Brandi Rickels, AIA is an accomplished designer and a co-leader of Lake Flato's Independent Schools Studio. Her focus on educational projects has been instrumental in the firm’s growth. Brandi’s steady leadership has helped to evolve and hone a unique design approach for school clients that centers around People, Place, Programs and Performance. Brandi believes that a well-designed campus can promote a contemplative atmosphere that serves as a valuable teaching tool for students while providing the functional infrastructure that educators need. This approach has resulted in award-winning and thoughtful school designs across the nation that are inspirational, adaptable and connected to the landscapes and climates of their surroundings.
Brandi Rickels’ lecture traced the through‑line of her work at Lake|Flato — a practice shaped by nature, place, craft, and restraint. What emerged was a portrait of an architect who sees design not as an act of imposition, but as a way of helping people understand their buildings and landscapes from a new perspective.
Rickels described her path into architecture as something discovered rather than predetermined. Early internships, especially her time at Lake Flato, revealed the collaborative, hands‑on, place‑driven nature of the profession. That experience grounded her in the kind of work she wanted to pursue: architecture that feels connected, contextual, and human.
A central theme of the evening was the idea that architects help people see. Rickels spoke about design as a reframing tool — a way to illuminate relationships between built form, landscape, and community that might otherwise remain invisible. This perspective shapes how she approaches both buildings and the environments they inhabit.
