My name is Luke Benjamin, Ralston, I am a licensed Architect in Portland, Oregon.

 

Cities are one of humanity's greatest achievements. The built environment is a response to the context it’s built in, the culture it belongs to, and the environmental factors imposed upon it. Deeply integrated in modern design, sustainable design must accel in the creation of well-designed spaces that are energy conscious while also addressing the people who occupy them. 

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In my undergrad at Ball State I spent a semester traveling across 3 continents, 30 countries, and 80 cities. While traveling I studied a variety of cultures. What interested me most was how each culture addressed architecture and design in its own way. Travel broke down stigmas that I had and removed my ignorance of the world. I developed a respect for what architecture can be. I will continue to travel in the future.

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Designs are responsible for the social aspects of a space and its built qualities. Throughout modern architectural history, designers have been designing for a future they could only imagine. This resulted in diverse styles and designs as architects sought to solve the problems of their age while still looking towards the future. Today, Architecture still strives to answer the question, what will the future look like? We are also faced with additional challenges brought on by climate change and social and cultural movements. Over the past two terms at the University of Oregon I conducted research for Professor Nico Larco on topics within Urbanism Next. My focus has been on the social and ecological environmental impacts of new and emerging technologies. As a tool, I developed a series of tables to help organize and represent the data and sources gathered to help form hypotheses on environmental impacts. I also helped to put together the Urbanism Next Framework and spoke at the Urbanism Next 2018 Conference.  I plan to continue to research Urbanism Next and apply what I learn from the ever-changing 

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I have worked professionally as an architectural intern in Indianapolis, Dallas, and Chicago.  Working in corporate, transportation, healthcare, retail, and residential sectors creating as-builts, construction documents, presentation graphics/renders and created/edited specifications.

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I am currently an Architect at ZGF Architect in Portland, Oregon

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Thank you and please contact me with any questions or comments,

Luke Benjamin Ralston 
lukebralston@gmail.com

Architecture and Design

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