Writing Samples

A Louisville team of architects, doctors, and researchers built more than a treatment center: they built a home. Here, kids fighting their way back from spinal cord injuries find hope, and every detail, down to the drawers built to hold a child's favorite toy, was designed with love. View full piece.

A two decade restoration of one of Indiana's most beloved landmarks, honored with the AIA Indiana 25 Year Award. The project balanced historic reverence with hidden modern upgrades, proving that preserving what already exists can be its own form of sustainability. View full piece.

Part of Schmidt Associates' 50th anniversary Legacy Voices series, this profile celebrates K-12 studio leader Anna Marie Burrell's 21 year career of listening first and designing second. It traces her instinct for people back to an unexpected place, a childhood spent training as a dancer. View full piece.

A personal profile built around a single afternoon spent with an infamous, larger than life couple. A character driven piece that leans on scene and detail rather than summary. View full piece.

From the IMS Museum to the NCAA Hall of Champions to Café Oztara at the Damien Center, Schmidt Associates has spent decades helping cultural spaces become places people return to, not just visit. This piece explores their listening-first approach and what it takes to build institutions that shape a community's identity for generations. View full piece.

The story of the 1937 Louisville Greyhound terminal, a building so ahead of its time it launched an architectural movement across the country. A look at how design can turn something as ordinary as a bus stop into a symbol of hope and progress. View full piece.

A look at feline weight and wellness, breaking down why cats are so prone to obesity and what owners can do about it. Originally written for Texas A&M's PetTalk and later picked up and distributed by the American Veterinary Medical Association. View full piece.

A practical look at how a school district cut energy waste and extended equipment life without a single major renovation. Covers the strategy, the numbers, and the incentives that turned a facilities challenge into real savings. View full piece.

When the historic trusses stood in the way of a new mezzanine, the team made the bold call to remove them entirely and engineer a new structural system in their place. The result protects irreplaceable race cars and memorabilia while giving 140,000 annual visitors a whole new way to experience racing history. View full piece.

Before Massachusetts Avenue was Indianapolis' most celebrated corridor, it was a neglected block most people drove past. This is the story of the fire damaged building Schmidt Associates bet on in 1985, and the belief in community that still drives the firm today. View full piece.

Behavioral health facilities are some of the hardest spaces to design well, they have to keep people safe while still helping them heal. This piece looks at how Schmidt Associates blends safety, dignity, and calm into spaces like a rural Kentucky inpatient unit and a forensic recovery campus. View full piece.

How do you design a school that makes every student feel like they belong? This piece looks at the Legacy Walls project, a living tribute to decades of student achievement built to grow alongside the schools it celebrates. View full piece.