HOLLY GAVENONIS
Kirksey Architecture
SAY IT LOUD - TEXAS Exhibitor
Texas Based Designer
Who or what inspires you professionally?
My dad inspires me professionally. He does not work in the built environment, but he always strives to make the best choices he can within his control and delivers them in a manner that is kind-hearted and impactful.
HOLLY GAVENONIS
Bio:
The great designer, Upon completion of my architecture degree at the University of Miami, I worked at a local firm focused on hi-rise condominiums. After two years, the firm felt the early impacts of a slow economy and I chose to move back to Houston to ride out the market downturn. It wasn’t until another 2 years before I was able to return to the architecture profession. Gratefully, I’ve had the opportunity to continue and develop my professional growth with the same firm for the last 11 years.
How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?
I first learned about architecture when I was 6 years old and my parents built the house they live in today. It wasn’t until I was preparing for college applications did I think back on that experience and consider architecture as a profession.
What do you do?
I’ve been a member of the Design Team at Kirksey since 2010. I typically stay with a project from conception, through design development and periodically into construction, ensuring our design intent is carried through or offer resolutions as needed.
What excites you in the work you do?
The various people who cross my path throughout my profession excite me about the work I do. These people are the colleagues I have the opportunity to collaborate with, learn from, and mentor as well as the clients and users we work for.
Who or what inspires you professionally?
My dad inspires me professionally. He does not work in the built environment, but he always strives to make the best choices he can within his control and delivers them in a manner that is kind-hearted and impactful.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?
My proudest accomplishment was seeing my first project from start to finish. It may initially seem like a simple goal, but through some ups and downs of the profession, it took me 8 years to experience this gratifying feat.
Featured Project Name:
West Texas A&M University – Agricultural Sciences Complex
Featured Project Location:
Canyon, TX
Featured Project Completion Date:
Fall 2018
Role in Featured Project:
Designer
Featured Project Description:
The 160,000 GSF 3-building Agricultural Sciences Complex for West Texas A&M University serves as a premier facility for the College of Agricultural Sciences. This student-centered, hands-on destination not only meet the expectations of the students and faculty who use the buildings on a day-to-day basis, but also as a welcoming environment for visitors, parents, and prospective students.
Photography Credit:
Geoffrey Lyon
Featured Project Name:
Texas Tech University – School of Veterinary Medicine
Featured Project Location:
Amarillo, TX
Featured Project Completion Date:
October 2021
Role in Featured Project:
Designer
Featured Project Description:
The new doctoral degree program at the Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo, Texas will be a comprehensive program designed specifically to address the growing workforce demand for veterinarians that serve the needs of food-and-fiber-animal industries, as well as small, agricultural communities. The school consists of two sites, accumulating to approximately 265,000 GSF of learning space, labs, and training facilities to serve both small and large animals alike.
