We’re excited to announce that Amber Aitken has been promoted to Studio Leader. If you’ve spent any time with us, you probably know that Amber is integral to everything WSA. She is driven by our mission of engaging in partnership and creating experience, continuously pushing WSA to new levels. Amber specializes in connecting the importance of design to the human experience and creating an engaging, inclusive culture.

Amber’s dedication to experience has been solidified by her recent Master’s of Professional Studies in Human Resources and Employee Relations. As a leader, she strives to build strong relationships and create a welcoming and productive environment where everyone can succeed. With a contagious laugh and an earnest attitude, Amber brings WSA’s values to life.

Congratulations to our new Studio Leader!

WSA began as Wandel & Schnell Architects in 1970 in Columbus, Ohio. During the last 50 years, we’ve formed partnerships with organizations throughout the country, shaping local communities and national business ventures. We want to thank our clients, vendors, and industry colleagues who have supported our mission. Thank you for trusting us to promote your values and represent your organization with design. Cheers to the next 50 years of creating environments that work!

We are so pleased to announce that Frank Weaver will be joining Timothy Hawk and Todd Boyer as a Principal of WSA. Frank’s nearly twenty year impact on the studio is highlighted in the relationships he forms with clients and vendors, his involvement in the community, and his love for people. We are constantly inspired by his enthusiasm and creativity, his positive presence, and his dedication to creating environments that work.

Frank, originally from Coshocton, Ohio, joined WSA in 2001 as an architectural designer. After earning his Master of Architecture from the Ohio State University, he has gone on to manage a variety of projects that include historic building renovations, innovative workplaces, and community spaces that engage small-town Ohio. Frank has formed partnerships with clients such as State Auto Insurance, Kenyon College, and Hackman Capital Partners, leading to the growth of Midwestern businesses and reinvestment in Columbus’s urban architecture.

Besides spending time with his lovely family, some of Frank’s favorite pastimes include golf outings with friends, biking Ohio’s many trails for the annual Pelotonia fundraiser, and sharing stories and laughter with the studio.

Today we celebrate Frank, his friendship, and his leadership at WSA. Cheers!

Our dedication to providing fully integrated, multidisciplinary design has received top recognition from the Columbus Society of Communicating Arts. The logo we designed for Edison won a CSCA Merit Award, and we are so grateful. This project has allowed us to craft a new brand and a new space simultaneously, transforming a vacant historic building in Italian Village into a lively urban event space.

Located in the former Columbus Electrical Works building, the Edison namesake and logo draws inspiration from three themes: Thomas Edison’s incandescent light bulb, electrical circuit symbols, and a hand-drawn letter “e” that reflects a customized experience and attention to detail. Our team of graphic designers and interior designers has worked to ensure Edison’s values are reflected through every brand experience. We’re pleased to partner with Edison and FEHER Architecture in this business venture, and we can’t wait for this exciting space to take off.

Check out CSCA’s recap of the 2020 Creative Best Awards show to see all of the award-winning work from Central Ohio.

Click here to see the completed Edison space at the grand opening event in June 2021.

We are so honored to share that WSA received three awards during this year’s AIA Columbus Architecture Awards ceremony. The 2020 jury was led by Billie Faircloth, AIA, based in Philadelphia. Over the course of three days, we gathered virtually with the studio, our community of architects and designers, and the City of Columbus to celebrate the outstanding work created in our industry. If you missed it, you can watch the ceremony here. Just to recap:

Day one: OSU Mansfield’s Molyet Village Community Building wins a Merit Award.
Day two: RJE Business Interiors wins the People’s Choice Award.
Day three: This Research and Development Center wins an Honor Award.

So many thanks to AIA Columbus, our peers, our partners on these projects, the jury, and, most importantly, these out-of-the-box thinkers who challenged us to step up and design these environments that work. You’re the real MVPs.