Tom Simister founded PAYETTE’s Space Strategies Group to help clients envision and define the future of learning and research. He leads master planning, space programming and lab planning efforts across the office, orchestrating collaborative design processes that leverage interactive and analytical tools to quickly reach consensus solutions.
Tom works at the intersection of architecture, lab and space planning and data analysis. He leads planning and programming work across the office, helping clients untangle needs, synthesize goals and prioritize opportunities to make strategic decisions about space and capital investments. Through this work, Tom brings a broad perspective on best practices, emerging trends and performance metrics—enabling visionary projects that integrate innovations in curricula, pedagogy and thematic research with new approaches to the design and use of space.
He orchestrates a unique programming process that leverages an array of customized tools and processes, including interactive survey platforms, lab planning dashboards and benchmarking data visualizations, to engage stakeholders. Raised in a family of scientists, engineers and teachers, Tom is insatiably curious about how people invent, collaborate and learn.
EDUCATION
B. Arch. with Honors, 2000, the University of Texas at Austin