Chris Wante, a New Hampshire native and graduate of the Wentworth Institute of Technology, is an architect, but considers himself a jack-of-all-trades, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I wear a bunch of hats. I’m an architect, a project manager, a designer. I’m exposed to tons of different project types.”
Chris joined the company in 2010 and has worked on projects including South Hadley Senior Center, the Lower School Renovation at Pingry School, and the Executive Level Renovation of Berkshire Bank Headquarters. He’s currently working on a dorm renovation at The Hotchkiss School, library renovation at The Pingry School, a new Animal Shelter in Hopkinton, MA, and a new Net Zero Fire Station in Williamstown, MA.
The organic experience of working at edmSTUDIO has given Chris room to grow in an environment where he never had to worry about making mistakes and could focus on learning by doing.
“Some of the bigger firms don’t give you an opportunity to take on much beyond a few assigned tasks. They’ll give you a portion of a project to work on and that’s it,” Chris says. “Being part of an integrated team and the collaboration process that comes with it is cool to be a part of.”
His most memorable project – the Springfield Culinary and Nutrition Center – is also his most rewarding because of its impact on the community. edmSTUDIO designed this food services support facility for Springfield Public Schools with the ultimate goal of producing and distributing 100,000 meals a day.
“We helped develop a warehouse that prepares and delivers meals to schools in Springfield which has an enormous impact on the community. For some of the students, this is their only meal of the day. This project was the first of its kind in the region.
Chris has built a solid foundation through his diverse experience designing and managing projects at edmSTUDIO, and is evolving into the next chapter of his career where he is mentoring junior staff. “The next step,” he says, “is bringing others along.”
He’s inspired by the work of creatives of all disciplines — whether it’s architects, designers, writers, artists — admiring the genius in the work of others is very inspiring and something Chris says impacts his approach to his own work. He takes to heart a simple yet impactful motto of former colleague Brendan Miggins, if you can’t fix it, feature it. “Oftentimes renovations present elements of a building that for one reason or another just can’t be changed. Rather than simply work around them, we look for creative and intentional ways to incorporate and even accentuate them as part of our designs.”
A lifelong athlete, Chris has a competitive spirit and enjoys a pickup game of basketball, softball, volleyball – really any game. He’s a lover of the great outdoors and he and his wife have enjoyed slowly introducing their two young children to some of his favorite pastimes, including camping.
Connect with Chris to start a conversation!
