Katherine Speicher Melluish, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Lecturer
Office: Main Office | Phone: 301-405-8000 | Email
M. Arch., 2005, University of California, Berkeley; B. Arch., 2002, Pennsylvania State University; Interdisciplinary Minor in Architectural History, 2002, Pennsylvania State University.
Katherine Melluish, AIA, received her professional degree from Pennsylvania State University and a post-professional degree in architecture from the University of California, Berkeley. She is a Lecturer at the University of Maryland, teaching ARCH 401 in Spring 2010.
Much of Kathy’s personal work resides at the intersection of human geography and architecture; she understands the built environment foremost as a functional, cultural product specific to its time, place, designers, constructors, modifiers and users. While at UC Berkeley, she developed a unique course of study with the help of geography, anthropology and architecture faculty. The resulting thesis, Constructed Textures and the Cognition of Space, pursued ideas of a semi-permanent architectural framework which sought to physically accommodate a wide range of cultural and personal practices. Individual adjustments made by temporary residents would create a legible texture to the built form that evolves and morphs over time.
Upon completion of her undergraduate degree in 2002, Kathy remained at Penn State as an instructor for the 6-week studio-intensive course offered to prospective students. Since then, she has sat on numerous juries while pursuing her master’s degree and has practiced at three unique firms: KieranTimberlake in Philadelphia, Holt Hinshaw in San Francisco, and—currently—Design Collective, Inc. in Baltimore.
Kathy is a process-driven designer who focuses on hand-crafted works (sketches, drawings, collages, physical models) as essential design tools. She has worked on a wide range of project types including higher education, retail, urban mixed-use, adaptive reuse, multi-family residential and master planning and has a strong interest in sustainable design practices.