Welcome, and thanks for visiting.
I specialize in bespoke design of primary residences, vacation homes and other residential development projects in South Carolina and Florida.
My work undertakes a range of projects types – new construction, renovations, additions, interiors and speculative endeavors. Design solutions are pursued through a careful understanding of context, deliberate consideration of priorities and opportunities, and by refining design ideas down to their elemental expression.
I began my solo practice in 2013 after having worked with firms in New York and Miami following the completion of my graduate studies at Columbia University.
I grew up in rural South Carolina where the earliest architectural memories that most interested me were old barns and sheds, saw mills, cotton gins, grain silos, and hunting camps. The beauty and integrity of simple, informal structures and materials continues to influence my approach to design.
I offer a complete scope of design services for residential and commercial projects, beginning with Pre-Design + Planning through to a built project. Customized services are offered to meet your specific design, budget and scheduling needs.
Design Solutions are developed through an iterative process with the use of current technologies including Building Information Modeling (BIM), various digital visualizations tools, as well as traditional analogue means (drawings, sketches and physical models).
I engage my clients in a manner that involves them throughout the design process, offering guidance that results in successful projects and satisfied owners.
In addition to complete project delivery, I also offer the following services:
Building Information ModelingExisting Conditions SurveyingGraphic DesignInterior DesignRenderings and Digital ModelsProgrammingSite Analysis and Zoning StudiesSpace Planning
Never worked with an architect before? Read about the process most projects typically follow here.
My professional background includes local, regional and international experience on a range of project types including commercial, hospitality, master planning, religious and residential design with award-winning firms and top-notch people in Florida, New York, and South Carolina.
Notable collaborations include my role as the project architect with the New York firm LOT-EK on their Open School pavilion for the Anyang Public Art Project (APAP) in Anyang, Korea and assisting architect Andrew MacNair on the design of his Egg Chapel that was completed outside Seoul in 2012.
I also worked with MacNair and Steven Holl on 32BNY, providing technical and editorial input for the magazine’s online launch. Since then, I’ve has collaborated with firms PlusUrbia, Revuelta and rGlobe in Miami on a range of project types and scales that include a ski resort in China, an 18-unit mixed-use condo, and the adaptive reuse of warehouses in Miami.
Other past and current collaborators include:
Steven Holl
LOT-EK
Andrew MacNair
PlusUrbia
Revuelta Architecture International
rGlobe
Ray Williams
Tommy received Master degrees in Architecture and Urban Planning from Columbia University, and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Design from Clemson University. He is licensed in Florida, New York and South Carolina.
Teaching is an energizing and complimentary component to the practice of architecture. As a professor, I strive to encourage a critical curiosity about what architecture can be.
Currently, I am a part-time faculty member at Miami University’s School of Architecture, where I’ve led graduate and undergraduate design studios and advised on thesis projects since 2013.
A pluralistic approach to design has led to diverse interests: notions of the informal, the found object and its repurpose, in systems and patterns, in construction and assemblies, as well as the intersection of historical precedents with evolving design tools and methodologies.
Past studios have included a residential tower for digital nomads in Miami, a boutique hotel in Charleston, a studio that explored the use of mass timber technology for a 30-story tower, and a mixed-use project in Paris.
More recently I’ve taught architecture history at The American College of The Building Arts in Charleston, where future generations of artisans are trained in the traditional building arts to “foster exceptional craftsmanship and encourage the preservation, enrichment and understanding of the world’s architectural heritage through a liberal arts and sciences education.”
For academic inquiries, please contact me here.
Please use the contact form to tell me about yourself and your project. I’ll get back to you about scheduling a conversation – either by phone or in person – during which I’ll give you my initial thoughts and answer questions.
Following our initial conversation you may either request a proposal for a complete scope of design services or request a DISCOVER and FOCUS consultation in which I’ll help you define the project’s parameters and opportunities. Afterward, you may then decide to commission me to design the project.
© 2018 Tommy Manuel Architect
