We had the good fortune of connecting with Melissa Meyer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa, how do you think about risk?

I take risks in order to be my authentic self.

Architecture is inherently risky. I interview well, and so I almost always land the corporate job. But rather than getting comfortable at a single corporate firm, settling for a miniscule annual raise, I learned early on that the fastest way to get ahead in the Miami architectural world is to take what you’ve learned at one firm, and move on to the next—asking for significantly more money—until you’ve reached a comfortable threshold.

At that point you can either stay where you are, or you can use your experience and network to go out on your own. My desire for autonomy, flexibility and freedom of expression led me to choose the latter. The result of my risk-taking is that the professionals whom I respect the most, respect me as well. That means a lot to me, and that’s why I’ve had the luxury of being able to choose meaningful work with talented people with whom I’ve had a long-standing working relationship.

The Miami corporate world wanted me to be obedient, complicit, and even submissive. I am none of those things. I take after my dad, an ardent observer of life who would rather not penetrate the inner ring in order to get ahead. He and I prefer to remain on the outside looking in, quietly observing, deconstructing and articulating a problem in order to arrive at a solution that will make a real difference. It’s called “good trouble.”


On-site of the Frost Museum of Science with
my Architecture Students (2015)
Discussing How to Reconnect Kebo to the Commercial Core with Commissioner Russell & Vanya Allen

On-site at Florida International University’s LEED Silver Parkview Housing & Recreation Center with my Architectural Materials & Construction Students (2021)


Carolina Culinary Institute, NCSU (2013)
Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Day School LEED Gold Main Highway Pavilion (2009)

How did you get to where you are today? Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way? What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?  

My dad’s brother was an architect in Madison, Wisconsin. As a little kid, I thought he was very cool because he had long hair, he played the guitar and sang folk music, and he grew pot on his kitchen windowsill. He lived in an old house with a big screened-in front porch where us kids slept when we would visit in the summertime. He had a vintage clawfoot bathtub with squeaky antique fixtures. He later designed and built an amazing Prairie-style house for himself. He taught at Taliesin.

As a free-range kid, I built go-karts, forts and skateboard ramps. I drew on the walls without consequence. I explored the city on my bike without boundaries. When I got lost, I looked for the top of the abandoned historic Biltmore Hotel to find my way home.

My friends and I snuck out in the middle of the night to hold contests to see who could make it—without getting caught—to the top of the spiral staircase within the copper-clad belfry that sits atop the Biltmore tower. I always won. I was fascinated with the place. I learned the building inside and out—every possible point of entry and exit, every hidden stairway, every creaky floorboard. We drove the Coral Gables police crazy because they couldn’t figure out how we were getting in.

In middle and high school I excelled in drafting, woodshop, graphics and Honors English. When I was 15, my friend’s parents gave me a summer job in their Coral Gables design firm. I was hooked. I went to college twice as an undergrad, once to play soccer, make art and have fun at Brevard College in North Carolina; and then again to earn a Bachelor of Environmental Design in Architecture at NC State, where I worked at Engineering Design Services renovating campus buildings.

When I graduated, I came back to Miami. I worked at several iconic firms, including the one that renovated the Biltmore. In 2005 I started my own design consulting company. I stayed busy providing design and technical services that spanned from schematic design, design development, and construction documents to project coordination, project management, permitting and construction administration.

My clients, small firms and sole practitioners, were ultimately hit hard by the recession, which slowed the progress of most construction projects. It seemed like a great time to get my Master of Architecture degree, which would enable me to teach at the college level—something I always thought I would be good at.

As an undergrad, I dreamt about being able to design and build sophisticated intricate models like the ones I saw when I wandered through the graduate level studios. I went back to NC State. I made it a point to get up-to-date in all the latest technology. I wanted to be well-rounded to ensure that no matter what happens in the world, I’ll always have relevant work.

I learned digital modeling, graphics and rendering programs, 3D printing, laser cutting and CNC milling. I got certified in Revit and became a LEED AP in Building Design and Construction. I learned to weld. I did a mini-thesis on Aging-in-Place, and another on the Migration of Vernacular Types. I’ve always loved school because it’s a place to ask hard questions and push boundaries—two things that come naturally to me. I discovered that teaching could be a way for me to stay in school forever.

Currently, in addition to teaching part-time, I apply my design and writing skills to conceptualize and articulate the design to generate proposals that help firms win projects. I lead projects through design development to ensure the original concept is adhered to. Then I go for a bike ride while others complete the construction documents. Now I look for Bjarke Ingels’ Twisting Towers to find my way home.

You must be persistent, forge your own path and seek out positive role models and mentors. You may have to leave Miami to find them, and then you can return and become one. While most of my friends are dreaming of their retirement, I’m dreaming about my next community-oriented green building project. I want my brand to represent what I see missing in Miami—authenticity and integrity.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

We would need Two Weeks and a Day (like the song), because I have 15 favorite places (not in any particular order):

The Barnacle Historic State Park—to visit the oldest house in its original location in Miami-Dade County and its boathouse

Coconut Grove Sailing Club—for the view at dusk from the deck and the cool people

Historic Coconut Grove Playhouse—our County Mayor is trying to demolish it, and its story needs to be told to all visitors

Historic Vizcaya Museum and Gardens—for the eclectic Mediterranean Revival architecture and the Bahamian craftsmanship

Historic Biltmore Hotel—for the 1926 Giralda inspired Schultze and Weaver architecture, ghost stories and childhood memories

Stiltsville—we’d sail there with Dr. Paul George (the best storyteller)

Historic Freedom Tower—for the 1925 Schultze and Weaver Mediterranean Revival architecture, the Museum of Art and Design (MOAD) Cuban Legacy Gallery, the American Indigenous Civilizations Exhibit, and the Exile Experience Exhibit

Perez Art Museum—Miami’s best example of vernacular modernism

Miami River—to witness the dramatic convergence of old and new Miami

Historic Hampton House Museum and Cultural Center—one of the few remaining Green Book sites frequented by Miami’s most legendary visitors

Historic Lyric Theater—for the unique blend of Art Deco and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture and for the Melton Mustafa Jazz Festival

Historic Deering Estate—where else can you see Mediterranean Revival architecture, a prehistoric burial mound and native species habitats, all in one place?

Fruit and Spice Park—to sample hundreds of exotic edibles

Everglades National Park—to go inside one of the most enchanting ecosystems in the world—a cypress dome

Alabama Jacks—for country music and conch fritters


Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center (2014)
Mayor Francis Suarez Vetoes Demolition of the Historic Coconut Grove Playhouse

On-site of the LEED Gold Phillip & Patricia Frost Museum of Science (2016)
COTE Top Ten Awards with David Harper, FAIA & Thorn Grafton AIA LEED AP (2015)

Who do you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

My parents were always my biggest supporters in all of my academic and professional pursuits. My dad, a journalist and professor, always stopped whatever he was doing to proofread every paper I ever wrote in high school, college and graduate school. My mom, a fashionista and a socialite (like my daughter), always encouraged me and made sure that I looked good. She was a big proponent of the Women’s Liberation Movement. She always reminded me that if I worked hard, I could be whatever I wanted to be.

I had the privilege of having the late Gail Lindsey, FAIA, LEED AP as my undergraduate professor. I was her student in the early 90’s while she was developing her ideas and organizing her thoughts about green building standards, technical criteria and the rating system that later became LEED. Her enthusiasm and pioneering spirit rubbed off on me.

In graduate school I connected with two professors, Dr. Paul Tesar and Frank Harmon, FAIA. They share my passion for the evolution of building typologies, vernacular architecture and contextual design. They encouraged me to write more about these topics and to take risks. They showed me how to be an effective professor, and I incorporate the teaching strategies that I learned from them into the classes that I teach now.

Website: http://www.melissameyerarchitecture.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mmeyerarch/

Linkedin: https://tinyurl.com/bj362ja3

Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/MMeyerArch

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissa.meyer.336717

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDL4UckAK_dkJlyWn7xzdOg?view_as=subscriber

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