent State University, Case Western Reserve University and numerous feasibility studies for municipal civic facilities.
With exceptional skills in the use of various organizational design and CAD/BIM software, Kevin believes in using available technology to deliver contract documents in the most efficient and usable manner.
In his copious amounts of spare time, Kevin is a brewer, triathlete and traveller of Europe. Also staunch urbanist, he believes in Cleveland and hopes to see the continued redevelopment of Northeast Ohio and the Rust Belt.
Christopher Lobas,
Principal Architect Mr. Lobas was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He has blue-collar roots, as most members of his family are in the construction trades: plumbers, pipefitters, carpenters, and electricians. As follows, he spent many long days laboring on construction sites, learning the craft of building assembly. He graduated from Saint Ignatius High School, a Jesuit school on Cleveland's near west side, and the premier college preparatory school in the region.
While at the University of Detroit-Mercy, Chris studied architecture, history, fine arts, and philosophy. Immediately after graduation, he was employed as a senior project designer for a firm in Appalachia, in Athens, Ohio. Several years thereafter, he returned to his hometown to design historic and ecumenical projects. In 1999, Chris moved west to pursue additional historic preservation work. While in the Bay Area, he completed studies for the beautification of several historic wood churches.
In Colorado, Mr. Lobas obtained architectural licensure. He took employment with firms specializing in custom residential design and in the design of hotels, resorts and sports clubhouses. He has both designed projects independently and contributed to design teams on large-scale multi-million dollar projects. Mr. Lobas started his own practice in the spring of 2005, with projects in historic preservation, custom residential, and adaptive reuse.
Mr. Lobas continues to share the practical and theoretical knowledge he gained as a seasoned designer with university students. He has taught classes in architectural design, history, and practice to students at universities in the American West, Midwest, New York, and The Bahamas
Mr. Lobas has sixteen years of experience in the profession, with six of these as a licensed and registered professional architect.
He holds national registration with the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), is registered in the states of Utah, Colorado, New York, and Florida, and is a LEED Accredited Professional. Chris is an avid outdoorsman, hiker, and distance runner. He has competed in several marathons.
Mark Burggraaf,
Mechanical Design Mark Burggraaf has over 25 years of professional experience in engineering design, energy conservation and project management involving HVAC, mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems.
Mark brings significant experience in the area of construction administration for fast-track projects. In recent years, he has concentrated on new and retrofit designs for Colorado mountain communities. With his extensive background in system operation and energy analysis, Mark can provide an owner a variety of alternatives for mechanical and electrical systems and a firm basis for selecting the best solution.
Mark keeps both mechanical and electrical disciplines in house, and thus project coordination is consistently and easily accomplished. With years of design experience, computer-automated design and drafting techniques and close attention to organization throughout our production process, Burggraaf Associates prepares clear, concise, well-coordinated bid and construction documents in a timely manner.
Mark received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, in 1983. Mark is a Registered Professional Engineer in Colorado, Utah and North Dakota. And as a licensed pilot, Mark is able to give the company quick access to all project sites in the surrounding region.
Carolyn Hunter,
Code Review Carolyn Hunter received her Bachelor in Architecture from Kent State University in 1981 and presently holds architectural licenses in four states, as well as LEED certification and NCARB certification.
Carolyn Hunter started her career in New York City, working for William B. Tabler Architects, a large architectural firm specializing in convention hotels, and then Richard Dattner Architects, who specialized in schools/athletic facilities, respectively. In 1989, she was hired by Tsao & McKown
Architects (a spin-off firm from IM Pei & Partners) to move to Singapore, to become Design Team Leader for the Convention Hotel and Project Commons portions of the Singapore Convention and Exhibition Center.
In 1992, VISTA (now Americorps) placed Carolyn in Durango, Colorado to work for Southwest Housing Solutions. Subsequent to this one year assignment, Carolyn gained experience working for the La Plata County Planning Department as Case Planning Supervisor, Ocean Properties, Ltd (a national hotel developer), and IndaCAD drafting and project management services.
In 2001, Ms. Hunter founded Context Architecture, Incorporated which developed quickly into a successful local firm with a diverse clientele, designing commercial, multi-family and custom residential projects. Carolyn was a Board Member of the Colorado AIA West Chapter for 12 years, and started a local group of LEED Accredited Professionals.
Leonardo Simms,
Design Bahamas Mr. Simms is a design consultant hailing from The Bahamas, and coordinates design efforts in the Caribbean. He was born in New Providence, and raised on the island of Abaco in The Bahamas. He attended Saint Francis de Sales and Bootle High Schools in Abaco, and studied graphic communication. He attended The College of The Bahamas in Nassau, New Providence, where he excelled at design, history, technical drawing, and computer modeling.
While still attending college, Mr. Simms obtained a position at The Bahamas Ministry of Works. There, he began developing an additional skill set in geomatics engineering, and integration into civil documents and mapping.
Andre Gomez,
Design California Andre Gomez serves as an architectural designer. He is a former design student of Christopher Lobas at Kent State University. Mr. Gomez grew up in Ohio, with his father an engineer and mother an artist. Naturally, architecture was his calling.
At the College of Architecture and Environmental Design, Mr. Gomez became engrossed with architecture. He has a passion for simple aesthetic design, innovative means of construction, and sustainable practice. In the later years of school, Mr. Gomez found enlightenment in applying his newfound design skills to diverse creative pursuits. He became involved in the entrepreneurship community and in various aspects of advertising. He underwent mentorship in graphic design and interned as a lighting designer.
Mr. Gomez participated in Kent State’s international studies program, studying abroad in Florence under the Italian architect Alberto Francini.
Mr. Gomez has professional experience in higher education facilities and master-planning. He is currently undergoing the Architecture Intern Development Program.
Aaron Lobas,
Structural Design Aaron Lobas is primary structural consultant, with professional registration in multiple states and worldwide experience. Aaron is Chris’s brother, and the two have solved numerous design problems together since they were both students. Aaron also attended Saint Ignatius High School, and he went on to earn both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Civil Engineering and Structural Engineering, respectively, at Cleveland State University.
Mr. Lobas’s primary experience has been in the structural design of buildings and building complexes, and in overall project management and administration. His wide range of projects has included the stabilization and containment of the damaged reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear power plant in Kiev, Ukraine; the structural design of the Gerry Pavilion in Bethel, New York (the actual “Woodstock” site); the structural design of the truncated cone of the Shafran Planetarium of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History; coordination of the structure for landscape elements of the Cleveland Medical Mart; numerous storm water tunnels and drainage structures; and structural design for a large number of schools, college campus buildings, and municipal and state civic buildings.
This array of large and important community projects notwithstanding, Aaron also drafts creative structural solutions for custom homes and small commercial buildings, and designs these with attention to detail and finesse.
Aaron has taught structures courses for architects at Kent State University, and has served as a City Councilman for the City of Seven Hills, Ohio. He enjoys hiking, gardening, travel, and playing his Fender Stratocaster at maximum volume.
David Burliuk,
Design East David Burliuk is a unique artist and environmentally conscious designer. Since graduating SUNY Delhi with a Bachelors of Architectural Technology, David had worked as a consultant for Lobas Architects P.C., while also working as a commercial fisherman on the pristine waters of Long Islands east end. David also performed analysis and installations as a green energy consultant and photovoltaic systems designer for green energy companies, Astrum Solar and Energy One Systems.
Currently David assists in the design and construction of high-end custom residences at a design-build firm in Bridgehampton New York, Modern Green Home. Notable architectural projects include a guesthouse on an I.M. Pei designed estate, and an artist studio on the Truman Capote’s former residence, currently owned by artist Ross Bleckner.
David is also a founding member of the New York art group “The New Blue Riders” formulated from descendants of the historic 1911 group “Der Blaue Reiters.” His paintings and artwork are exhibited in galleries throughout New York City.
David’s experiences as an architectural designer, green energy consultant, an artist and as a professional fisherman has taught him the importance of environmental stewardship. This awareness drives his design approach and philosophies, as one of care and stewardship of his environment.
Brian Backe,
Design West Mr. Backe works as a design consultant, spearheading design and preservation projects in the American West. He was born and raised in the suburbs north of Chicago, Illinois. He was drawn west by the natural beauty, and stayed to attend the University of Utah, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies and Masters of Architecture. While completing his Masters work, he was a participant in Design-Build-Bluff, in which he and his colleagues designed and built a sustainable 1000 square foot home for residents on a Navajo Reservation in Utah near the four corners. The home’s features included passive solar design, radiant hot water heat, water catchment, material re-use, and passive ventilation. He also traveled to Europe for his final master’s thesis to a site in Holland, Amsterdam, to develop a community based campus.
His design interests revolve around site specific and socially contextual interventions, with an emphasis on sustainability. His areas of expertise include sustainable design-build projects, historic preservation and restoration, interior / exterior cladding systems, and three-dimensional modeling on numerous platforms. His most notable projects include the Whitehorse House, a recipient of an AIA Utah Sustainability medal. He has contributed detailing design to the Skaggs Pharmaceutical College at the University of Utah, and the World Trade Center Transportation Hub.
Brian enjoys spending time in the mountains, hiking, snowboarding, fly-fishing, photography, and taking long walks along the beaches of the Great Salt Lake.
Eric Ramsay,
Design Caribbean Eric Ramsay is a native of The Bahamas who also has family ties to Cleveland, Ohio. He has undergraduate academic experience at The College of The Bahamas, and is progressing towards a professional architectural degree at Boston Architectural College. While immersed in his studies, Eric was able to start a drafting and printing firm that is a cornerstone of the Bahamian architectural scene.
The firm, Perpetual Drafting, was founded in 2008 and shortly after its inception became a household name for printing production in Bahamian architectural and engineering circles. Within five years, Eric has led its expansion into drafting full sets of commercial drawings for renowned firms from within and without the country. Eric, and his staff Deon, Terrance, and Brandon, have branched out into design projects, and have done so with ingenuity and a real pursuit of quality. The majority of his staff have received instruction in a class or two from Mr. Lobas, so a great rapport has developed.
Eric enjoys exploring the islands of his native Bahamas, and is branching out his architectural explorations to all regions of the United States.
Patrick Colony,
BIM / CAD Manager Patrick Colony was raised in Pittsburgh, PA and has spent the past three years living in Cleveland, OH. In high school he took courses in drafting and architectural design, which provided an introduction to CAD and hand drafting. His design for a bank, in his senior year, advanced to the North East regional level in a competition hosted by the National Association for Women in Construction. This success inspired Patrick to continue an architectural education at a higher level.
In 2005 he enrolled in Kent State University's College of Architecture and Environmental Design where he participated in their study abroad program in Florence, Italy. This program exposed Patrick to a wide variety of cultures and places and had a strong influence on his views toward architecture and design. He visited Castelvecchio and Fondazione Querini Stampalia, designed by Carlo Scarpa, and felt the powerful effect a well designed detail can have on experience. The intense detail and vastness of The Duomo in Florence clarified how architecture can be used to evoke emotion and represent a set of ideals. The ancient architecture of Rome demonstrated the importance of architecture throughout history and the lasting impact of architecture on urban environments. These combined experiences influenced Patrick to enroll in Kent State University's Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative where he continues to investigate architecture at multiple scales, from small details to large urban environments.
Patrick's education at KSU placed a strong emphasis on the rigorous process of architectural design, which he plans to implement in his professional career. He is interested in architecture in urban environments and the potential it has to influence its surroundings.
