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
Kurt Reinkens designed our Truckee home in 2005. It is really a work of art, as much as it is a house. We continue to appreciate its many design features, and the compliments from visitors have never stopped to this day. The home is incredibly comfortable to live in. It is our mountain retreat, and we cherish the time we spend there.
The success of our project with Kurt began in the design programming stage. We provided him with a design philosophy comprising 6 elements: (1 ) Rustically Elegant, (2) Timelessness of Design, (3) Native to Place, (4) Uplifting to the Spirit, (S) Respect for Materials, and (6) Good Design More Important than Large Spaces. Our home's design embodies every one of these elements. Kurt took words on paper and made them into a physical reality.
Kurt worked very well with us throughout the iterative design process, as we went back and forth on alternatives for various parts of the house and as we finalized decisions right up to the end of the design phase. Some architects have a tendency to take pride in ownership of their design to the point that they resist changes to their work. That was not the case with Kurt. In Tact on several occasions, Kurt counseled junior architects on the project to listen to the clients' preferences and to be open to making design changes. Consequently, we felt very good about our working relationship with Kurt during this important phase of the project.
We would also like to compliment Kurt for his more subtle architectural skills, beginning with his understanding of light and its impact on the home. He talked about this point in early meetings, but we truly appreciated it after living in the home. Accordingly, he both positioned the house on the lot and designed rooms with light as a major consideration. He even identified which windows to have screens on and which to not have screens on, out of consideration for views out of the home. His design also carefully accounted for shedding of snow. In addition, we found Kurt to be very knowledgeable and experienced with respect to design details and construction materials.
Finally, Kurt worked extremely well with our contractor and interior designer during the construction phase. It was definitely a team project, and everyone involved felt great about working together when it was over. Designing and building a home is not easy, particularly when the owners are working full time. Therefore, the architect, interior designer, and builder are crucial to the effort. We couldn't be more happy than with those who worked on our project.
-- John and Kathy Glaub
The success of our project with Kurt began in the design programming stage. We provided him with a design philosophy comprising 6 elements: (1 ) Rustically Elegant, (2) Timelessness of Design, (3) Native to Place, (4) Uplifting to the Spirit, (S) Respect for Materials, and (6) Good Design More Important than Large Spaces. Our home's design embodies every one of these elements. Kurt took words on paper and made them into a physical reality.
Kurt worked very well with us throughout the iterative design process, as we went back and forth on alternatives for various parts of the house and as we finalized decisions right up to the end of the design phase. Some architects have a tendency to take pride in ownership of their design to the point that they resist changes to their work. That was not the case with Kurt. In Tact on several occasions, Kurt counseled junior architects on the project to listen to the clients' preferences and to be open to making design changes. Consequently, we felt very good about our working relationship with Kurt during this important phase of the project.
We would also like to compliment Kurt for his more subtle architectural skills, beginning with his understanding of light and its impact on the home. He talked about this point in early meetings, but we truly appreciated it after living in the home. Accordingly, he both positioned the house on the lot and designed rooms with light as a major consideration. He even identified which windows to have screens on and which to not have screens on, out of consideration for views out of the home. His design also carefully accounted for shedding of snow. In addition, we found Kurt to be very knowledgeable and experienced with respect to design details and construction materials.
Finally, Kurt worked extremely well with our contractor and interior designer during the construction phase. It was definitely a team project, and everyone involved felt great about working together when it was over. Designing and building a home is not easy, particularly when the owners are working full time. Therefore, the architect, interior designer, and builder are crucial to the effort. We couldn't be more happy than with those who worked on our project.
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