Coffee with the Fellows - V1S4 Andrew Wells, FAIA & Julian Colicchio, Assoc. AIA

Join us for our next Coffee with the Fellows on October 21.
Coffee with the Fellows is an ongoing series centered around a conversation between one Fellow and one emerging professional, interviewing each other. The podcast-like format allows for the inviting conversation to be live, recorded, and archived as a library of multigenerational design professionals. Coffee with the Fellows has allowed emerging designers to bloom as public speakers and design professionals and has activated Fellows as mentors and storytellers in a new way. The series earned the competitive Emerging Professionals Grant from the AIA National College of Fellows which has allowed Coffee with the Fellows to be shared more widely. Coffee with the Fellows aims to promote diversity across the profession and elevate the knowledge and expertise of our members. We look forward to you joining the conversation.

AIA Fellow | Andrew Wells, FAIA

Andrew Wells, FAIA is co-founder of Dake Wells Architecture, a design-centered practice of architecture, interiors, planning, and graphics, with an emphasis on progressive and sustainable design solutions. Founded in 2004 with Brandon Dake, FAIA, the practice has grown to include offices in Springfield and Kansas City, Missouri serving a variety of community minded public and private clients. Brandon and Andrew share a common vision to build a practice where a passion for design excellence forms the foundation of a collaborative design studio. Growing up in rural Missouri meant Brandon and Andrew could relate to the common public misconception that designed solutions are expensive or frivolous. Instead, they believe design is not only appropriate, but essential to our quality of life. It is rooted in thorough analysis, rigorous investigation, and meticulous execution that is achieved through diligence and commitment to the cause.

Andrew received a Bachelor of Architecture from Hammons School of Architecture at Drury University. His work for educational, commercial and cultural clients has been widely recognized for design excellence by the American Institute of Architects, The Chicago Athenaeum, The Chronicle for Higher Education, Interior Design Magazine, Contract Magazine and numerous other digital and print media outlets. In addition, he has served as an adjunct professor at the Hammons School of Architecture teaching upper level design studios, and as visiting critic at University of Arkansas,
University of Nebraska, Kansas University, and Keene State College, to name a few. In 2012, Andrew was elevated to the AIA College of Fellows for his contributions to the profession through design and education.

Emerging Professional | Julian Colicchio, Associate AIA

Julian began his undergraduate studies at John Carroll University where he pursued Engineering Physics. During his time at John Carroll he was also enrolled in architecture classes at Case Western University, where he realized his true passion for architecture. Julian earned his undergraduate studies at Kent State University (KSU) where he completed his Bachelor's Degree in Architectural and Environmental Design (2018). He continued his graduate studies at KSU where he earned a Master of Architecture. His grad school experience included a semester in Florence, Italy through the Study Abroad Program and a partial semester in Beirut, Lebanon through the traveling Index Studio. In Beirut, he conducted research and proposed new design strategies for a stronger connection regarding the pollution and barrier of the River Nahr.

Julian also earned a Master of Urban Design. His capstone project enabled him to pursue his personal interest in integrating autonomous vehicles with architecture and the built environment. Julian's research mended urban design strategies through 'adaptable' autonomous vehicle connections to the existing context in Harlem, New York.

He is the recipient of the AIA Student Design Award, Master of Urban Design Project Award and the Association of Licensed Architects (ALA) Graduate Student Merit Award, which recognizes an architectural student who has exhibited exemplary achievement throughout their graduate program. Julian is currently an Associate Member of the AIA and is working as a Studio Designer for Robert Maschke Architects, located in Cleveland, Ohio, a position he obtained during his graduate program.