RBA Welcomes Kara Strickland
Kara is committed to community- and human-centered design. A big-picture systems thinker who excels at taking large, complex projects and breaking them down into achievable parts, she is a skilled project manager and designer. She has worked on a variety of project types, including academic, civic, commercial, hospitality, sports venues and events, and high-end residential. She combines strong interior design and environmental branding skills to create impactful spaces.
Kara graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Interior Architecture and minors in Architecture, Interior Architecture History, and Business Administration from the University of Oregon. Since graduating, she has worked for Hawkins Interiors, as a freelance designer, and gained valuable experience as an environmental designer and project manager with AHM Brands.
Notable projects that Kara worked on at AHM Brand include Hayward Field Environmental Graphic Design, Bushnell University Campus Re-Brand, UO Mighty Oregon President’s Tailgates, UO Title IX Fundraising Campaign Event, World Athletic Championships Oregon 22, and City of Eugene Riverfront Festival 2022.
Since joining Rowell Brokaw, Kara has been working on the City of Springfield Quad Redesign, an office remodel involving space utilization, workflows, and upgrades to the existing infrastructure.
Kara is currently acting as Chair of the Eugene Young Professionals Leadership Council.
In order to better get to know Kara, below is a Q&A on some of her favorite buildings, architects, and alternate career paths.
Hult Center Lobby Lighting. Photos: Nic Lehoux Photography.
What is your favorite building in Eugene?
This is such a tough question! One building that has been a staple of my upbringing in the area is the Hult Center. It will always be one of my favorite buildings for the sentimental value it holds for me and so many others in our community. I've experienced so many inspiring, funny, and entertaining shows there in my lifetime and even had the opportunity to perform in the Soreng Theater. As a child I remember looking up at the large basket-weave acoustics in the main hall being in awe of the scale of it all. Now I find myself most inspired walking or driving by the building at night, when the lobby glows like a beacon for the arts and the building looks like an urban mountain range in the heart of downtown. Or when attending a show and the lobby is full of people greeting one another, discussing the show, connecting with one another around arts & culture. The building has a special way of holding space for this type of connection—its open layout, warm lighting, soft finishes, homey timber construction - you feel it when you're there. The Hult Center will always hold a special place in my heart.
Eames House, Interior, Los Angeles, CA. Drawing by Pavitra Jairaj.
If you could meet an architect (dead or alive), who would it be? What would you talk about?
I'd have to go with Ray Eames--she was such a multi-faceted, talented designer. I'd be curious to talk with her about her experience as a woman in the architecture & design field and what it was like working so closely with her husband, Charles—what was that dynamic like?! I'd also be interested in talking with her about her influences and inspirations. She worked in so many different mediums and there was such an eclectic, playful energy to everything she did—like it was always an experiment, but not the serious kind you did in high school chemistry class, the kind you did as a kid playing outside. I imagine she'd have some funny, interesting backstories about how some of their designs came to be. Also, ideally this conversation would be taking place in their cozy lounge nook at the Eames House, we'd be drinking tea out of beautiful mid-century modern ceramic mugs, and we'd be best friends by the end.
If you weren't an architect, what profession/work might you have done instead?
Since this is all hypothetical, I'd have to go with being a professional singer/musician. Music has been a huge part of my life starting from an early age and is something that has always brought me immense joy. I'm currently in a neo-soul/R&B band here in town called Molasses, and it is so rewarding to get to make music with my friends and share that creativity and joy with people in the community. I love the way music makes you feel and the way it brings people together--it's a powerful medium! Maybe in another life I'll be a full-time musician, but for now I'm quite happy having a stable day job in a creative field and moonlighting as a musician.