TKWA is a collaborative team of creative thinkers, craftspeople, and advocates who are passionate about designing regenerative places that strengthen communities.

 

 

HISTORY

Our story started in 1980 with a belief in living places created by the harmonious union between human activity, nature, and built space. From the beginning, co-founders Tom and Allen made this one of the core values of our practice. Over the four decades that followed, the firm grew, attracting like-minded clients and employees, while creating a body of site-sensitive, environmentally responsible, community-enriching buildings.

For over 40 years, Tom and Allen have had a mutual respect for each others’ unique approach to design.

Since those early days, a philosophy of Wholeness has been at the heart of every decision—from the projects we undertook, to the people we hired, to the way we managed our operations. Our commitment to socially and environmentally responsible practice led us to restate our Articles of Incorporation in 2018, becoming the first design firm to be a Wisconsin Public Benefit Corporation.

With feet planted firmly in both practice and advocacy, TKWA continues to expand its influence and thought leadership through built work, public policy, and research. This is more important than ever, given the rapid expansion of the built environment and its effect on global climate change and human health. While much of the profession is focused on style-based iconic gestures, it is more important than ever for architects to argue for architecture as part of interdependent living systems.

Allen and Tom’s philosophy of collaboration, meticulous design, humility, and reverence for the natural world inspired a new generation of architects to take up their legacy. In 2016, the co-founders entrusted the studio to five partners. The new ownership team is drawn from a deep well of talent, expertise, and experience at TKWA. Collectively, this group represents the ideals, philosophy, and breadth of practice that Tom and Allen envisioned when they started the firm 40 years ago. This larger group of partners is helping expand TKWA’s impact locally, nationally, and globally through thoughtful design.

In 2017, the studio opened two additional locations. TKWA Milwaukee is strategically placed in Walker’s Point, a thriving Milwaukee neighborhood undergoing a vibrant transformation, and focusses on making the public realm a place that works for all people. TKWA Seattle focuses on single-family residential and commercial architecture in the Pacific Northwest as well as large-scale educational facilities in China.

Take a look inside our studios

WHOLENESS

Wholeness is our worldview.

It shapes how we act, conceive our work, organize our activities, and interact with the natural world, our built environment, and our community. Of all the forces that might have shaped the way we do our work, Wholeness rises above competing concerns, systems, schools of thought, and philosophies.

Meet our team.

Many individuals, one whole practice.

Our team of AIA, LEED, Living Building, WELL, and NCARB accredited professionals has extensive experience in a variety of building types.

Adam Voltz, AIA

Project Architect

Allen Washatko, AIA

Co-Founder

Ariel Steuer, ASID, NCIDQ

Interior Designer

Ben Schenck, AIA

Project Manager

Chris Socha, AIA, LEED AP

Partner

Claire Hitchcock Tilton

Project Designer

Dominic Salvia

Finance Director

Erik Hancock, AIA, NOMA

Partner

Ethan Bartos

Partner

Jess Gebhardt, NCARB, LEED Green Associate

Architect

Joe Aiello

Visual Communications Director

Joe Miletta, LFA

Project Designer

Karen Hancock, LEED AP

Project Architect

Kirk Lundgren

Project Designer

Lisa Stafford

Interior Designer

Lydia Collins

Project Designer

Mark Lefebvre

Project Designer

Matt Frydach, AIA, NCARB

Partner

Mojo the Dog, ASPCA

Best Friend

Scott Herum, AIA

Project Architect

Therese Hanson

Project Architect

Tom Kubala, FAIA

Co-Founder

Tyler Weis

Project Designer

Vicki Yurske

Studio Coordinator

Vince Micha, AIA

Partner

Wayne Reckard

Director of Marketing

Work/life balanced.

We strive to provide a workplace culture that reflects the wholeness we wish to see in the world—this means doing great work but also having a full life outside of work. We are committed to equity, diversity, fair pay and benefits, and the wellness of every staff member. Because accountability is essential, TKWA participates in the JUST label—a voluntary disclosure platform that makes our internal practices measurable and publicly available. These values make our studio a place where people stick around.

Get in touch.

Interested in working together? Want to inquire further about our capabilities? Or want to just say hello? Drop us a message and we’ll reply ASAP.

CONTACT US