M E L I S S A S. M E Y E R A I A A S S O C. C N U
L E E D A P BD + C
Biography
Melissa Meyer was born in Washington D.C. and grew up in the D.C. suburb of Reston, Virginia and in Coral Gables, Florida. Spending her formative years in these two planned towns gave Ms. Meyer an appreciation for pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use, community-oriented neighborhoods. Quality of life issues have always captured the attention of Ms. Meyer. Her architectural endeavors began 20 years ago in Montrious, Haiti where she helped to construct a clinic for the impoverished coastal village.
Ms. Meyer attended Brevard College in Brevard, North Carolina where she was an art major and a starting center forward on the woman's soccer team. She was the only woman to participate in spring training with the men’s team. She was named “Most Valuable Offensive Player” in 1986. She was the team’s highest leading scorer and was known for her infamous slide tackle. In 2008 she was inducted into the Brevard College Hall of Fame.
Meyer went on to attend North Carolina State University where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Design in Architecture. She studied under Gail Lindsey, FAIA, LEED AP, the co-creator of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. In 1994 Meyer's work was selected by the North Carolina State University School of Design to be presented to the National Architectural Accrediting Board to help the architecture program at the School of Design maintain accreditation.
While earning her bachelor's degree, Meyer helped the university comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act by designing handicap accessible spaces for campus buildings. She was also a community advisor for North Carolina State University's International Family Student Housing and she started and coached the universities first soccer team for the children of international students.
Following her graduation from N.C. State University in 1995, Ms. Meyer began practicing architecture in Miami, Florida, where she worked for several firms, contributing to many high-profile projects throughout the nation. A year on a design team at Arquitectonica International led Ms. Meyer to reject the superficial, one-liner design approach that she experienced at the firm and she committed herself to the creation of human-scaled places of value and significance that are defined by the ability to serve the common good, are built to last, and promote a return to good craftsmanship. She spent the next two years contributing to many city sponsored Coconut Grove planning studies and design charrettes led by Duany Plater-Zyberk and Company while she started her own design consulting firm.
As an associate member of the American Institute of Architects, Meyer has provided architectural services to members of the A.I.A. for nearly two decades, while simultaneously pursuing her passion for architecture for community oriented projects, including architecture for New Urbanist communities, and Senior Cohousing, a contemporary approach to housing senior citizens. Her role in thirty significant projects (listed below) ranges from schematic design, design development, and construction documents, to project coordination, project management, permitting and construction administration. She has been using Autocad since 1992 and she is also proficient in Sketch-Up, In-Design, Photoshop, and numerous rendering programs.
Meyer also has a keen interest in restoring and maintaining historic places. Following the destruction of one of Miami’s most significant historic buildings to make way for a big box retail building (carefully documented in a series of articles by the Miami Herald in which she was extensively quoted), Meyer was instrumental, along with leading preservationists and historians, in changing the City of Miami’s demolition permit application process to protect Miami’s remaining historic landmarks.
As a dedicated community leader, Meyer has served on the Executive Board of Directors for the Coconut Grove Collaborative, a non-profit organization that strives to improve the quality of life in Coconut Grove’s Village West community by supporting local businesses and by developing affordable housing in conjunction with the University of Miami. She has contributed her architectural services to Habitat for Humanity of Wake County, N.C. and to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami.
Ms. Meyer currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Theodore R. Gibson Memorial Fund, an organization founded in the name of the prominent civil rights activist. The board is responsible for raising and allocating funds for drug treatment programs, aids prevention programs, a mentoring group for girls, and a new K-8 Charter School in Miami's Overtown neighborhood, the Theodore R. and Thelma A. Gibson Charter School.
In the 1990's Meyer led the way for changes in the way the U.S. Census Bureau collects data on people who are more than one race, leading to appearances on ABC News, CBS News, Dateline, and National Public Radio. She was featured in articles in Newsweek, Time Magazine, and newspapers throughout the nation as well as in many other publications such as the Encyclopedia of Values and Ethics by Joseph P. Hester and Educating Diverse Populations by Linda Orozco. Meyer's efforts regarding the accurate representation of people who are more than one race are currently documented in the Clinton Library.
Ms. Meyer attended Brevard College in Brevard, North Carolina where she was an art major and a starting center forward on the woman's soccer team. She was the only woman to participate in spring training with the men’s team. She was named “Most Valuable Offensive Player” in 1986. She was the team’s highest leading scorer and was known for her infamous slide tackle. In 2008 she was inducted into the Brevard College Hall of Fame.
Meyer went on to attend North Carolina State University where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Design in Architecture. She studied under Gail Lindsey, FAIA, LEED AP, the co-creator of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. In 1994 Meyer's work was selected by the North Carolina State University School of Design to be presented to the National Architectural Accrediting Board to help the architecture program at the School of Design maintain accreditation.
While earning her bachelor's degree, Meyer helped the university comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act by designing handicap accessible spaces for campus buildings. She was also a community advisor for North Carolina State University's International Family Student Housing and she started and coached the universities first soccer team for the children of international students.
Following her graduation from N.C. State University in 1995, Ms. Meyer began practicing architecture in Miami, Florida, where she worked for several firms, contributing to many high-profile projects throughout the nation. A year on a design team at Arquitectonica International led Ms. Meyer to reject the superficial, one-liner design approach that she experienced at the firm and she committed herself to the creation of human-scaled places of value and significance that are defined by the ability to serve the common good, are built to last, and promote a return to good craftsmanship. She spent the next two years contributing to many city sponsored Coconut Grove planning studies and design charrettes led by Duany Plater-Zyberk and Company while she started her own design consulting firm.
As an associate member of the American Institute of Architects, Meyer has provided architectural services to members of the A.I.A. for nearly two decades, while simultaneously pursuing her passion for architecture for community oriented projects, including architecture for New Urbanist communities, and Senior Cohousing, a contemporary approach to housing senior citizens. Her role in thirty significant projects (listed below) ranges from schematic design, design development, and construction documents, to project coordination, project management, permitting and construction administration. She has been using Autocad since 1992 and she is also proficient in Sketch-Up, In-Design, Photoshop, and numerous rendering programs.
Meyer also has a keen interest in restoring and maintaining historic places. Following the destruction of one of Miami’s most significant historic buildings to make way for a big box retail building (carefully documented in a series of articles by the Miami Herald in which she was extensively quoted), Meyer was instrumental, along with leading preservationists and historians, in changing the City of Miami’s demolition permit application process to protect Miami’s remaining historic landmarks.
As a dedicated community leader, Meyer has served on the Executive Board of Directors for the Coconut Grove Collaborative, a non-profit organization that strives to improve the quality of life in Coconut Grove’s Village West community by supporting local businesses and by developing affordable housing in conjunction with the University of Miami. She has contributed her architectural services to Habitat for Humanity of Wake County, N.C. and to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami.
Ms. Meyer currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Theodore R. Gibson Memorial Fund, an organization founded in the name of the prominent civil rights activist. The board is responsible for raising and allocating funds for drug treatment programs, aids prevention programs, a mentoring group for girls, and a new K-8 Charter School in Miami's Overtown neighborhood, the Theodore R. and Thelma A. Gibson Charter School.
In the 1990's Meyer led the way for changes in the way the U.S. Census Bureau collects data on people who are more than one race, leading to appearances on ABC News, CBS News, Dateline, and National Public Radio. She was featured in articles in Newsweek, Time Magazine, and newspapers throughout the nation as well as in many other publications such as the Encyclopedia of Values and Ethics by Joseph P. Hester and Educating Diverse Populations by Linda Orozco. Meyer's efforts regarding the accurate representation of people who are more than one race are currently documented in the Clinton Library.
Project List
Single Family Residential
Smith Residence, Eco-Friendly Solar Home, Rolsville, N.C.
Thayor Residence, Miami Florida
Gold Residence, Sunset Island, Miami, Florida
Harris Residence, Eco-Friendly Solar Home, Miami, Florida
Quadir Residence, Renovation & Addition, Circa 1891, Lexington Massachusetts
Intriago Residence, Renovation and Addition, Sanibel Island, Florida
Townhouses
Vizcaya of Kendall (New Urbanist Community), Kendall, Florida
Marlin Bay Yacht Club and Town Homes, Marathon Key, Florida
Key Colony Luxury Town Homes, Key Biscayne, Florida
The Continuum, Beach Front Town Homes, South Point, Miami Beach, Florida
High-rise
Seacoast Towers Condominium, Miami Beach, Florida
The Continuum, Luxury High-Rise Condominium, South Point, Miami Beach, Florida
Santa Maria, Luxury High-Rise Condominium, Brickell Avenue, Miami, Florida
Murano Grande, Luxury High-Rise Condominium, South Point, Miami Beach, Florida
The Palms, Luxury High-Rise Condominium , Fort Lauderdale, Florida
One Bal Harbor, Luxury High-Rise Condominium, Bal Harbor, Florida
Toscano High-Rise Condominium, Downtown Dadeland, Miami, Florida
Low-rise
Boca Lake Condominium, Boca Raton, Florida
Hotels
Golden Moon Hotel and Casino, Philadelphia Mississippi
Dadeland Marriott, Downtown Dadeland, Miami, Florida
Eurobuilding Hotel, Miami Springs, Florida
Commercial
Turnberry Bank, Coral Gables, Florida
Iceland Ice Skating Rink, Broward County, Florida
Watson Island Japanese Garden Entrance Pavilion, Miami, Florida
Mixed-Use
The Sails: Hotel/Condo/Townhomes/Retail/Marina, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Vizcaya of Kendall (New Urbanist Community), Kendall, Florida
Medical Facilites
Village Medical Clinic, Montrious, Haiti
Duke Medical Center, MRI Addition, Durham, North Carolina
Schools / Universities
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Day School Main Highway Pavilion, Coconut Grove, Florida
North Carolina State University A.D.A. Renovations
Parks
Falls Lake State Park, Restoration Study, Wake Forest, North Carolina
