Atilla Kara and Tzu-Ching Lai Join the Washington, DC Studio of National Interior Design and Consulting Firm MKDA | Milo Kleinberg Design Associates…

WASHINGTON, DCNational interior design, space planning and consulting firm MKDA today announced that Atilla Kara and Tzu-Ching Lai have joined the Washington, DC design studio as Technical Director and Project Architect respectively. The strategic additions come on the heels of the studios one-year anniversary and are anticipated to bolster the studios respected workplace and commercial office building interior design services while also helping to grow the studios services, capabilities and reach.

Atilla and Tzu-Ching are fiercely talented and are a welcome addition to our strong, integrated team. As a culturally diverse and cohesive team with over 27 collective years of local market experience and former work collaborations, we share a unified vision to offer human-centered design solutions with European influences, said MKDA Executive Managing Director Kristin Aldan Gumundsdttir. As we move ahead together, we look forward to continuing to offer clients our unique design process and a stand out level of service that is the legacy of our New York City Headquarters.

Atilla Kara

As Technical Director, Mr. Kara manages the day-to-day technical operations for the design studio. He oversees the standardization and implementation of REVIT/BIM; monitors code compliance and quality control of construction documents; and oversees complex assignments as project manager and project architect, ensuring project success from concept to completion.

Mr. Kara was most recently a Senior Technical Designer at Stantec, where he reviewed projects for quality assurance and code compliance. The majority of his professional career was as an architectural designer at Gensler, where for nearly 16 years he applied his expertise to base building and interior design projects. His broad experience includes federal, commercial, educational, sports and mixed-use facilities. Notable projects include the Saint James Sport Complex, Georgetown Day School and Marriott International's Headquarters.

During his tenure at Gensler, Mr, Kara earned three Star Awards and two Star Margo Awards for design excellence on the Digital Domain and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line projects. For his outstanding work on Marymount Universitys Ballston Center, he earned an Award of Excellence from the Northern Virginia Chapter of NAIOP and an Award of Merit from Northern Virginia Chapter of AIA. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture from University of Kansas.

Im thrilled to join this entrepreneurial and talented team and look forward to adding a unique perspective honed over many years in the industry, said Mr. Kara. In my new role, I intend to add great value to our client projects, and also to aid in the growth of the DC studio to match our New York studio in size and our Miami studio in breadth of service, including base building, adaptive reuse, and more.

Tzu-Ching Lai

As Project Architect, Ms. Lai oversees the full scope of projects from pre-design through construction, occupancy and beyond. Ms. Lai blends her unique experience as an architect, designer and visual artist to ensure full creative and technical efficacy on a broad range of workplace and commercial office building interior design projects.

Ms. Lai has held positions at several DC-area architecture and interior design firms, most recently as a Project Architect at Gensler where she specialized in commercial interiors and base buildings. Her experience includes projects ranging from global law firms to educational institutions to corporate offices. Notable projects include Hogan Lovells, Georgetown Day School and Marriott International's Headquarters.

Ms. Lai earned a Masters of Architecture with a graphic design certification from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies with a minor in Fine Art Sculpture from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She was a finalist in IAAC Advanced Architecture Contest in Self Fab House: 2nd Advanced Architecture Contest.

Ms. Lai deeply values human-centric design, believing that architects and designers have a unique social responsibility to create built environments that enhance user experience and wellbeing. As such, she strives to fully immerse herself in the clients vision, ensuring their goals are met by being actively involved in the project from start to finish.

Since I was a child, it has always been my dream to make a positive impact on people through architecture. After reconnecting with former colleagues here and learning about MKDA DC and their human-centered design philosophy, I jumped at the opportunity to join the firm, said Ms. Lai. I am thrilled to be able to use both my technical knowledge and design skills to help the firm reach its full potential in creating unique, high-performing spaces for its clients.

MKDA is a national architecture, interior design and advisory services firm with offices in New York, Stamford, Miami and Washington, DC. The firm, established in New York in 1959, is a corporate interior design studio with an architecture arm in Miami that designs notable hospitality, retail, mixed-use and commercial buildings across South Florida and the Caribbean. MKDA is ranked year-after-year as one of Interior Design magazines Top 100 Interior Design Giants and in 2018 was named a Top 10 New York Commercial Interior Design Firm by Commercial Observer. Client brands have included Snapchat, SoundCloud, Guggenheim Partners, Design Within Reach and Heineken USA, as well as leading building owners Rockrose, Boston Properties, Silverstein Properties, George Comfort & Sons, Vornado Realty Trust, Blackstone and ClearRock Properties. http://www.mkda.com

View original post here:
Atilla Kara and Tzu-Ching Lai Join the Washington, DC Studio of National Interior Design and Consulting Firm MKDA | Milo Kleinberg Design Associates...