Nate Holland

Experience

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  Holland Basham Architects

  Jan 2006 - Jan 2006

  Intern
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  HDR

  May 2010 - Aug 2011

  Intern
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  NBBJ Design

  Jan 2012 - now

  My focus is on the intersection of architecture, neuroscience, wellness, and human performance, exploring how spaces can profoundly and positively influence people’s lives. In this role, I leverage my digital expertise and passion for human-centered design to challenge conventional thinking and push the boundaries of what our projects can achieve. At the firm level, I developed our Human Flourishing mindset and Delight Factor metric to shape the way we talk about the power of design and rigorously evaluate its potential for impact. On the project level, I work closely with project teams to transform academic insights into practical, impactful design solutions.Selected Highlights• Developed the Delight Factor metric which leverages computational approaches to quantitatively evaluating aspects of a space that drive our qualitative experience. When used in conjunction with more traditional space metrics the delight factor gives owners, tenants, and developers a new way to evaluate and compare the true value of a space.• Crafted the Human Flourishing mindset which translates the 5 pillars of human flourishing from the field of positive psychology into actionable design insights to improve productivity, creativity and overall wellness.• Leveraged custom analytics to measure the lighting levels within the Amazon Helix project for their impact on plant health. Advised the team on glass selection and planter locations to improve plant health and significantly reduce power consumption Show less In this role I work collaboratively with leaders from BIM, IT Futures, and Security to set the firms digital strategy and ensure our project teams are equipped to be as creative and effective as possible. I directly oversee the Design Computation, GeoDesign, Experience design and Visualization teams, helping them to set budget, identify key software needs, and set annual action plans. Selected Highlights• Developed and delivered the Digital Leadership Academy - a unique yearlong leadership training program tailored specifically to technology leaders within an architecture firm. I set the vision for the program, created content for multiple modules, coordinated external speakers, and ensured active engagement from our selected cohort.• Developed and deployed our Leadership Leveraging Digital program - a series of presentations and in office workshops geared at raising the leadership profile of team members in different studios, helping them to more effectively address the needs of their studios and better communicate with their studio leaders. Show less • Design Computation team is a critical aspect of our approach to project work. It enables teams to be more effective, nibble and to assist our clients in making confident decisions. As leader of this team, I crafted the vision for what computation could be within our firm and worked with the CIO to develop our team structure. I aligned with marketing to create materials to communicate our abilities and help project teams win new work. I mentored team members to develop their leadership skills enabling them to be them effective computational leaders within their studios.Selected Highlights• Organized and participated 6 internal hackathons aimed at rapid ideation, the creation of new tools and building technical expertise.• Rainier square façade optimization and detailing• REI headquarters façade optimization and detailing Show less Hired into this role directly out of school, my charge was to expand the use of grasshopper and other advanced computational tools within the studio and project teams directly. This enabled me to play a key role, both as an architect and as a computational specialist in some of the most prominent projects within the firm. As a member of the broader computational team, I explored new workflows, developed sharable tools and techniques. Selected Highlights• Amazon Spheres - I worked directly with the lead project designer to develop the steel and glass shell of the project. I used advanced computational techniques to ideate, rationalize and document the complex double curved elements. • I collaborated with computational leaders from other studios to deploy the human experience toolkit. A series of 4 tools that evaluate spaces from a human perspective: access to windows, Circulation Analysis, Spatial Intelligibility, view analysis. Show less

  • Design Innovation Director

    Nov 2018 - now

  • Digital Leadership Team

    Mar 2015 - now

  • Design Computation Team Leader

    Mar 2015 - now

  • Design Computation Leader / Architect

    Jan 2012 - now
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  Tombolo Institute at Bellevue College Design Thinking Program

  Dec 2020 - Dec 2022

  Advisory Board Member