One might think that trading in a New York City architecture career working with high-profile clients and world-renowned buildings for a job upstate geared toward clients in education would make for a slower, simpler work life.
Mesiti-Céas
Not so fast, says Tina Mesiti-Céas, AET ’97, BARC ’97, executive principal and design leader at Albany-based CSArch. “Many of my projects still have large budgets, but there is so much that I have to incorporate when working with a school district,” Mesiti-Céas says of the firm’s K–12 and college educational client base. “In many ways it is much more challenging to do inspiring, thoughtful work that also meets all the requirements of the program, fits within overall district budget, appeases the public, and is still a fit—and more important, inspiring—for students.”
Educational trends impact much of her work: flexible spaces to accommodate group learning, traditional lecture instruction, and online learning, for example. Often, Mesiti- Céas also has to incorporate modern architecture into more traditional neighborhoods. Here, she brings her love of the old and new European architecture to the job (her parents are both from Italy and she studied for a semester in Montpellier, France).
Take Malone Middle School in Malone, New York, 50 miles north of Lake Placid. “I pulled from the existing neighborhood feel and worked in the proportions of the original historical building and local materials with clean, modern materials,” Mesiti-Céas says. Earth tones tie everything together. “Students can bring that outdoor atmosphere inward to be inspired,” she adds.
Her approach, which she describes as “modern yet timeless,” is working. Mesiti-Céas has won numerous awards for educational and corporate clients, and she has climbed the ladder at CSArch since she started as a project architect and project designer. Her initial interest in architecture started early.
“My father was a builder and I remember being intrigued by his blueprints,” she says. “I have also always had an appreciation for the built environment as opposed to the natural environment.” Mesiti-Céas uses that same thoughtful approach today.
“I ask questions to understand a client’s goal. Taking that time helps me discover opportunities and translate that into a vision.”
— Kristen Walsh
