After earning my MArch degree in 2014, I spent the next two years as a critical member of diverse project teams for several high-end residential and commercial projects in New York, including interior design for a luxury rental high rise at Hudson Yards and construction administration for Sony USA’s new headquarters in a landmark Art Deco office building facing Manhattan’s Madison Square Park.
In 2016, I relocated to Seattle and became a Project Architect at Mahlum Architects, one of the leading firms in the Pacific Northwest and recipient of the 2014 Firm Award from the AIA Northwest & Pacific Region. During my time at Mahlum, I was responsible for daily design, client and consultant coordination, production, and construction administration on several educational and healthcare projects throughout Washington and Oregon, including a new corporate campus and several standalone clinics for Northwest Kidney Centers. Since 2022 I have been a Project Architect and standards manager at Environmental Works, a nonprofit community design center that specializes in affordable housing and community facilities for disadvantaged populations. I formed David Cole Architect PLLC in 2024 to provide an avenue to pursue small projects as a solo practitioner.
In addition to my regular employment, I have been an occasional freelance writer for The Stranger and Metropolis on matters regarding architecture, urban design, housing, land use, and public transit. Heavily influenced by daily newspaper columnists like Mike Royko and Lewis Grizzard, my writing style distills what can often be dry, technical topics into approachable commentary for a general audience.
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