process
site section, cortez bandshell
DATA + ANYLISIS
ENVISION + GENERATE
REFINE + DEVELOP
KEO studioworks is a collaborative studio with a design approach focused on people and place; deriving design solutions through program, context, culture, and health.
With a broad range of experience in the commercial, public, and private sectors, large and small scale, we bring a valuable depth of experience to projects. Our approach is collaborative, we guide and coalesce vision and program with opportunity and value.
We have an interest in the impact the built environment can have on occupant health and wellbeing. This has drawn us into neuroscience and biology research related to human habitation. In practice, we consider the biological and cognitive effects of the built environment and have developed design methodologies and approaches for creating environments that support occupant health and wellbeing.
leadership
Jim has been focused on leading contextually driven design for public, community, and private architecture for the past 28 years. He has led significant projects within firms in St. Louis, Chicago, Salt Lake City, and more recent as Design Leader at CCA in Aspen CO, with prior roles of Design Principal and Design Director.
Jim has a passion for design, especially within the public realm. Known for his collaborative spirit, he is accustomed to rolling up the sleeves and being flexible to getting the job done in the most appropriate fashion for any given project. The diversity of past projects gives a wide range of experience that can assist broad analysis and development of any given site and scope. His spirited process begins with a robust, thoughtful, and nimble conceptual design phase. This is driven by project and client’s goals, schedules, budget, leading to the most appropriate and distinctive solutions.
Jim spends time between Aspen, Denver, and Taos NM. He is also an artist represented in NYC and Taos, with works in private collections in California, Texas, and Colorado.
Noelle Wilhite brings 12 years of professional experience in the capacity of Project Management, Project Architect, BIM and Operations Management.
Noelle’s experience spans from single family residential, multi-family housing, large scale commercial projects, K-12 and higher education facilities, and biotech laboratory facilities. Noelle’s recent work has largely been with residential development and affordable housing in Colorado mountain communities. Noelle has a passion for managing creative, complex projects with many moving pieces and unique technical challenges. She is detail-oriented and thorough in her approach, focusing on creating processes and systems to clarify project goals and keep projects on schedule and on budget. Noelle is dedicated to consistent communication and a collaborative team effort to drive design impact on both immediate and long term client needs.
Noelle's range of experiences with a variety of project sizes, types, and locations, diverse project teams, and various office cultures give her a wide-lens perspective as an asset to any project.
AFFILIATIONS
Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture
Architecture Culture and Spirituality
NCARB
Registered Architect:
Colorado
New Mexico
EDUCATION
Washington University
St. Louis, Missouri 1995
Master of Architecture
Mackintosh School
of Architecture
Glasgow, Scotland 1994
University of Bridgeport
Bridgeport, Connecticut 1992
Bachelor of Science, Interior Design
Cum Laude
MWPI - Pratt Institute of Art
Utica, New York 1989
Fine Arts
EDUCATION
University of Michigan
Master of Architecture
University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign
Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies
AFFILIATIONS
NCARB
Registered Architect: Colorado
Jim is an unusual architect. When he contemplates a project, he imagines not only how it will look from the outside,
but how it will feel like to be inside it. - Leslie Vreeland, Editor at Shelter
Jim speaking at the Aspen Art Museum, Architecture + Wellbeing.
CADDIS COLLABORATIVE
What Science Teaches Us About Designing Buildings for Mental Health and Well-Being.
Jim with Bryan Bowen from Caddis Collaborative
AWARD WINNING RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS
ARCHITECTURE AND WELLBEING
READINGS and RESOURCES
SUTAINABILITY & HEALTH
![VFZZ9576[1].JPG](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f6071c_fc7b2bc2e0104b92b903f21ca59eee73~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_407,y_372,w_1251,h_1654/fill/w_105,h_139,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/VFZZ9576%5B1%5D_JPG.jpg)
REGIONALISM
ENVIRONMENT & CONSERVATION
PHOTOGRAPHY