Erin Ortwein
Vice President, Project Manager — Education
Austin, Texas USA
“As a student, I usually felt safe and protected at my school, but a certain sense of inspiration seemed to be lacking,” says Erin who has spent more than a decade in our Education Studio. “Starting at age 12, my dream was creating a better school for the future “Me’s” of the world.” Erin brings unique spaces to life working closely with school districts, educators, and the community to build schools that inspire students to learn, discover, and explore.
As an Education Studio leader, Erin coordinates design teams and consultants, listening closely to educators to understand their program and curriculum criteria to address students’ spatial and physical needs. She refers to architecture as a ‘team sport’ where all the players involved are experts in their field positioned to educate young minds, engineer safe structures, design comfortable environments, and construct buildings, with each team working to problem solve and contribute to solutions for practical and creative learning experiences.
On sunny days, Erin and her two daughters like to explore. “Austin has so many fun places to see – we love all the hiking in nature trails and parks, going to restaurants and music events, and especially discovering the perfect coffee shops – I’m a huge coffee fanatic!”
I tackle each project like a giant puzzle and when all the pieces come together, everyone on the team gets to walk through the space and experience the big picture.
