AIA Tennessee recently recognized MHM with a 2022 Emerging Professional Friendly Firm Award. The award recognizes firms that foster opportunities for leadership and provide a culture of support for emerging professionals (EPs). MHM’s EPs are integrally involved in the firm’s innovation, sustainability, research and community outreach initiatives.

Additionally, MHM’s principal Li Wang participated in a panel for the AIA TN Convention with firms from across the state. Led by Tennessee’s State Architect, Ann McGauren, the panel shared leading ideas about successful workplace culture and attracting/retaining new talented professionals.

MHM is honored to be recognized by AIA TN with the EP Friendly Firm Award for the 6th year in a row and congratulates other state recipients!

Get to Know Principal Margaret Butler

Margaret Butler, AIA, LEED AP has practiced architecture for over 30 years, working for both large and small firms as well as owning her own architectural practice. She’s been with MHM since 2015, and became a Principal of the firm in 2020. As an award-winning and published designer, Margaret leads through a studio-driven and collaborative approach to design and mentorship. Her friendly approach is focused on delivering evidence-based design strategies to build success for the firm’s clients and their organizations. Margaret’s design expertise covers a wide range of project types of varying size and complexity. A large part of her recent focus has been geared toward a robust portfolio of multi-family housing and K-12 educational projects.

Margaret serves as the head of the firm’s Culture Committee, leading the charge of maintaining an open and collaborative office environment. She’s also passionate about creating and maintaining a high level of thoughtfulness and rigor in MHM’s design process through firm-wide reviews. A graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Architecture and Design, she remains engaged on the Board of Advisers. She’s passionate about serving her community through involvement in organizations including the YWCA and the Cancer Support Community.

Q: Where did you grow up?

A: I grew up in Andersonville, TN.

Q: How did you choose Architecture as your profession?

A: In high school I tried to figure out a career that would marry my love of art, math and science and I thought architecture might fit the bill. Gladly it did. I think growing up enjoying Norris Dam and the park had an influence on me as I’ve always regarded it as an outstanding structure that made a tremendous impact in our region.

Q: What has been your favorite project and why?

A: Affordable housing projects I have worked on throughout my career have been incredibly meaningful as they can provide a transformative pride in community. I’m currently working on several projects with Murfreesboro Housing Authority. It has been exceedingly rewarding to engage with residents and those in the community to provide new housing which respects the community’s fabric and history while providing sustainable infrastructure and new public parks.

Early in my career, while at Tuck Hinton Architects, it was a privilege to be on the team planning the State’s Bicentennial Capital Mall sited just north of our state capital building in Nashville. It was an honor to work with architects, planners and landscape architects from across the state to define and design a park commemorating our state’s bicentennial which would represent the diversity, accomplishments and unique characteristics of Tennessee.

A third favorite is a very different scale. It was the rehabilitation of cantilever barn for the Children’s Defense Fund’s Langston Hughes Library in collaboration with Maya Lin Studio. A very small and exacting project, it combined my love of modern design and detail with my personal roots in East Tennessee. It was an amazing experience to collaborate with a world-renowned artist/architect on a project so close to my home. 

Q: What has been your biggest challenge in your professional career?

A: The biggest challenge I’ve faced is balancing priorities. My family has always been my number one priority, but dedication to my work and the community has been vitally important to me as well. It’s certainly not a unique challenge as we all seek balance in our life and career, but it’s not the same for every person and that’s okay. I don’t have any answers, but I’ve just tried to be “all in” whether at work, home or volunteering and there have been some late nights and early mornings through the years! I’m very grateful for all the relationships and opportunities I’ve had for the last 35 years.

Q: What advice would you give to young professionals entering the field?

A: Challenge yourself and others. Strive to surround yourself and learn from those seeking excellence in architecture. Figure out what your special talents are, hone them, and position yourself to become a leader in your firm and profession. Excelling with your own talents lifts those around you and provides a foundation to a fulfilling career.

MHM Started Schematic Design for the University of Tennessee’s New Croley Nursing Building.

For some time, the nation’s demand for registered and advanced practice nurses has been growing at a fast pace, leading to a shortage that was exacerbated by COVID-19. To meet the growing demand for nurses, the new building for College of Nursing will provide students and faculty with an experiential learning environment that will help to support the growing college.

MHM, along with design partner Ayers Saint Gross started the Schematic Design process with UT College of Nursing. The blocking and stacking exercise engaged users and gathered valuable input from key stakeholders in the early design phase. We are so excited to help UT Nursing envision the new home for their college!

Get to Know Principal Li Wang

Li Wang is an exceptional project manager and effective consensus builder who keeps the entire project team engaged. Since joining MHM in 2007, Li has played a critical role in expanding the firm's portfolio of Higher Education and Science & Technology projects. She brings over 22 years of architectural experience in government, higher education, industrial and research & development sectors. Within the last 15 years, Li has led and managed over $450 million in construction costs for State owned and Federal owned projects. Enthusiastic about Design in Context and Place-Making design approaches, Li focuses on strengthening campus spaces as places that stimulate learning and promote collaboration.

In addition to her role as a Principal, Li serves as the firm’s Project Management Committee Chair.  She is an active LEED BD+C professional who supports the sustainable design culture and its integration into the design process. Li is also actively involved with the State AIA’s Building Information Modeling Committee and promotes the integration of BIM into everyday professional practice. Li currently serves as a member of the University of Tennessee Chancellor's Associates and is in the class of 2022 Leadership Knoxville Flagship Program.

Q: Where did you grow up?

A: Chengdu, China

Q: How did you choose Architecture as your profession?

A: When I was a kid, I loved to draw. Forms and colors were things that I enjoyed the most, and I could easily spend all day exploring them.

The high school I attended was a Magnet School, which held a top STEM track curriculum. I was among the top tier students in my class, so I was expected to be on track to study STEM majors in college. However, deep in my heart, I knew I was very skeptical about how much I would really enjoy the math and science fields. Though, don’t get me wrong, I love and admire math and science :-).

My homeroom teacher discovered my concerns and had several conversations with me about a path in design and Architecture. With her guidance, I found my path and decided to pursue Architecture.  I thought that would allow me to continue exploring my passion in design.

Q: What has been your favorite project and why?

A: My favorite project is the Mossman Science Laboratory Building at the University of Tennessee.

Not only was the project managed successfully to meet the project schedule and delivered under budget, the project allowed me to truly appreciate the power of Place-making and the profound impact the built-environment can bring to students and campus life.

During the facade study / research, we discovered several hidden gems on campus that speak about the spirit of Gothic Architecture, such as the east façade of Hoskins Library, right next to the Mossman building. Using the Architecture to create a dialogue between old and new under the larger campus context has been a meaningful journey to me.

Through the Mossman building journey, I have experienced and witnessed the major growth and the billion-dollar construction era on the University of Tennessee’s Knoxville flagship campus. It is great to see UTK’s growth under a unifying plan. I am truly honored to play a small part as an architect in helping to realize this thoughtful plan. 

Q: What has been your biggest challenge in your professional career?

A: Despite the challenges presented with being a female minority architect, the biggest challenge in my professional career is dealing with changes the Pandemic has brought. The pandemic has changed how we work, how we live and how we think.

Common challenges that most companies are experiencing hit us too. It made me think differently, search deeper, explore options. How can my partners and I build a stronger and more resilient company, drawing strengths from each other and seeking resources from the community? How do I truly listen to others, not just hear? How do we set reasonable goals and instill accountabilities? How can we embrace the challenges and create opportunities from them?

I realize we don’t have all the answers today, but with an open mind, gratitude to others and determination, we have together made the company more resilient and sustainable and will continue to do so.

I learned a quote from my Leadership Knoxville classmate that helps build inner strength and encourages me to think differently about coping with the challenges of the Pandemic.

“A sign of a good leader is not how many followers you have, but how many leaders you create”. - Mahatma Gandhi.

Q: What advice would you give to young professionals entering the field?

A: This question made me smile.

Architecture is such an interesting profession.  Eighty Percent of what we do, we were not taught in school. Our profession requires passion in design, experience in technical details, skills in project management, strength in marketing and the love for our communities. This is a fascinating profession that holds a wide variety of opportunities to realize your potentials.

My advice for young professionals entering the field is this:

Open your eyes and ears, do good work, be a sponge, ask questions, explore. Get involved with the communities. Listen to those under-represented voices. Build relationships.

Seek and reach, you will be surprised what will fall into your basket. :-)

MHM is honored to have received two awards at this year’s AIA East Tennessee Design Awards. Webb School of Knoxville Middle Innovation Center received an Honor award. The PreK-12 School in collaboration with Johnson & Galyon Construction consisted of 14,500 SF of renovations and additions.  The design focused on creating state of the art educational facilities to advance Webb School of Knoxville’s forward reaching educational pedagogies.

Additionally, The University of Tennessee Student Union, designed as a joint venture with BMa and constructed by Christman Construction, was honored with a Merit Award.  The 395,000 SF building which houses the largest auditorium on campus, meeting spaces and ballroom, offices, recreation, retail, and dining facilities, among other spaces, created a new heart of campus.