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Kelly Lerner, principal of One World Design unearthed a love for working in natural materials architecture, as a child. "Growing up in a small, rural, midwestern town, I never imagined I wanted to be an architect - but even in my early years my folks were hard at work warping my young mind. My best memories are always of planning projects and building: patching the roof, laying and grouting tile, driving a new well by hand (my Dad's great idea), building a trailer, then a storage barn and finally, the summer I was 17, a whole house." She spent many hours gardening, exploring, and developing an understanding of designs in nature, and in architecture. "Through the years, I developed a hardy appreciation for American folk architecture (simple designs handcrafted with local, natural materials), a love of building and growing things, and an earthy sense of humor." In the early years of her career, Kelly attended the University of Oregon where she received her Master's Degree in Architecture. "Luckily, the University of Oregon has one of the few practical, hands-on architecture programs in the US. I stayed sane through grad school by designing and building community-based projects with student groups each summer." After graduation, Kelly traveled to China, Mongolia, and Argentina building homes and public buildings using natural materials. The environment of each location often denoted what types of materials to use. The experience of working with people of different cultures, economies, and eco-systems provided her with a vast knowledge, that she has now brought home to the United States. "For me, a good, sustainable design flows directly out of the local ecology, climate, geology, materials and culture of a particular site. It incorporates the needs and personalities of the designers, builders and users. It takes full advantage of all the "free" energy a site has to give - sun, wind, water, energy, materials. Good design intensifies our connection to the natural environment, natural rhythms and to each other." Contact us
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