MODUS STUDIO - Key Persons
Aaron received his Bachelor of Architecture in 2009 from the Mississippi State University College of Architecture, Art, and Design, a program firmly rooted in teaching foundations of conjectural design work. One of the most important lessons he took from his education is that, as designers, we must resist reductive problem solving habits by embracing the requisite uncertainty and risk of any creative work and engage in critical thinking in order to make cogent architectural judgments. He supplemented his formal architectural education with construction experience. That experience has been an invaluable demonstration that good design is never absent thoughtful detailing which takes into account both tectonics and the physical constraints of building.
Amanda is an Associate and the Director of Interiors at modus studio. She grew up in Northwest Arkansas, where she was inspired by the growth and change of the built environment while living in such a dynamic community. She knew she wanted to be involved in the design process to help create optimal interior environments for all project stakeholders.
Growing up on a farm in Green Forest, Arkansas, and watching her parents' dedication to their jobs taught Carrie that there is a lot of hard work and sacrifice that goes into succeeding at life. Her dad ran the farm while her mom worked in banking, which also inspired her to enter the world of finance.
In 2000, Carrie graduated from the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor's Degree in Finance with an emphasis in Financial Management. She worked in banking in Northwest Arkansas and Kansas City from 1998 to 2008 before becoming a full-time stay-at-home mom/referee of two boys. Since then, the customer service aspect of banking has stuck with her and imparted the ability to work with different types of people and personalities. Being married to a designer has rooted her into the architectural realm for many years, so it only made sense that in 2017 she joined the team at modus studio. As Controller, Carrie helps guide this collective of designers in financial decisions by creating and maintaining accounting operations, records, and budgets. She believes that the best part about being at modus is the relaxed studio environment where everyone works hard but still has fun.
In her free time, she enjoys cooking, traveling, and hanging out with her husband Josh, and her sons Collin and Carter. Some of her favorite moments have been their epic family road trips to the east and west coasts. Carrie loves NFL football and is an avid Kansas City Chiefs fan living in a Denver Broncos household.
Chris Lankford is the Director of Marketing + Engagement at modus studio and is driven in his work by the belief that architecture is one of the most influential factors shaping a community. As a humanist, Chris believes that well-designed architecture can serve to minimize the inequities of circumstance and ability so that as many as possible can enjoy a good life.
Throughout his education at the University of Arkansas School of Architecture, Chris concentrated on community-focused design and the sociological impacts of architecture. This included working with a team of students in the design/build program to create an affordable house for a family with low income while utilizing an innovative modular method of construction. This conjunction of ideological and practical construction experience provided Chris with a solid launching point into his career, beginning with his experience working at a small community service-oriented firm working on a wide range of projects, from the smallest accessibility compliance remodels to fire stations, libraries, and airplane hangars.
Chris joined modus studio in 2009, just months after its creation. He brought with him the practical experience necessary to see a project go from start to finish successfully. Captivated by the energy and passion it takes to launch something completely new, he became fixated on helping to build the team, the brand, and the idea of modus studio. His unique role at modus gives him the ability to assist the entire design team in multiple facets while primarily focusing on developing brand strategies, building proposals, managing inter-office and community engagement, and promoting modus studio's work across numerous markets.
In his free time, Chris enjoys backpacking, kayaking, mountain biking, and spending time with his wife and twin daughters. He also devotes a sizable amount of time to remodeling his family's mid-century home and volunteering with a number of community non-profits.
Chris Baribeau, AIA is the Principal Architect and co-founder of modus studio, a progressive and mutable design collective. The firm is based in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and has contributed a broad range of influential, sustainable, and award-winning place-making projects to the built realm since its inception in 2008.
As a native Texan, Christopher was born and raised in Fort Worth near Louis I. Kahn's Kimbell Art Museum and the Marty Leonard Community Chapel by E. Fay Jones. A model builder since an early age, he is a carpenter, master tile setter, and a musician with sincere respect for craft. He believes strongly that holistic consideration for the built environment is essential to human health and development.
Multiple construction trade apprenticeships and many years of design-build experience culminated in Christopher's pursuit and completion of two degrees, a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and a Master of Architecture, at the University of Texas at Arlington. In school he focused on design problem solving, digital fabrication, prototyping, and working closely with teams of architecture and civil engineering students to produce and test experimental formwork for ultra-high performance concrete.
Since graduation he has worked with architects, contractors, engineers and interior designers in Texas, New Mexico, and Wyoming. His diverse design and building experience includes working on commercial, residential, hospitality, faith-based, and historic structures. When not designing or drafting, Christopher enjoys reading about history, playing the piano, spinning vinyl, hiking, and spending time with his beautiful wife and their two children.
Digital technology plays a growing role in architecture and design every year. Jody has embraced the benefits of these roles and made great efforts to educate himself and others in the proficient use of these digital tools, specifically as they relate to architecture. The bulk of his life that he's been studying design software and adopting new technologies has prepared him to do this. He believes proper knowledge and use of building-information technologies lead to valuable collaboration, productive decisions, and efficient buildings.
Before and after graduating from the Fay Jones School of Architecture in 2009, Jody trained students and professionals in current design software. He's continuing to work with colleagues to provide workshops and tutorials. From 2009 to 2013 he worked with the planning group at the University of Arkansas to create a 3d campus for visualizing the historic, existing, and master-planned campus. During significant growth at the university, he worked with facilities management, design teams, and builders to create a more urban campus.
In July of 2013, Jody joined Modus Studio. He has since become an Associate and the Director of Technology, committed to streamlining workflows, educating colleagues, and making the most of the role digital tools play in our profession. From writing visual scripts to creating data trackers, Jody curates the role of digital tools at Modus to reinforce high-quality design. Thoughtful implementation of tools, digital or otherwise, throughout the life of a project can elevate design and generate metrics upon which to measure success.
Kacper was born in Chicago and grew to love architecture from a very young age. He began his architectural studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where he was involved in the American Institute of Architecture Students, serving as president during his junior and senior years. He graduated from UIUC in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies and attended Princeton University for the next three years, where he received his Professional Master of Architecture. His thesis work, under the advisement of professors Elizabeth Diller and Mario Gandelsonas, focused on community-focused architecture in mid-sized American cities, which then sparked his interest in the growing architectural scene in Northwest Arkansas.
Following graduation, Kacper relocated to NWA and began his professional career at the University of Arkansas Community Design Center, where he was responsible for the design of projects investigating topics such as community agriculture, heavy timber, watershed management, and human-focused urbanism.
Kacper has since taken his accumulated knowledge and applied it to his own self-managed development project, Rabbit House, located in Springdale, Arkansas. He enjoys contributing to the stellar design community at modus studio and in Northwest Arkansas in general. In his free time, you can find him playing soccer or practicing classical guitar.
Kiara is an Associate Architect as well as the Director of Emerging Professionals at modus studio. Kiara grew up in Concord, New Hampshire, in a home that was built in the 1800s. It was there that she became fascinated with how architecture and design were thought about. Yet, what was even more captivating was how architecture continued to transform, shape and blend into the ever-changing environment around it.
In addition to her passion for architecture, Kiara is eager to help the newest architects and emerging designers. While she was studying to become a licensed architect, she set out to create a new position at modus studio to help her coworkers seek licensure as well as be a mentor and advocate for the next generation of architects. She strongly believes we are better together, and as architects, we have the opportunity to shape the future of architecture.
Kiara graduated from the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture + Design and began working at Modus Studio. She has used her energy and talent to continue to transform the built world; a world where every individual consciously and unconsciously experiences a design at its highest, most innovative form.
In her free time, Kiara is an avid runner and has completed over 15 marathons in more than a dozen states. She loves to travel and photograph architecture locally and around the world. She also enjoys hiking to the many waterfalls Arkansas has to offer with her husband and two rescue dogs.
Leanne attended the University of Arkansas School of Architecture from 1999 to 2004 and then went to work for Tim Cooper Architects from 2004 - 2009 doing large scale and small scale residential architecture. After the recession, Leanne went to work for Core Architects from 2009-2014 and worked solely on commercial projects.
At Core, she was the project architect on Highlands Oncology Cancer Center (a 55,000 square foot cancer treatment facility), Founders Hall (a 76,000 square foot dormitory on the U of A campus), and Hunt Tower (a 260,000 square foot, 10-story commercial office building in Rogers Arkansas). All of these projects have been pivotal learning experiences that have changed how Leanne thinks as an architect. After five years at Core and two children, she was very excited to join the modus team.
Since joining modus, Leanne has worked on multiple elementary school projects, retail projects, mass timber student housing, and multifamily developments. For the past three years, she was project manager on the University of Arkansas' Adohi Hall. Adohi was the largest mass timber project in the United States during its time of construction. It was also the first mass timber residence hall in North America. This project taught her all the design constraints and freedoms gained from building with CLT and mass timber.
Leanne's thinking on architecture has evolved over the past few years as she herself has personally evolved over the years. As a practicing architect and mother, she now thinks that architecture is simply ‘good' design. This could be anything from a door handle to a master plan. The term ‘good' is a loaded word as it serves to mean thoughtful, joyous, healthy, economical, sustainable, safe, and purposeful. What is beautiful to one person may not be beautiful to another, but if it is beautiful because it serves a worthy purpose, then it is truly ‘good' architecture.
Leopoldo is an architectural designer and fabricator at modus studio. Originally from Orem, Utah, and spending part of his childhood in Ohio, he eventually began his career in the A/E/C industry working for a general contractor in Arkansas. During this time, he attended the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, where he worked in the fabrication labs. That experience opened the door to an internship in the fabrication shop at modus and, eventually, a full-time design position.