Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Kangas . They and their team shared their story with us below:
Katie was born and raised in Belle Fourche, South Dakota. Her passion for architecture began when she traveled to Europe with her Grandmother in 2000. She began her education at Gustavus Adolphus with a major in Studio Art + Art History. During school, she enjoyed exploring and drawing historic architecture in Turkey, Egypt, China, Jordan, and Costa Rica. She continued her education at the University of Minnesota to earn dual degrees with a Master’s in Architecture and a Master’s of Science focused on Historic Preservation and Conservation.
Katie has presented at several professional conferences. First, in 2013, she presented her MS Historic Conservation and Preservation final paper “Shaping the Home from the Inside Out: Household social interactions as a defining feature of house planning (1925-1958)” at the 16th Annual International History Planning Society. Since 2016, she has crafted and moderated ten MN AIA Conference Sessions for the Emerging Professionals Committee and Women In Architecture Committee on topics of culture, professional practice, and networking. In 2019 She co-led a workshop session at A’19 National Conference on Architecture about “Navigating Your Firm’s Culture.” From 2019 to 2020, Katie became the Young Architect’s Regional Director of the Young Architects Forum, connecting local young architects with national resources.
In March 2020, Katie Kangas founded Pasque Architecture in the spirit of discovery. Like a pasque flower, architecture belongs to the place it is created. It needs to be resilient in harsh weather conditions, but a simple functional design can be beautiful and inspiring. Katie Kangas is licensed to practice architecture in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Michigan.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When I was young, my father went through many medical challenges. Both of my parents were strong in their faith and lived life with a lot of joy – even in the hard times. At 13, my father died and my mother raised my younger brother and me. She supported us through our college and graduate education which reflected her priorities as a 6th-grade math teacher and teaching coach.
No matter the road, my family and faith have helped me through. College, graduate school, and licensure were a grind. It was constant work and studying. Sometime along the way, I married my husband and we have three spirited young girls.
After getting licensed in 2016, I began planning to start my own business. I finally stepped into the position of founding and running my own business in March of 2020 – the same day the world started to shut down. It derailed my initial marketing strategy. The last three years I’ve survived thanks to collaborations with great architects and terrific clients.
My business is still going through the birth of our third child, caring for school-aged children during the summer, and moving to a new home! It’s been a busy year. We are held together by our church community and the super support of our family.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
As a sole practitioner, I get to where all the hats are. I’m building a process-based architectural practice – meaning I focus on HOW the work is done. Having worked in three very different firms before starting my own – I learned about project-based practice, where architecture ruled all. I also saw people-based practice where everything revolved around the clients served and the internal team. Finally, I worked at a profit-centric firm where the clients and projects were completed with efficiency and excellence so everyone involved prospered. The culture of these various firms was fascinating! The cultures had evolved to complement the types of clients and projects they worked on. During this time I completed research and interviews about Navigating Firm Culture. This reflection on professional practice made me feel like an ugly duckling – not fitting in perfectly at any type of existing firm. I started my own practice so I had a fresh slate to try and practice architecture in a slightly different way.
Pasque Architecture focuses on the needs of communities and small towns to build awareness of architects and the value of design for any size of the project. Recently we completed the rehabilitation of a historic granite home in Saux Rapids for the Benton County Historical Society. The Historical Society is now able to save an incredible piece of architecture and improve its display of historic artifacts within the historic home. They also have a better space for researchers to access their archives and county records. Historic preservation, community engagement, and telling the communities’ story are terrific alignments with Pasque Architecture’s mission. We also work with entrepreneurs who are reusing existing and historic buildings. We are also stewards helping church communities to improve and maintain their properties.
Pasque Architecture will provide services in any location across Minnesota, South Dakota, and Michigan. We aim to make architectural services accessible to elevate communities in rural areas.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Going out on your own doesn’t mean you work alone. Build a network. Help others and ask questions. You aren’t the only one figuring things out as you go along.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pasque.studio/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pasque_arch/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-kangas-71694283/
- Twitter: @ArchKatie
- Youtube: @pasquearchitecture4043
Image Credits
Katie Kangas and Caleb Love
