Andrew Kerr is a delivery team leader and architect at Bray. He is responsible for managing several projects, including work for the Kohler, New Glarus, and Columbus school districts, as well as the new McFarland Public Safety Building. He’s thankful for his two outstanding project leaders and talented team of designers who make his job easier.
Not all paths to becoming an architect are the same. Andrew entered the profession after 15 years as an actor and lighting designer. Toward the end of that career, he spent three years living and working in Munich and traveling Europe, including a transformative visit to Barcelona. He fell in love with the buildings.
Once he was back in the United States, he enrolled in a graduate program in architecture at University of Illinois, Chicago and launched his career as an architect.
Andrew has worked on many different building typologies in his career, but there is something about education projects that resonates with him. “The school buildings we design are formative places,” he said. “The students are learning the value of good design, even if they don’t realize it at the time. It’s really satisfying to see students filled with a sense of wonder and excitement about the buildings you’ve helped create.”
In addition to helping students, Andrew enjoys working with school district administration and staff. Between a pre-referendum facilities study and the new building’s ribbon cutting, four or five years may have passed.
“You build relationships that are meaningful,” Andrew said of collaborating with district leadership. “I really value the trust they put into us.”
When he’s not interacting with clients, Andrew stays busy at home helping to raise four teenagers. He is an assistant Scoutmaster and occasionally travels with the troop on camping trips across the country.
Andrew also maintains a 200-gallon saltwater reef aquarium with plenty of fish, including his most recent addition of a Yellow Eye Kole Tang. He appreciates that between the kids and the fish there is never a dull moment at home.
