Today we’d like to introduce you to Lee Calisti

Hi Lee, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

It’s fascinating how I became an architect. The short story I tell is it chose me. Please read on.

Let’s go back to 1977 when I was in fifth grade. Along with my closest school friends, I became a massive fan of Marvel Comics and spent my free time drawing my favorite characters. In 1978, for my birthday, I received the book “How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way” – the best gift – ever. Let me tell you, I was captivated by it and spent hours learning and practicing.

I can’t pinpoint the exact day, but at some point, I discovered architecture; the Sunday paper would publish a “house of the week,” and I would analyze the floor plan against the elevation view. Funny what catches a kid’s eye. Looking back, I can remember drawing houses, building models, and absorbing everything related to architecture. One late 70s summer, my friend’s dad began building an addition to their home, and I was fascinated by the construction process. I remember walking through the rough framing mesmerized. That Christmas, my mother bought me a drafting board and T-square, and I started designing houses in my room while listening to Beatles music. It just felt right as an eleven-year-old.

Dedication and hard work marked my circuitous journey towards becoming an architect. Art was my safe and constant companion until I graduated high school and entered the world of architecture school. For six years, I poured countless hours and experienced many late nights, fueled by my passion and caffeine. This commitment bore fruit in 1991 when I was honored with the AIA Medal of Honor, recognizing me as the top student in my class at Kent State University.

In 1995, I sat for the A.R.E. (registration exam), a grueling exam (formerly offered annually) to earn my license. The pressure was immense, and I had to discover my true potential, even with a nosebleed during the last hour of the test. Unsurprisingly, I passed all the parts on my first try – deep satisfaction. Yet, this was just the beginning of my journey as an architect.

After all these years since leaving Kent State in 1991, I’m still pursuing this thing we call architecture. I’ve had the opportunity to work on incredible projects, from resurrecting many old buildings to designing high-performance homes and developing apartments for formerly houseless people. One might say architecture pursued me.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

No, it’s not smooth; maybe that’s OK. The educational and examination portions indeed require an exceptional level of endurance. However, once one begins to practice—with real clients and real projects—one realizes the incredibly high level of responsibility involved. Work isn’t school, where the projects are make-believe. We work with real people and real money. The struggle isn’t in coming up with ideas; it is navigating a landscape of all types of people and personality types, knowing that most are different from me. Architects like me are poor with confrontation.

Early in my career, I started working in a new office as a young architect in 1995 and was heavily involved in a large project that stretched me. I had weekly client contact and managed sub-phases that were under construction. No longer being shielded by “the boss,” I had to work with people face to face and through complex and occasionally contrarian relationships.

These challenging situations occur frequently now that I have worked alone for over 21 years. Architects are called upon to be creative but responsible, imaginative yet professional, and expressive while remaining practical. Mistakes or oversights rarely creep in, but knowing that no one supervises me drives me to be thorough and capable of defending my solutions. On rare occasions, sleep is elusive.

A few recent projects (that turned out well) gave birth to new struggles to navigate inflexible relational structures and restrain my emotions for the greater good of my clients.

It would be easy to hide in a larger office, focusing on singular tasks without facing partners outside the office. I choose otherwise.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about lee CALISTI architecture+design?

As architects, we are privileged and responsible for creating places where people live and make memories. Sometimes, we believe we make art. Our architecture strives to balance the necessary and delightful, work that is creative, functional, socially and environmentally responsible, and practical. Hopefully, it is even fun. We believe it communicates with people in powerful and profound ways.

When you choose to collaborate with our small practice, you’ll have direct access to me, the principal architect, a seasoned professional with over 33 years of experience. This unique advantage ensures your project is handled with the utmost care and expertise.

Since our establishment in 2003, we have successfully delivered a diverse range of projects. While we have experience in various project types, our focus has been on adaptive reuse and commercial renovation projects, finding the challenge of rehabilitation work both stimulating and necessary. We also take on high-end modern residential projects for committed clients. Our approach to reconstruction involves intense coordination and management with our clients, engineering consultants, qualified contractors, and even code officials. We believe preserving and enhancing existing structures often yields more rewarding results than starting from scratch. This philosophy doesn’t preclude us from new construction projects but requires a compelling argument to justify disturbing an untouched site when so many structures need our help.

We would like to claim that if we have a brand, it is the result of an iterative process that is not driven by style but rather is the consequence of careful client analysis, program and site consideration, spatial exploration, intense editing, and thoughtful material assembly, all while finding creative ways to meet the budget.

It takes perseverance and much patience.

We aim to develop clear and distinctive work that is informed by the craft of construction, sustainability, culture, and technology. Our work reveals a deep connection between a building’s visual features and its practical use. They are inseparable in our minds. A patient, considerate approach with respectful stakeholder exchanges leads to the best decision-making and authentic, mature work.

We could be a good fit if you seek design services for architecture, interior architecture, adaptive reuse, feasibility studies, or other unique design forms.

What makes you happy?

My family makes me happy. Sharing time with my wife of 32 years and my newly college-graduated son is all I truly need in life. My wife coined the phrase that we “move as one.” It’s really that simple.

My faith gives me purpose. Saying that I follow Jesus may be confusing or misunderstood in our American culture, but nothing else about life makes sense without it. My failures in life reflect the extent of God’s grace.

My work feeds my soul. It’s an avenue where I release a part of me that must be shared; it’s far more than a vocation. It’s who I am. Aspects of architecture can make me happy, but they are better found in people’s reactions to architecture.

Pricing:

• Unique to each project

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.leecalisti.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leecalisti/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leeCALISTIarchitecture
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/leecalisti
• Other: https://thinkarchitect.wordpress.com/

Image Credits

SkySight Photography