About Sean.
Architect, husband, dad. Twenty years in architecture, now running a studio of my own.
carEer arc
What's shaped the architect I am today.
I grew up remodeling homes with my dad, a professional carpenter, drawing with my mom, a textile artist, and running around the open plan living room of my grandma's midcentury home, designed for her by a locally-famous architect in Fresno, CA. She filled my shelves with books about design. By the time I started architecture school at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, I had a passion for architecture and first-hand knowledge of what it takes to build something.
After graduating in 2006 with a Bachelor of Architecture, I began my career in Seattle and spent the next 16 years working on complex commercial and civic projects. Along the way I served as project lead designer, technical architect, BIM lead, and a firm-wide Sustainability Lead.
In 2022, my family and I moved to Bend, and I joined Hiatus Homes as their Design Director. For several years I worked on design deliverables as well as the development side of the table: pro formas, holding costs, land divisions, feasibility through recorded plat. I learned how development actually works, not just how it looks from the architect's chair.
In 2025 I launched McKeever Design, a new chapter where I bring all of my life and professional experience to every project.
Approach
Four things I believe about good design.
01 -
Listen first.
Every site has something to say. So does every family. Good design listens to both before it draws. I want to know how your mornings work, who's coming and going, what the yard needs to do. Then I study the site. The plan starts where those two meet.
02 -
Nothing wasted.
Every square foot should earn its place. With the right design, a 1,000-square-foot home can sometimes perform as well as one three times its size. I'd rather design less space at a higher quality, spending time and cost on the things you care about most.
03 -
Constraints welcome.
Project constraints are opportunities for creative thinking and problem-solving. Often, they're what make a project interesting, whether the constraint is a tight budget, challenging site, or quick schedule.
04 -
A good partner.
The design matters, but so does the time we'll spend working on it together. I'll explain my thinking as I go, flag problems early, and keep things moving. Designing your home should be something you enjoy, not just survive.
01 -
Listen first.
Every site has something to say. So does every family. Good design listens to both before it draws. I want to know how your mornings work, who's coming and going, what the yard needs to do. Then I study the site. The plan starts where those two meet.
02 -
Nothing wasted.
Every square foot should earn its place. With the right design, a 1,000-square-foot home can sometimes perform as well as one three times its size. I'd rather design less space at a higher quality, spending time and cost on the things you care about most.
03 -
Constraints welcome.
Project constraints are opportunities for creative thinking and problem-solving. Often, they're what make a project interesting, whether the constraint is a tight budget, challenging site, or quick schedule.
04 -
A good partner.
The design matters, but so does the time we'll spend working on it together. I'll explain my thinking as I go, flag problems early, and keep things moving. Designing your home should be something you enjoy, not just survive.
01 -
Listen first.
Every site has something to say. So does every family. Good design listens to both before it draws. I want to know how your mornings work, who's coming and going, what the yard needs to do. Then I study the site. The plan starts where those two meet.
02 -
Nothing wasted.
Every square foot should earn its place. With the right design, a 1,000-square-foot home can sometimes perform as well as one three times its size. I'd rather design less space at a higher quality, spending time and cost on the things you care about most.
03 -
Constraints welcome.
Project constraints are opportunities for creative thinking and problem-solving. Often, they're what make a project interesting, whether the constraint is a tight budget, challenging site, or quick schedule.
04 -
A good partner.
The design matters, but so does the time we'll spend working on it together. I'll explain my thinking as I go, flag problems early, and keep things moving. Designing your home should be something you enjoy, not just survive.
CAREER PORTFOLIO HIGHLIGHTS
The projects that formed me.
Sunbreak
Sunbreak
Sunbreak
Chengdu MixC
Chengdu MixC
Chengdu MixC
MS Studios West
MS Studios West
MS Studios West
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines
Seattle Opera
Seattle Opera
Seattle Opera
Nu Skin Paviion
Nu Skin Paviion
Nu Skin Paviion
Microsoft Studios West
FIRST BIG PROJECT OUT OF ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL
This was where I learned big-firm rigor. A 42-acre corporate campus expansion, one million square feet of new office on a $0.75B budget, with fifty-plus architects and engineers all working on the same project. I was the Lead Designer's right hand, which taught me how to navigate a sophisticated client and keep that many people coordinated without the design falling apart.
2007
Microsoft Studios West
FIRST BIG PROJECT OUT OF ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL
This was where I learned big-firm rigor. A 42-acre corporate campus expansion, one million square feet of new office on a $0.75B budget, with fifty-plus architects and engineers all working on the same project. I was the Lead Designer's right hand, which taught me how to navigate a sophisticated client and keep that many people coordinated without the design falling apart.
2007
Microsoft Studios West
FIRST BIG PROJECT OUT OF ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL
This was where I learned big-firm rigor. A 42-acre corporate campus expansion, one million square feet of new office on a $0.75B budget, with fifty-plus architects and engineers all working on the same project. I was the Lead Designer's right hand, which taught me how to navigate a sophisticated client and keep that many people coordinated without the design falling apart.
2007
Chengdu MixC
FIRST TIME I PRESENTED A DESIGN TO A CLIENT (IN MANDARIN)
Working across languages and time zones taught me how much design relies on both clear verbal communication and drawings. I flew to the Shanghai office for two- and three-week stints, leading up to presentations for multi-tower mixed-use projects across China. High concept, lots of iteration, partners on three continents, and a lot of red-eye flights.
2010
Chengdu MixC
FIRST TIME I PRESENTED A DESIGN TO A CLIENT (IN MANDARIN)
Working across languages and time zones taught me how much design relies on both clear verbal communication and drawings. I flew to the Shanghai office for two- and three-week stints, leading up to presentations for multi-tower mixed-use projects across China. High concept, lots of iteration, partners on three continents, and a lot of red-eye flights.
2010
Chengdu MixC
FIRST TIME I PRESENTED A DESIGN TO A CLIENT (IN MANDARIN)
Working across languages and time zones taught me how much design relies on both clear verbal communication and drawings. I flew to the Shanghai office for two- and three-week stints, leading up to presentations for multi-tower mixed-use projects across China. High concept, lots of iteration, partners on three continents, and a lot of red-eye flights.
2010
Nu Skin Pavilion
FIRST JEWEL BOX PROJECT
Architects love jewel boxes, and this was the one that taught me why. A two-story glass pavilion in the middle of NuSkin's campus, designed by NBBJ and BCJ, where every detail had nowhere to hide. I took it from Construction Documents through construction and learned exquisite detailing from the people who do it best.
2013
Nu Skin Pavilion
FIRST JEWEL BOX PROJECT
Architects love jewel boxes, and this was the one that taught me why. A two-story glass pavilion in the middle of NuSkin's campus, designed by NBBJ and BCJ, where every detail had nowhere to hide. I took it from Construction Documents through construction and learned exquisite detailing from the people who do it best.
2013
Nu Skin Pavilion
FIRST JEWEL BOX PROJECT
Architects love jewel boxes, and this was the one that taught me why. A two-story glass pavilion in the middle of NuSkin's campus, designed by NBBJ and BCJ, where every detail had nowhere to hide. I took it from Construction Documents through construction and learned exquisite detailing from the people who do it best.
2013
Sunbreak Autonomous Sunshade Prototype
FIRST ARCHITECTURAL ROBOT I BUILT
This is where I learned how genuinely difficult R&D is in the construction industry. An in-house fellowship paired with a University of Washington certificate in digital fabrication. I built a solo prototype combining a robot and an app to test how buildings might respond to their context as the digital and physical layers of architecture started to merge, and came away with a healthier respect for how slowly the industry actually changes, and why.
2014
Sunbreak Autonomous Sunshade Prototype
FIRST ARCHITECTURAL ROBOT I BUILT
This is where I learned how genuinely difficult R&D is in the construction industry. An in-house fellowship paired with a University of Washington certificate in digital fabrication. I built a solo prototype combining a robot and an app to test how buildings might respond to their context as the digital and physical layers of architecture started to merge, and came away with a healthier respect for how slowly the industry actually changes, and why.
2014
Sunbreak Autonomous Sunshade Prototype
FIRST ARCHITECTURAL ROBOT I BUILT
This is where I learned how genuinely difficult R&D is in the construction industry. An in-house fellowship paired with a University of Washington certificate in digital fabrication. I built a solo prototype combining a robot and an app to test how buildings might respond to their context as the digital and physical layers of architecture started to merge, and came away with a healthier respect for how slowly the industry actually changes, and why.
2014
Seattle Opera at the Center
FIRST TIME DESIGNING A PERFORMANCE SPACE
A second jewel box, this time with acoustics, theatrical lighting, and sightlines in the mix. A corner theater at Seattle Center designed for an arts organization to showcase their craft to busloads of school kids and open the arts up to the surrounding community. Performance spaces forced me to design for three users at once: the people behind the scenes, the people on stage, and the people in the seats.
2018
Seattle Opera at the Center
FIRST TIME DESIGNING A PERFORMANCE SPACE
A second jewel box, this time with acoustics, theatrical lighting, and sightlines in the mix. A corner theater at Seattle Center designed for an arts organization to showcase their craft to busloads of school kids and open the arts up to the surrounding community. Performance spaces forced me to design for three users at once: the people behind the scenes, the people on stage, and the people in the seats.
2018
Seattle Opera at the Center
FIRST TIME DESIGNING A PERFORMANCE SPACE
A second jewel box, this time with acoustics, theatrical lighting, and sightlines in the mix. A corner theater at Seattle Center designed for an arts organization to showcase their craft to busloads of school kids and open the arts up to the surrounding community. Performance spaces forced me to design for three users at once: the people behind the scenes, the people on stage, and the people in the seats.
2018
Alaska Airlines HQ
FIRST TIME LEADING A C-SUITE THROUGH DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION
This was where I became the Lead Designer. A corporate campus expansion where I led an internal team of eight and helped the airline find new connections between the people who don't normally sit near each other (pilots, accountants, mechanics, graphic designers). Leading a C-suite through a years-long project taught me how to explain design decisions to people who are smart, busy, and not architects, which turns out to be most of my clients now.
2020
Alaska Airlines HQ
FIRST TIME LEADING A C-SUITE THROUGH DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION
This was where I became the Lead Designer. A corporate campus expansion where I led an internal team of eight and helped the airline find new connections between the people who don't normally sit near each other (pilots, accountants, mechanics, graphic designers). Leading a C-suite through a years-long project taught me how to explain design decisions to people who are smart, busy, and not architects, which turns out to be most of my clients now.
2020
Alaska Airlines HQ
FIRST TIME LEADING A C-SUITE THROUGH DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION
This was where I became the Lead Designer. A corporate campus expansion where I led an internal team of eight and helped the airline find new connections between the people who don't normally sit near each other (pilots, accountants, mechanics, graphic designers). Leading a C-suite through a years-long project taught me how to explain design decisions to people who are smart, busy, and not architects, which turns out to be most of my clients now.
2020
IMAGE CREDITS: NBBJ & CALLISON RTKL