VOLHEIM 
ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN

          Ever since I was young, architecture has been connected to the idea of making dreams feel possible. I remember helping my mother cut out magazine clippings of kitchens, floor plans, and dream homes, then piecing them together into new spaces. What started as a childhood fascination with homes and design grew into a lifelong passion for architecture: creating spaces that are thoughtful, personal, functional, and deeply connected to the people who use them.

          I am a recent Bachelor of Architecture graduate from Cal Poly Pomona, where I graduated Summa Cum Laude and developed a strong foundation in design, technical documentation, environmental thinking, and architectural storytelling. My architectural education further strengthened my ability to think critically, design with intention, and graphically communicate ideas through sketches, diagrams, massing studies, 3D models, presentation drawings, and detailed documentation. Throughout my academic work, I have been recognized with multiple Outstanding Architecture Student Awards, the Architecture Chair’s Choice Award, and design excellence recognition in Cal Poly Pomona’s Spring and Fall Interim reviews from 2022–2024. In 2025, my partner and I also received 3rd Place in the CASH Student Design Awards, reflecting my commitment to thoughtful, sustainable, and community-oriented design. Alongside my own academic growth, I also had the opportunity to serve as a teaching assistant for first-year architecture students, helping support others as they developed their foundation in design thinking, representation, and architectural communication.

          My architectural education began at Sierra College, where I earned an Associate of Science in Drafting and Engineering Support—Architectural/Civil, along with Associate of Arts degrees in Natural Science and Social Science. I also completed Skills Certificates in Architectural Drafting Specialist and Drafting Essentials. During my time there, I worked in the Drafting and Engineering Lab, assisting students daily with AutoCAD, Revit, drafting methods, and technical problem-solving. That experience strengthened both my technical abilities and my ability to clearly communicate design and documentation strategies to others.

          Professionally, I have gained experience across architecture, solar design, and civil planning. At Domum, I worked on a variety of residential and commercial architectural projects. At Sustainable Energy Group, I worked remotely as the lead drafter for solar design, where I helped build drafting standards, Revit templates, families, checklists, and construction document workflows from the ground up. In my current role at Hunsaker & Associates, I work on civil planning projects for new architectural developments, including site planning, land development, and coordination across disciplines. These experiences have given me a broad understanding of how design moves from concept to documentation, permitting, infrastructure, and construction realities.

          My design work is driven by the belief that architecture should improve everyday life. I am especially interested in housing, family-centered design, environmental performance, and the relationship between private and communal space. My thesis project, The Backyard Estates, explored how families can still access the emotional and spatial values of the American Dream—home, backyard, and community—within a dense urban environment. This project reflects my larger architectural goals: to create spaces that are not only beautiful and efficient, but also meaningful, livable, and responsive to real human needs.

          I am proficient in AutoCAD, Revit, Rhino, and Adobe Creative Suite, with experience in technical drafting, 3D modeling, rendering, diagramming, construction documents, site planning, and visual storytelling. I value precision, creativity, and continuous improvement, and I am currently pursuing architectural licensure as I continue developing my career as an architectural designer.

          Architecture, for me, has always been about more than buildings. It is about shaping the environments where people grow, gather, work, rest, and imagine their futures. My goal is to contribute to work that is thoughtful, grounded, and human-centered—design that turns ideas into places people can truly call home.

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                                                                                                                         -Megan Volheim