Resume: Keith R. Besserud, AIA
5 N. Wabash Avenue #1703
Chicago, IL 60602
T 312-207-9796
E kbesserud@gmail.com
full pdf resume design portfolio
Profile
A deliberate and highly focused, mid-carreer sabbatical from practice as a design director to pursue an advanced degree in the application of computer science to the discipline of design prepared me for a unique leadership role with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, a globally respected architecture, engineering and urban design firm. Equipped with a combination of senior level design leadership experience in practice and augmented with an understanding of the nuances of advanced computational design concepts, I helped transform the design processes of the office with respect to the use of computation and the integration of data, and altered my career path from that of a designer to that of a design enabler.
Education
Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ Master of Engineering, 2007
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA Master of Architecture, 1986
University of Illinois, Champaign Urbana, IL Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies, 1981
Experience
Founder, BlackBox Studio, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP, Chicago, IL 2007-2014
Director of the firm's advanced computational design group, BlackBox, which serves as an applied research resource to the design teams across the Chicago office. BlackBox provides leadership in the development of computational tools and strategies to assist multi-disciplinary design teams with complex design problems, particularly with respect to the better integration of flows of key digital information in the design processes.
Design Director, MCA Architecture and Planning, Greenville, SC 1996-2006
Responsible for leading both the design and technical development of the major projects in the office, including master planning projects, campus wide architectural projects for the firm's university clients, and commercial facilities for the firm's Fortune 100 corporate clients.
Design Director, Eason Earle & Associates, Greenville, SC 1994-1996
Responsible for leading all phases of design for numerous hospital and health care related projects.
Project Architect, Lord Aeck & Sargent, Atlanta, GA 1992-1994
Responsible for the design of higher education projects including a student dormitory building and a classroom building for Emory University.
Skills
- Comprehensive understanding (from 25+ years of practice) of the multi-disciplinary design and engineering processes related to complex buildings and large-scale urban design projects.
- Broad knowledge of the application of computational strategies to architectural and urban design projects, including managing the development of custom software applications.
- Working relationships with numerous individuals and groups who are thought leaders with regards to the uses of computational design technologies, particularly with respect to Smarter Cities concepts.
- Management of multi-disciplinary teams
- Written and oral presentation skills - as evidenced by numerous publications and presentations at professional events.