Profile and History

Founder and principal Rick Leslie has been practicing architecture since graduating with honors in 1970 from Pratt Institute in New York. Registered in California in 1975, he has worked with such well-known California architects as Berry Berkus, Richard C. Martin, and Jan Van Tilburg. In 1980, he established his own firm, which grew to a twenty-person office in the 1980's occupying its own award-winning building in Van Nuys, California. Rick has gained valuable experience through the course of his career by running a cabinet company, performing construction management, and with residential development.

As a part-time resident of Lone Pine, CA, Rick has served on the Lone Pine Design Review Board since 1998, selected by the Inyo County Board of Supervisors as the practicing architect member. He has been a member of the American Institute of Architects since 1985.

Values

With a strong construction background, Rick Leslie has guided his firm by the principle that the techniques of construction and the art of architecture are inextricably linked. The belief that the architect is the master coordinator and communicator between the owner and the builder has been the underlying operational mode of the firm, producing cost-efficient projects and trouble-free results.

Close communication and careful documentation to understand the client's needs and projected growth are the first steps toward a successful project. The functional relationships of all the project elements: resolution of the program goals, the architectural synthesis of a chosen design aesthetic, the integration of all the building systems such as structural, mechanical and electrical components, are all part of the problem-solving process which the firm diligently incorporates to produce a superior finished product.