Kevin Alexander Watters
Graduating with a Bachelors of Architecture aka B.Arch from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute School of Architecture in 2010, Kevin began his career by founding a nonprofit architectural design firm, Archifarm. He then went on to be a co-founder of an atmospheric water harvesting company, Aerigo Water Technologies. In addition to these entrepreneurial endeavors, Kevin has worked for several architecture firms, including the oldest sustainable design nonprofit in the United States, the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems (CMPBS) where he led a design team and built full-scale prototypes for a disaster relief housing system, the Island Nations Initiative (INI).
His passion for business processes and strategy are evident through his entrepreneurial endeavors and through his influence at organizations he’s been involved with, most notably his involvement in the first NCARB Think Tank. Kevin, along with eleven other architecture graduates early in their careers, convened in Washington D.C. with the charge of developing Blue Sky Initiatives that would reduce the time it takes to become a licensed architect, which had been 11 years. After three days of ideation, one concept, the Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL), was selected and later implemented with a select group of universities. Instead of a linear progression of Education, Experience, then Examination, their Blue Sky concept overlayed these three elements, enabling an architecture student to essentially graduate with all areas completed. This meant the time from graduation to licensure could be as little as 0 years.
In 2020, Kevin took his passion to the University of Texas McCombs School of Business to attain a Masters of Science in Technology Commercialization (MSTC). He likes to refer to the MSTC degree as an “MBA for Entrepreneurs”, equipping graduates with the resources for identifying & creating products/services of value from customer pain points, developing go-to-market strategies, marketing plans, financial models, legal strategies, and a slew of other tools with the goal of commercializing a product/service from ideation to growth and beyond.
He balances his professional endeavors with personal creative work, being outdoors, and always thinking of how design can solve problems that arise daily.
His creative approach—no matter the design problem—is to look at the problem from multiple scales and perspectives. Always centering the design around the end-user, while aligning the solution with marketing opportunities and business goals.
READ What others say…
“The best thing about Kevin is his incredible and endless capacity for new ideas. I worked with him on a UX design project and loved his energy. He has fresh perspective, angles you never would have dreamed of and insatiable curiosity. He’s not afraid to give his opinions, and—very refreshingly for a visionary—doesn’t get attached to them. He’s open to feedback and a great asset from brainstorming all the way through to the finished product, making him a pleasure to work with and an inspiration to be around. Also his UI / visual design skills are killer.”
“Kevin’s background in architecture gives him a strong edge in the world of design. Working with Kevin on group projects made the process of solving complex design problems much easier due to his ability to attack problems from a unique angle. His role as a creative director in our group helped us all arrive at an end product that was polished and professional due to his discerning eye and unmatched ability to brainstorm and think outside the box. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Kevin in any kind of design context where you need a creative powerhouse!”
“...Kevin is a person of action and always tries to provide a product along with his ideas. I have always found Kevin to be a great sounding board, both professionally and personally. I enjoyed working with Kevin on our team as his practical outlook was invaluable.”
“...Not only has Kevin been an outstanding contributor, both in character and work competency, to our firm but has the unique combination of building experience, as well as design experience...”