Chris Wood

Details get Chris’s attention, whether he’s listening to music or working with clients on museums or archives. Chris finds inspiration in subtlety and complexity, he says, be it "a striking image or a piece of music—anything that changes, or evolves, or reveals new things each time you experience it." Those observational skills are a fine complement to his architectural talents. Leading SmithGroup's Washington, DC Cultural studio, Chris has to balance the big ideas and the tiny details to manage complex teams and create architecture that has the capacity to deliver those layers of experience. Above all, Chris thrives at drawing out his clients’ aspirations and channeling the talents of diverse teams to solve complicated challenges. “Every project we tackle is on-of-a-kind. My greatest satisfaction comes from carefully matching the skills of my incredible colleagues to our projects and organizing a process that draws out truly meaningful design.”