Spotlight on Staff – Jeff Chelwick

In honor of WHA’s 40 years of business, it is only fitting that we feature one of the first, greatly influential, and longest-standing employees at our firm – Jeff Chelwick. Jeff is a Senior Principal/Shareholder, beginning his design career at WHA back in 1992. We are excited to feature him on the blog to share and reflect on his successful design career and experiences at WHA.

1.Tell us what you enjoy about working for WHA.

Most of all, it’s the people and the culture! WHA is our “work family” having many similarities to our own families, (the “personalities”, the “discussions”, the “ups and downs”) and being able to work with my own son is unreal! A characteristic that is evident here is the positive, service-oriented culture – in my opinion, the best in the industry. In any organization, it starts from the top down – the values and work ethic of the founding partner and senior staff filters down to everyone else, providing all the ability to excel in whatever dreams they have. The balance of work and life can always be optimized.

During the last 40 years, I’ve had the good fortune to work with so many great people and have had the opportunity to assist some of them to achieve the architectural goals for their careers. Looking back, this has been incredibly fulfilling and has given me way more joy than just another award or fun project.

2. Reflecting on the last 40 years, what has been the biggest take-away from your profession?

For anyone in a creative field, it is tough to be creative while having a successful career and family life. In my career, I’ve been blessed to do what I love and enjoy the benefits of a good life. I believe that if you look at what is important, there is a path for you driven by unconscious awareness and I, to a certain extent, just lucked out! Wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I did know that it had to be in a creative field. At Cornell in the 70’s, the architectural design being taught was uninspiring to say the least! But then Post-Modernism came in and everything changed. That’s the beauty of architecture! It’s constantly evolving… a synthesis of the creative and the technical… an art form in 3 dimensions that surrounds us while we walk through it. A career in architecture is one of the best, most fulfilling professions because of the way it expands how you view the world. As an architect, you are never bored!

3. How do you keep inspired for new projects?

When I look at our younger staff and see their excitement and enthusiasm – How could you not be inspired? But also, and I’m paraphrasing a famous architect who said, “architects reach their creative peak at age 60.” That, for me, is where I am now… and so keeping inspired is not a problem.

To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever been more creative in my entire life or have been more aware of my surroundings. This translates into looking at a project, identifying the issue and finding a solution. The fun part about getting older is that as a designer, you become more confident in understanding the objectives of what you need to achieve and are not shy above expressing them. I really don’t think that creative expression and inspiration will ever leave me… whether it’s in design, some other art form, or with my family.

4. What is your favorite project you worked on and why?

My favorite project always seems to be the next one. In architecture, by the time a project gets built, we’ve already moved on with new ideas. But really, the most rewarding is developing concepts that become a standard bearer in the industry – that is exciting. Great design is new concepts – like the “big house,” the “courtyard,” the “interlocking townhome,” and the “atrium,” etc. repeated over time by many different builders. There have been so many prototypes and projects over the years, that there are also favorites that never got built.

In trying to narrow down to my favorite project, I selected the best in each category – Single Family, Cluster, Duplex, 2/3/4 Story, Podium, Mixed-Use, etc. What I found was that each “winner” had common characteristics. They all had a creative client with us, were brand new, innovative concepts, successful for the builder, appreciated by the residents, and recognized by the industry.

So, if I had to choose my one favorite project, it would be Artisan Lofts at Central, which was designed in Phoenix, AZ in the year 2000. Essentially, it was a 4-story residential loft building over 1 level of parking. While the unique concept included an interlocking combination of flats and townhomes, the plans sold as unfinished lofts with only a kitchen, bath, and exposed ducts. We provided (5) alternative optional designs for each unit, and the buyers could customize as they saw fit. The funny thing was that none of them took any of the alternatives – they all created the spaces and layout they wanted!

5. What achievements are you most proud of professionally and personally?

Personally, I have always jokingly said that the greatest things I’ve had a hand in designing are my three children. My wife Randy and I are so fortunate to see them grown and start their own lives and families! Also, I get to work with my son and Randy gets to work with one of our daughters. They all live close by and we love to hang out together.

Professionally, it’s great to design fun, creative projects, achieve builder recognition and industry awards, but the most satisfaction comes from projects that can “give back” to the community. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work together with many different affordable builders in many different cities. Each time we try to design a community that improves on the standard model and enhances the quality of life for the residents. That always feels good!

6. Since you have worked mainly in residential design, what is one type of building you have always wanted to design?

Residential design has always been my main passion and is inexhaustible in alternative design types. So, the one type of residential building that I’ve always wanted to design is….

The next one… I haven’t thought of it yet!

Please Note:

While the word “I” has been written an awful lot in this interview, my role in all these projects has always been the smallest. Mostly, I just come up with the initial concept, a new idea, or a variation to something old. I’ve always had a great team of planners, designers, renderers, colorists, administrators, marketers, and of course the technical experts that make it all work.

To 40 years of building homes… I Thank You All!