Nicholas Kent

Nick has always been inspired by the built environment. As a child, Nick would frequently visit his father’s office on the 24^th floor of a popular building in downtown Milwaukee. At a time when the city had very few tall structures, the experience of ascending 24 floors left a lasting impression. He came to realize the power that architecture has, as it influences the shape of the world and the experiences of people every day. At the age of eight, Nick knew he found his passion and career.

Beginning his career in Chicago, collaborating with some of the greatest innovators in skyscraper design and engineering, Nick was able to realize his early dreams of making a big impact on the urban landscape.  In 2006, he returned to Milwaukee, joining PRA, where he found an unexpected new passion, designing educational environments. Today, he is a Partner and a K- 12 Education Studio Lead.  Excited by the future, his work is focused on creating learning environments that will not only impact today’s students but also future generations. He is constantly focused on “what can be” because school architecture impacts countless kids in their most curious and formative years. Nick also gets inspiration from understanding the diverse set of challenges that administrators and teachers overcome regularly. He feels rewarded and humbled when he can design an environment that lessens their daily obstacles and allows them to focus on helping students learn and grow.

On projects, Nick mainly focuses on educational planning, where he works to define a collaborative vision of the building. He believes the final result isn’t the structure, but the ideas behind it. A wall helps keep a structure stable, but the central vision is what makes the most impact on people’s lives. The most profound moments for Nick are when he hears from students, unprompted, that their learning environments are helping them grow. In those moments, he knows that he is making a difference.

Associations:
American Institute of Architects (AIA) (AIA WI, Milwaukee)
Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) (A4LE Midwest Great Lakes)
National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB)
U.S. Green Building Council, Wisconsin (USGBC) (USGBC WI)
Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators (WASDA)

Education:
Bachelor of Architecture – University of Kansas