Professional Journey

David’s path to architecture began far from a traditional studio setting- it began at sea.

Before becoming an architect, David worked aboard commercial fishing vessels in Alaska as a ship’s engineer to finance his architectural education. Living and working in remote, high-risk environments instilled an early understanding that systems matter. Energy, water, waste, and power are not abstract ideas; they are lifelines. That hands-on experience shaped David’s systems-based approach to buildings as living, interdependent environments that must perform reliably under real-world conditions.

After earning his undergraduate degree at Texas A&M University, David completed a master’s degree in Architecture, Urbanism, and Building Science at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. A decade of living and working abroad gave him a global perspective on how design responds to climate, culture, and resource realities.

Leaving the Netherlands, David moved to Hawaiʻi and joined The Nature Conservancy, where he spearheaded operations at Palmyra Atoll, a remote conservation research station, and led the transition from diesel generators to a renewable microgrid. The project demonstrated the economic and environmental value of renewable systems, saving more than $1 million annually while improving operational resilience.