Designers at Their Desk: Will Netter

Will Netter, an architect from EskewDumezRipple, is just one voice amongst many on the Tech Square 3 project at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Will, however, does not feel isolated during the design process. As project architect on this high-rise university building, he’s finding that Tech Square 3’s exceptional characteristics are just as challenging as they are worth celebrating.

“I think the way we’ve approached Tech Square 3,” Will says, “is by listening to all the different voices on the project – from the clients, to the user groups, and everyone that’s involved with the planning and design process at Georgia Tech – taking that feedback, synthesizing and summarizing it, then meeting as a group to search for the best solutions.”

Will is coming from from an appropriate intersection of experiences to be working on Tech Square 3. He has designed high-rise projects abroad and has worked in the firm’s learning environment studio for about three years. “That background has been helpful in prepping me for this project,” Will says. “That being said, this project is unlike any of the projects I’ve worked on before.”

One of the major considerations for the building’s design is Tech Square 3’s varying array of programs and purposes. “I think there’s a challenge in designing a high rise building that’s for higher education,” says Will. “Typically, in higher ed, the buildings are three or four stories and spread out. In this case, we’re in an urban setting so going vertical makes sense. We also have to think about how the programs interact. Sometimes you want different programs to connect across a floor plate, or across multiple floors. We have to think about the vertical and the horizontal connections simultaneously. It’s an added dimension that I don’t think you see in most higher-ed projects.”

In addition to the programming component of the project, Tech Square 3 has also seen a lot of change since the design process started. “There’s a lot of fluctuation in the market right now,” Will says, “and that’s had a major impact on the way we design. We can’t rely on historic norms.” Accommodating a variety of programs while keeping a close eye on costs has taught Will a valuable lesson about flexibility. “The biggest thing I’ve learned is to be adaptive. Things are constantly changing. You can’t be married to one way of doing things; you must think beyond what is expected. You have to be ready to bob and weave.”

Some of the challenges presented during this project have been uniquely exciting for Will and the team. “This client in particular sets really high sustainability goals,” Will says. These same sustainability goals are what have pushed team members like Hannah Kenyon to find more creative tools and options to address the client’s concerns. “At the same time the client wants high quality design,” Will continues. “That’s been really rewarding. These are all things that I’m interested in, and to have a client that is similarly invested is refreshing.”

Tech Square 3 has been molded by many different hands. EDR has partnered with Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio (RJTR), an architecture and interior design firm local to Atlanta and highly familiar with Georgia Tech’s campus. Many other prestigious consultants have contributed their expertise as well. With the sheer volume of people involved in Tech Square 3, Will says that decisions and progress have rarely come down to any one person. “Steve Dumez brings a lot of design expertise, Z Smith brings a broad expertise in engineering and sustainability knowledge. Jack Sawyer is managing all these different pieces,” Will says, naming just a few of EDR’s internal players on the project. “Tech Square 3 is the most team-focused project I’ve worked on. You have to be able to listen to all these different voices and somehow turn it into something that’s cohesive and not just a collection of disparate parts.”

Since the beginning, Tech Square 3’s team has been indelibly integrated. “We brought our consultants into the mix early in the project,” Will recalls. “The engineers, the landscape architects played an integral role throughout the design process from beginning to end.”

As dictated by both necessity and enthusiasm, Tech Square 3 has broken the mold of the standards set by most designers and clients. Amidst this cacophony of ideas, expectations, and goals, a symphonic harmony has been created. “We’re all on this journey together,” says Will, “which is new and different and fresh. This hands-on process has led to a more integrated design that is the product of everyone bringing something special to the table.”

Tech Square 3 is in the CD phase and is estimated to finish construction in 2025.