PLACEMAKING STUDIO co-creates buildings and places, some permanent, some temporary, but all are ultimately "completed" by the life that inhabits them. We work with collaborative teams of socially-minded designers, placemakers, organizations, neighborhoods and citizens on projects that connect people to each other and to where they live.
Tina Govan
Tina has been principal of her own firm in downtown Raleigh, NC for over 25 years producing work that has been widely published and recognized. She holds a Master of Architecture from M.I.T. and has worked in a wide range of cultural settings, from West Africa and Japan to Boston, North Carolina and California. She is proud to be a regional leader in the PlacemakingUS network and its United Streets of America program. She co-founded the NC AIA Activate initiative, aimed at strengthening the civic role of architects, and initiated the Placemaking Raleigh program to facilitate bottom-up placemaking in Raleigh. She cares deeply about her region and making where she lives better.
COLLABORATING PARTNERS
Marie Schacht
Marie is co-owner of Akimbo Workshops, which builds powerful online communities that help people see, lead and create. She works at the intersection of design, community, equity, hospitality, and adventure. Her past roles include director of Hopscotch Design Festival, fellow at Design Corps, instructor at NCSU Design Camp, and brand communications designer at New Kind. Marie blends her collective experience into a special kind of magic. She loves learning and finds ways every day to embrace her inner teacher.
Kady Yellow
Kady Yellow is Senior Director of Placemaking in Jacksonville, Fla., coming from Michigan where she hosted a national Placemaking conference and implemented over 120 pop-up projects that prioritized the riverfront, parks, sidewalks, streets and alleys. Yellow leads with a decade of creative placemaking and event expertise from her work in New Orleans, California, Alaska, Portugal and Ireland. Her writing has been featured in FlintBeat and My City Magazine (Michigan), Street Art United States (Boston), and CURBED (New Orleans). She is also an author and graphic artist, publishing her first book on urban art in 2019.
Frank Harmon
A nationally recognized leader in modern, sustainable, regionally appropriate architecture, Frank Harmon, FAIA, has been principal of Frank Harmon Architect since 1981 until his recent retirement. His firm won more AIA Design Awards than any firm in North Carolina since 1992. He recently received the F. Carter Williams Gold Medal, the highest honor the AIA NC gives to an architect. He is also author of the website "Native Places," a collection of thoughts and sketches that illustrate the value of looking closely at everyday buildings and places.
Paul Drake
Paul holds a Masters of Architecture from NCSU and worked with Tina on the Heartworks and Brother Wolf projects. He also designed and built the Piedmont Animal Refuge, a sanctuary for factory farm animals and community engagement and education center. His energy and passion is directed towards animal architecture, the development of the refuge, and community education to promote healthy vegan lifestyles.
Suzy Cash
Suzy earned her Masters of Architecture from NCSU and is a newly licensed architect. She worked with Tina and Paul on the Heartworks project and has been an active participant in Raleigh Urban Ranger events.