Michael Barber, Principal

Michael Barber is Director of Design at Barber Architecture. As the firm's principal designer, he is responsible for a project's initial conception, working firsthand with clients to communicate various design approaches that satisfy their specific functional and aesthetic needs. During the detailed design development that follows, Michael oversees the emerging documents for creative intent while mechanical, electrical, plumbing, security systems, materials, and details are integrated as integral components of the design.

Michael has been teaching and practicing architecture for 33 years. He received a Bachelor of Architecture degree with Honors from Ohio University, and received the American Institute of Architects Alpha Rho Chi Medal.

As lead architectural designer, Michael has completed a variety of projects including campus master plans, university facilities, historic restoration and adaptive reuse, conference centers, city halls, religious buildings, retail projects, performing arts centers, corporate headquarters, and private residences. In addition to his Principal role at Barber Architecture, Michael serves as a visiting lecturer and jury critic for the Graduate School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado, Denver, is a member of the GSA National Register of Peer Professionals, and serves various Design Review Boards in the Denver area.

Deborah Barber, Principal

Deborah has been practicing professionally for over twenty-five years, with design responsibility for over two million square feet of interior space. She is the Director of Interior Design at Barber Architecture. With a background in science and an enthusiasm for art and architecture, Deborah brings an analytical viewpoint and a keen eye for details to the design process. Her passion is for developing environments that uplift and enhance the experiences of people as they use a building. Deborah attended the Parsons School of Design in New York, and pursued graduate studies in Italian Architectural History and Current Design in Rome.

Christopher Lessard, Senior Project Manager

An architect with Barber Architecture for 16 years, and a registered architect for 24 years, Christopher will provide Management, Programming, Design, Construction Documents and Construction Administration services. His broad knowledge of architecture, design and construction of projects for public use bring an exceptional level of expertise to Quality Control and Specification. Christopher will assist Steve Cummings with Quality Control, Specifications, and Code Compliance review. His experience includes university, ecclesiastic, public and institutional projects with multiple functions, and multiple user-groups.

Karen Knowles, Interior Designer

With Barber Architecture since 2005, Ms. Knowles has been practicing professionally for over twenty years. Her experience encompasses all aspects of the design process from programming to construction administration on a variety of project types including corporate, retail, institutional and residential clients, ranging in size and scope from a 5,000 square foot custom home to a 230,000 square foot corporate headquarters.

Rieko Ishiwata, Interior Designer

Rieko is a LEED Accredited Professional. Her primary role is to develop and implement interior design concepts. Since joining Barber Architecture in 2001, Rieko has completed over 1.2 million gross square feet of interior spaces, including over 10,000 square feet of gathering, foodservice and dining space, as well as several fast-track projects through the Construction Manager General Contractor process.

Bryon Gaston, Visualization Specialist

Mr. Gaston has been instrumental in the production of Barber Architecture's 3-D graphics and visualization studies for the past seven years. Bryon is responsible for the graphics, renderings, perspectives and other visualization tools necessary for each project the firm completes. He has also been instrumental in facilitating the discussions and process of transitioning the office to building information modeling.