Principal Architect
Principal, Vice President and COO
Education: 5 year Bachelor of Architecture, College of Architecture and Environmental Design, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. 1992
Registrations:
- California Architect 1995
- Nevada Architect 2005
- Idaho Architect 2019
- Washington Architect 2020
- National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) 2004.
Experience: since 1988 in the San Francisco Bay Area and since 2000 in the Truckee-Tahoe area.
Ms. Thompson's responsibilities as Vice President and COO of MWA, inc. include Principal-in-Charge of design, operations, quality control, standards, scheduling, marketing, and project management.
Ms. Thompson has been with MWA, inc. since 2000 and principal since 2008 and has served as project manager and/or chief designer for many projects including:
- Numerous custom residences in Martis Camp, Lahontan, Northstar, Old Greenwood, Tahoe Donner, and the greater Truckee area.
- The Rock commercial mixed-use project, Truckee.
- Phoenix Executive Building, LEED Silver, Soaring Way, Truckee.
- Ski Run Center commercial development in South Lake Tahoe.
Ms. Thompson's talent and diversity of style has been recognized by winning the top award in the Tahoe Quarterly's 4th Annual Mountain Home Awards in 2007 for a mountain-modern residence at Northstar-at-Tahoe. The same home also won the gold award for The Best Home of the Year in the May 2006 issue of Electronic House. The 2016 Tahoe Quarterly Mountain Home Awards recognized her Lakefront design 'Tahizzle' for its stunning and unique combination of modern and Tahoe style. A Martis Camp family home she designed won the 2013 Tahoe Quarterly Mountain Home Award for "Legacy Home". In 2011 her 'alps-style' design in Martis Camp won Merit:Unique Vision award. Her efforts associated with the redevelopment of the Ski Run Center in South Lake Tahoe were rewarded with a TRPA Best in Basin Award. The 2015 Tahoe Quarterly Mountain Home Awards awarded her "Eco Estate" design, the Eco-Friendly Award. In 2004 she won another Tahoe Quarterly Mountain Home Award for a Truckee residence, and in 2008 the CEDIA Electronic Lifestyle Awards gave her the Best Large Home Theater Overall award for a home she designed in Lahontan. The fall 2006 issue of Diablo Magazine featured Thompson's Casa-California style design of a residence in Orinda, CA for its involvement in the Artful Living Home Tour.
As a member of CATT (Contractors Association of Truckee Tahoe), Ms. Thompson serves on the Local Government Affairs Committee (LGAC) and is the Chair of the Affordable Housing Solutions Committee. In 2016, Ms. Thompson was award the CATT Professional of the Year award. For six years Ms. Thompson served on the Design Review Board for the Glenshire/Devonshire HOA. She is a founding member of the Queen of Hearts philanthropic organization and also spends time in the community advocating for open space and sensible development. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband, visiting her two adult children, skiing, hiking, playing the violin, reading, gardening, cooking, and traveling.
Education: 5 year Bachelor of Architecture, College of Architecture and Environmental Design, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. 1992
Registrations:
- California Architect 1995
- Nevada Architect 2005
- Idaho Architect 2019
- Washington Architect 2020
- National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) 2004.
Experience: since 1988 in the San Francisco Bay Area and since 2000 in the Truckee-Tahoe area.
Ms. Thompson's responsibilities as Vice President and COO of MWA, inc. include Principal-in-Charge of design, operations, quality control, standards, scheduling, marketing, and project management.
Ms. Thompson has been with MWA, inc. since 2000 and principal since 2008 and has served as project manager and/or chief designer for many projects including:
- Numerous custom residences in Martis Camp, Lahontan, Northstar, Old Greenwood, Tahoe Donner, and the greater Truckee area.
- The Rock commercial mixed-use project, Truckee.
- Phoenix Executive Building, LEED Silver, Soaring Way, Truckee.
- Ski Run Center commercial development in South Lake Tahoe.
Ms. Thompson's talent and diversity of style has been recognized by winning the top award in the Tahoe Quarterly's 4th Annual Mountain Home Awards in 2007 for a mountain-modern residence at Northstar-at-Tahoe. The same home also won the gold award for The Best Home of the Year in the May 2006 issue of Electronic House. The 2016 Tahoe Quarterly Mountain Home Awards recognized her Lakefront design 'Tahizzle' for its stunning and unique combination of modern and Tahoe style. A Martis Camp family home she designed won the 2013 Tahoe Quarterly Mountain Home Award for "Legacy Home". In 2011 her 'alps-style' design in Martis Camp won Merit:Unique Vision award. Her efforts associated with the redevelopment of the Ski Run Center in South Lake Tahoe were rewarded with a TRPA Best in Basin Award. The 2015 Tahoe Quarterly Mountain Home Awards awarded her "Eco Estate" design, the Eco-Friendly Award. In 2004 she won another Tahoe Quarterly Mountain Home Award for a Truckee residence, and in 2008 the CEDIA Electronic Lifestyle Awards gave her the Best Large Home Theater Overall award for a home she designed in Lahontan. The fall 2006 issue of Diablo Magazine featured Thompson's Casa-California style design of a residence in Orinda, CA for its involvement in the Artful Living Home Tour.
As a member of CATT (Contractors Association of Truckee Tahoe), Ms. Thompson serves on the Local Government Affairs Committee (LGAC) and is the Chair of the Affordable Housing Solutions Committee. In 2016, Ms. Thompson was award the CATT Professional of the Year award. For six years Ms. Thompson served on the Design Review Board for the Glenshire/Devonshire HOA. She is a founding member of the Queen of Hearts philanthropic organization and also spends time in the community advocating for open space and sensible development. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband, visiting her two adult children, skiing, hiking, playing the violin, reading, gardening, cooking, and traveling.
All Staff
Kristi/Karin,
On October 18, we moved into the new house that you designed for us and have been enjoying it immensely. It is even nicer than we had envisaged when we were looking at the plans on paper. The living space (Great Room, kitchen, eating area) are working out perfectly. We’ve had two sets of guests up already and having all that open space has been very handy. All the large windows in the back (Great Room, kitchen, master bedroom) make it feel like we’re camping. The steel staircase complements the exposed steel beams and posts and is a phenomenal centerpiece as you walk into the house.
We greatly appreciate the collaborative way in which you worked with us to come up with this design. We had some ideas on what we were after when we began the process, but you were able to shape our inchoate thoughts into something really spectacular. You also were very proactive in talking with the town’s building department and submitting our permit application at a fortuitous time for us. We also valued your input on what it would cost to build the place. Interestingly, despite COVID and all the related supply chain issues we’ve experienced over the past year and a half, our actual construction cost came in very close to your original ball park estimate.
Thank you very much for your partnership in helping us realize a real dream home.
All the best,
Joe Naylor & Karen Torres
-- Joe Naylor
On October 18, we moved into the new house that you designed for us and have been enjoying it immensely. It is even nicer than we had envisaged when we were looking at the plans on paper. The living space (Great Room, kitchen, eating area) are working out perfectly. We’ve had two sets of guests up already and having all that open space has been very handy. All the large windows in the back (Great Room, kitchen, master bedroom) make it feel like we’re camping. The steel staircase complements the exposed steel beams and posts and is a phenomenal centerpiece as you walk into the house.
We greatly appreciate the collaborative way in which you worked with us to come up with this design. We had some ideas on what we were after when we began the process, but you were able to shape our inchoate thoughts into something really spectacular. You also were very proactive in talking with the town’s building department and submitting our permit application at a fortuitous time for us. We also valued your input on what it would cost to build the place. Interestingly, despite COVID and all the related supply chain issues we’ve experienced over the past year and a half, our actual construction cost came in very close to your original ball park estimate.
Thank you very much for your partnership in helping us realize a real dream home.
All the best,
Joe Naylor & Karen Torres
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