Nick Clesi

Background

About Nick Clesi

Architecture should be rooted in a particular place. Its voice must be in dialogue with the surrounding environment, its particular presence a response to the individual circumstances of its site. Since joining this profession, I’ve devoted my efforts toward developing these kinds of regionally-sensitive design solutions that improve the communities in which they are built in a manner that is authentic and true to the site and its inhabitants. With projects that embody contextual and sustainable design, as well as the craft of construction, my practice hinges on the close collaboration with clients, consultants, and contractors, drawing a smooth line from conditions to concept, initial sketch to construction. Growing up in New Orleans, and learning about carpentry and historic renovations from the family business, this idea of a structure being innate to its location – its region, era, and climate – was introduced to me early in my life. Years later, when Hurricane Katrina damaged my childhood home, I had the opportunity to redesign it, and was able to fully appreciate the integral role that asking “who, what, where, when, why?” plays in the creation of a place.