Personal statement from Michael A. Vaccaro, AIA, NCARB, SC ARCH#6618
I have designed several award winning homes in the Lowcountry. My designs are collaboration between the client and my sense of special layouts. I tend towards rational spaces and believe that it is never necessary to overcomplicate the design. A clear cut solution executed in a simple manner that is well detailed is usually the most beautiful over time.
Background
I was raised in northeast Ohio in the university town of Kent with my three younger brothers. Always interested in architecture, I was an active participant in the design two separate homes that my parents built while I was a child. I have traveled extensively throughout the world, from China to Alaska. One of my favorite trips was riding a bicycle across the Unites States with my brother, Adam.
I am married to Katherine and I have two children, Mary Elizabeth, born in 2006 and Nash born in 2020. I enjoy playing golf, paddle boarding and jogging the beach.
Professional Experience
Architect – VACCARO Architecture, Inc., Hilton Head Island, SC ▪ 2003 – Present
•Company was formed in 2003 to specialize in high end custom projects.
Managing Partner – Ludtke & Vaccaro Architects, LLC, Hilton Head Island, SC ▪ 2006 – 2015
•Active Partner in a firm that specializes in custom residential architecture.
Architect Project Manager – Wayne Windham Architect, Bluffton, SC ▪ 2004 – 2006
•Served as firm manager in the Bluffton office.
•Designed and acted as Project architect for several homes at Palmetto Bluff, including the Moulton residence, which has gone on to earn national recognition
Architect Intern – Various firms, Cleveland, Denver, Hilton Head ▪ 1996-2003
Education
•Master of Architecture from the University of Colorado at Denver, CO in 1999
•Bachelor of Environmental Design from Miami University in Oxford, OH in 1996
•summer study programs in Italy, Greece, and China
"learning is lifelong and always feel that I can learn something new from anyone"
Boards and Affiliations
•Member of American Institute of Architects - AIA
•Member of National Council of Architectural Registration Boards - NCARB
•Board Member, Hilton Head regional Habitat for Humanity
•Board Member, Palmetto Dunes Property Owners Association Board of Directors
•Board Member, Town of Bluffton, SC Construction Board of Appeals and Adjustments
•Consulting Architect to Bluffton Promenade Development Architectural Review Board
•Consulting Architect to Sandcastles by the Sea Architectural Review Board
Pro Bono
•Hilton Head Habitat for Humanity
•Daufuskie Island Historical Society
•Bluffton Historical Preservation Society
I have designed several award winning homes in the Lowcountry. My designs are collaboration between the client and my sense of special layouts. I tend towards rational spaces and believe that it is never necessary to overcomplicate the design. A clear cut solution executed in a simple manner that is well detailed is usually the most beautiful over time.
Background
I was raised in northeast Ohio in the university town of Kent with my three younger brothers. Always interested in architecture, I was an active participant in the design two separate homes that my parents built while I was a child. I have traveled extensively throughout the world, from China to Alaska. One of my favorite trips was riding a bicycle across the Unites States with my brother, Adam.
I am married to Katherine and I have two children, Mary Elizabeth, born in 2006 and Nash born in 2020. I enjoy playing golf, paddle boarding and jogging the beach.
Professional Experience
Architect – VACCARO Architecture, Inc., Hilton Head Island, SC ▪ 2003 – Present
•Company was formed in 2003 to specialize in high end custom projects.
Managing Partner – Ludtke & Vaccaro Architects, LLC, Hilton Head Island, SC ▪ 2006 – 2015
•Active Partner in a firm that specializes in custom residential architecture.
Architect Project Manager – Wayne Windham Architect, Bluffton, SC ▪ 2004 – 2006
•Served as firm manager in the Bluffton office.
•Designed and acted as Project architect for several homes at Palmetto Bluff, including the Moulton residence, which has gone on to earn national recognition
Architect Intern – Various firms, Cleveland, Denver, Hilton Head ▪ 1996-2003
Education
•Master of Architecture from the University of Colorado at Denver, CO in 1999
•Bachelor of Environmental Design from Miami University in Oxford, OH in 1996
•summer study programs in Italy, Greece, and China
"learning is lifelong and always feel that I can learn something new from anyone"
Boards and Affiliations
•Member of American Institute of Architects - AIA
•Member of National Council of Architectural Registration Boards - NCARB
•Board Member, Hilton Head regional Habitat for Humanity
•Board Member, Palmetto Dunes Property Owners Association Board of Directors
•Board Member, Town of Bluffton, SC Construction Board of Appeals and Adjustments
•Consulting Architect to Bluffton Promenade Development Architectural Review Board
•Consulting Architect to Sandcastles by the Sea Architectural Review Board
Pro Bono
•Hilton Head Habitat for Humanity
•Daufuskie Island Historical Society
•Bluffton Historical Preservation Society
