RBA Welcomes Shane O'Neil
Shane works closely with the entire project team to provide the day-to-day management essential for project development and delivery. In addition to communication, design, and documentation skills, Shane brings robust analytical skills and technical expertise to every project. His background includes architectural research, with an emphasis on sustainability, building performance, daylighting, and user response. He has worked on a range of mixed-use facilities—including medical, office, retail, industrial, recreational, and educational spaces—from new construction and full remodels to adaptive reuse and targeted tenant improvements.
After many years working for his family-run construction company outside of Chicago, Shane left the Midwest and turned to architecture. Upon receiving his BArch, he joined the High Performance Environments Lab at the University of Oregon and then attained an MS in Architecture. His research involved lighting, thermal, and visual assessments of various spaces, including a large commercial office, LEED-rated higher education laboratories, and LEED-rated elementary schools.
His research culminated in the thesis "Quantifying Adaptive Behavioral Responses to Discomfort Glare – A Comparative Analysis of Daylit Offices.” Shane worked for TBG Architects + Planners in Eugene before joining Rowell Brokaw. He is an active board member of his neighborhood association, where he engages with neighbors and city staff to advocate for community needs, improved urban spaces, and increased housing options.
Since joining Rowell Brokaw, Shane has been working on a wide range of projects, including the Confederate Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua & Siuslaw Indians (CTCLUSI) Office Remodel; UO Next Generation Housing Development Plan; UO Residential Remodels; and the 4J Coburg Elementary Reroof Project.
In order to better get to know Shane, below is a Q&A on some of his favorite books, buildings, and board games.
What is your favorite book or movie?
My favorite book tends to be whichever one I'm currently reading - hah - which makes this question hard to answer. Tends to be that my motivation to keep reading a book is based on maintaining a special interest in the story, or characters, or experience of the writing, which in turn makes any book that I'm actively reading feel very special to me. Some of my recent favorite books include Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar, Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson, The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, and The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin.
What is your favorite building in Eugene?
The Tiffany Building @ 8th and Willamette — 4-story mixed use, retail/commercial ground floor with simple awnings that protect the sidewalk on both streets and with clerestory windows above, a lovely and simple building that is well-proportioned and has, in my opinion, the nicest cornice detail in the city. It's such a different building from every one of its neighbors and is a beautiful example of the type of building that cities need to be vibrant.
Founded in 2013, Skyline Chess offers high-quality chess pieces and boards featuring a range of buildings in cities across the world. Images from the Skyline Chess website.
What is your favorite board game?
Chess. I learned to play chess in 3rd grade and in spite of having played it for so long, I enjoy how bad I am at it. It's an easy game to get lost in and I enjoy the process of deciding what to do next and how the game narrows and expands as it progresses. I play chess with my kids occasionally and they regularly beat me, which I find even more fun because I'll sometimes see it coming before they do and get to watch as they realize that they've got me beat.