Jordan Reflects on 10 Years Working at SHD

Thursday, July 20, 2023
By Stephanie Rohr, Marketing Assistant
In Design, Community

Jordan Lewis shared with us as he looked back at the last 10 years working for SōL Harris/Day and all that he has learned and accomplished during that time. What resonates with Jordan and all our team members is the importance of the people involved in each project, from the owners to the end users. Join us in celebrating Jordan's 10th anniversary at SōL Harris/Day! We look forward to seeing the continued positive impact that Jordan's work has on our community and beyond...

What is the biggest lesson learned since working at SHD?

Learning the enjoyable part of architecture is not necessarily the final product of the building, but the process of getting to know new people, learning about them, their business or, if it’s a new school, understanding their vision for education. It’s about listening to the client and understanding their needs, their dreams, etc. and helping them materialize these into functional spaces and buildings. As architects we have the ability and skillsets to help people realize a concept or idea, they couldn’t necessarily do themselves and it’s very rewarding getting to know we helped them achieve their dream.

What is unique about working for SHD?

During my first couple years working for SHD, I remember talking with previous school colleagues that were also fresh in their careers and realizing SHD was unique in the amount of responsibility partners gave to younger employees. Intentionally having them be involved from a project’s inception to completion. At the time, it showed me the partners trusted me and helped to establish my confidence as an architect. Additionally, it helped me gain experience from multiple phases of a project that were necessary for completing required training to sit for exams and for navigating future projects independently. Now, 10 years later, I’ve realized that uniqueness has developed a family-like working environment that has allowed SHD to be successful for many years and through transitions of the firm’s leadership.

What made you decide to pursue Architecture?

At a very young age I was told I was going to be an architect because of how much I played with Legos. I remember thinking how much fun it would be to create the Lego sets and develop the instruction booklets to complete them. I also remember studying house plans for hours and then drawing my own. When applying to undergraduate schools, I was between pursuing a degree in architecture or visual communication design (graphic design) but ultimately chose architecture because of wanting the ability to design inhabitable spaces.

How do you stay current with architectural trends and technology?

Primarily through collaboration with co-workers, in-office training, lunch and learns, webinars and, when time allows, through industry websites, publications, and even Instagram.

Jordan's Recent Project Experience:

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