SMITH DALIA ARCHITECTS - Key Persons
The son of two architects, Alex Knight was raised in the design life. With a portfolio of sketches and doodles on class notes, Alex won a scholarship to SCAD in Savannah -and there fell in love with charcoal drawing. He stood out during architecture studies by tapping unusual sources of inspiration, like Elvis Presley jumpsuits or Battery Backus (a Tybee Island naval fortification) and representing these using generative algorithmic programs. In graduate school, Alex intensified his focus on design details, working between physical and digital models to refine projects.
Through SCAD's BFA + Architecture program, Alex studied art and architecture in the medieval community of Lacoste, France. SCAD Lacoste's diverse offerings and visiting artists infuse the village with a multicultural, artistic ambience. During this time, Alex was deeply affected by a visit to Gaudi's Sagrada Familia. The Basilica's stone columns, rib vaults, massive stained-glass windows, intricate play of light, pale colors and elegant geometry made the design's intentionality apparent, and every form's intrinsic importance to the structural integrity of the edifice. In the M. Arch program at GA Tech, Alex became interested in the construction process and how certain technical details serve multiple purposes.
Gravitating to architecture via the art world, Amanda Warr envisioned a career that would both challenge her technical side and satisfy the artist, while also making a difference. She sought an Atlanta firm that was rooted in place-making designs. Indeed, Amanda's architectural solutions and project leadership on the Page Woodson School restoration and adaptive use in Oklahoma City received a National Trust and other awards for both design and historic preservation.
Amanda excels at facility design, adaptive use and historic preservation, and the intensive working out of spatial relationships that are at the heart of great design. She consistently provides that vital connection that makes ideas work in the built environment.
As an Associate, Amanda is more involved in the business of architecture and participates more fully in business development. Her understated leadership style belies the proficiency and detailed design solutions ever present in her projects. She is attentive to her project teams and available for mentoring when the need arises.
Amanda enjoys the variety in the daily practice of architecture; the chance to interact with fellow designers, and the opportunity to learn from and benefit clients and the end users that these designs ultimately serve. A true team player, Amanda's contribution in SDA's studio is valuable and valued.
Interests
Time outside of work is spent playing with my kids and keeping up with family life, but if time allows I also enjoy cooking, reading, yoga and getting outside!
Our stories are embedded in the spaces we design. This simple truth has served as a guiding notion for Amidu. Born and raised in Sierra Leone, his family's building site and the unfinished homes that dotted the neighborhood told a story of resilience and improvisation. As a child, these spaces provided inspiration for endless exploration of placemaking through observation and sketches. He was fascinated in equal measure by the design and construction process, while also acutely aware of the far-reaching impact that design has in shaping a community.
With a background in Civil Engineering from the University of Sierra Leone and a Master of Architecture from Morgan State University, Amidu brings not only a solid understanding of the mechanics of the built environment, but a deep passion for design that is inextricably linked with the fabric of the city at all scales.
Experience accrued from working on projects across West Africa, Asia, and North America, ranging from affordable housing to skyscrapers, provides him with a global design approach and perspective. As such, he is interested in how innovative design can resolve conflicts that arise from the spatial needs of society, with careful consideration for aesthetics, sustainability, and preservation of culture.
Brian joined SDA in 2002 and has developed a critical foundation of expertise that drives his ability to direct projects of all sizes, programs, and complexities from concept through delivery. As a Principal, Brian is a leader in cultivating SDA's vision and overall design direction. He works closely with project teams to establish design intent and strategic planning, and with clients to challenge the status quo by raising expectations to maximize project potential.
Specializing in urban infill and adaptive-use projects, he is extensively experienced in the private sector working across numerous building types. He is passionate about the influence that architecture has on urban environments and is mindful to develop creative, engaging places that positively impact their communities.
Brian holds degrees in architecture from Georgia Tech and the University of Florida, where he was an All-American rugby player. He is a LEED-Accredited Professional, an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and American Institute of Architecture (AIA), and a rabid Gator fan.
Greg joined SDA in 2001, bringing a depth of experience in design and construction, including two years as a framing carpenter. As a Principal, he fosters the firm's strategic goals with an equal focus on design and management, fusing creativity with practicality from individual projects to overall firm operations.
Greg's experience ranges from multi-acre site planning to multi-family housing to university buildings, including a wide variety of adaptive re-use projects. To his passion for both the big picture and the detail, he adds humor and an exceptional talent for organization.
Greg holds a BA in English and a Masters in Architecture, both from the University of Florida, where he was also a Visiting Professor. He is an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and American Institute of Architects (AIA), a LEED-Accredited Professional, a regular juror for university architecture programs, and a part-time soccer coach.
Joe's journey to SDA has been longer and more winding than most. A 2013 graduate of the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture, Joe spent the first few years of his career freelancing between design firms and employed by an architecture firm in the west Chicago loop. In 2016 Joe was selected through an international competition as the official Designer of Record for the National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC. From 2016 until early 2021, Joe owned and operated his own rendering and residential design firm in Washington, DC while design and construction of the memorial was underway. After the Memorial opened in April of 2021, Joe and his family moved to Atlanta to be closer to friends and family.
In addition to the National WWI Memorial, Joe has been recognized in several other design venues. In 2011 he placed second individually in the Lyceum Fellowship Competition sponsored by the Lyceum Fellowship of Boston. In 2010 he was a part of the team that completed the HABS/HABER documentation of the Fay and Gus Jones Residence, which garnered the Peterson Prize for historic documentation from the Library of Congress. In 2016, Joe was named as one of Crain's Chicago Business' Emerging Voices as part of their "20 in Their 20s" series and has since been profiled in an array of media venues for his continued work on the National WWI Memorial. Joe has experience designing memorials, mixed-use developments, commercial buildouts, and single-family residences.
Interests
Oil pastel painting, watercolor painting, cooking, and gardening
Landon Clark's love of architecture and building began at an early age, emerging as an abiding interest in the vernacular design of the rural South. He came by this interest honestly - a legacy of growing up on his family's farm in Emanuel County, Georgia, in an area steeped in history and place.
While earning his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Kennesaw State, Landon was recognized with several design awards, including KSU's 2014 Architectural Comprehensive Design Award for "H204W - Old Fourth Ward Natatorium and Wellness Center." One of Landon's design ideas was also reflected in his thesis entitled "Vernacular Permeability" - based on implementing southern vernacular strategies in an urban setting for multi-family design.
One of Landon's tenets is that design should be representative of its site and the people impacted by it. His early roots in the architecture of the so-called "Vanishing South" have been overlaid with formal training in architecture, sustainable design and adaptive reuse, along with intermediate skill in Revit and a good understanding of proportions. In the studio Landon contributes a willingness to explore and an eye for detail, and is rapidly becoming a design partner on his various team projects.
Interests
Design, photography, history, travel
A rare third-generation Atlanta native, Michelle Bunch returns to SDA to continue making a difference in the city she calls home. Michelle grew up loving drawing and the idea of creating and transforming spaces. During undergraduate architecture school at Georgia Tech, a semester in Barcelona kindled her co-interest in vibrant urban spaces.
A recent graduate of the M. Arch program at Georgia Tech, Michelle spent her final year immersed in theories of urban design, renovation, housing, and representation. She was distinguished with the 2020 Alex Roush Design + Research Prize for her projects S-Building, which reimagined interactivity and cross-views in a Buckhead apartment tower, and the innovative Play/Time: https://fabhomes2020.
Michelle's professional background includes retail, residential, and adaptive reuse projects, all assets in the SDA studio. Her enthusiasm for the art of technical detail and construction is matched only by her aspiration for designs as empowering for their inhabitants as they are seamless and thoughtful.
An experienced accountant, Mitchell Brownlow has a natural proclivity toward improving business and accounting practices, increasing usability and productivity via the innovative use of technology. A Certified Management Accountant and proud member of the SDA team, Mitchell lives in the Old Fourth Ward.
While studying finance and international business at Georgia State University, Mitchell developed professional accounting and administrative skills as part of the fourth generation of his family's home remodeling business. After college Mitchell worked directly with the CFO of a large Buckhead building firm, and after that produced reporting for multiple C-level executives at another large home building firm.