Ethan Merritt
PROJECT MANAGER
Ethan Merritt was born into a family of builders and farmers. Fixing up house-holds and repairing machinery was a way of life on the prairie. Infusing the two, nature and technology, has been a focus of his throughout his studies and careers in art and architecture.
Ethan grew up in the Kansas prairie, where he studied nature up close and learned first hand about the need for pragmatic response to climate and geography. Choosing to stay in-state for college, Ethan graduated top of his class with a Master of Architecture from Kansas State University. The day after graduation Ethan drove himself to New York City and began sharpening his skills in several typologies under key leaders in the industry. The Lawrence Group NY as a leader in hospitality, wellness, interiors, and multi-disciplinary design. Later for PCA who continuously aims to employ passive house principles in a variety of scales of residential projects throughout the city of New York.
While in New York, Ethan was a student of the city; learning and being part of the current unprecedented pace of new construction. During his time there, he participated in the completion of dozens of projects, including large luxury gyms, retail rollouts across the United States and a few Canadian cities, remodels of Brooklyn brownstones, passive house certified projects, which includes design and documentation of a series of flat packed prefabricated single family dwellings, and many others. The remodels in the city took into account rehabilitation, restoration, reconstruction to keep the character and integrity of the building. Today, Ethan’s knowledge and experience spans an array of architectural design strategies, utilizing methods that include first-principles thinking, systems logic, and kit-of-parts construction methodology to deliver successful projects on time and within budget.
Ethan is currently serving on the Glenwood Springs Arts and Cultures Board. He is an active guest teacher at several institutions that provide him the opportunity to share what he’s learned with the next generation of architects and designers.
Ethan acts in the capacity of Project Manager. His architectural experience with various building types, coordination of consultants, and trades are a good fit to the organizational and technical design challenges associated with any project.
AMIR TANGESTANI
PROJECT MANAGER
Amir Tangestani is a seasoned professional in the building design and construction industry, boasting over 13 years of diverse experience across residential, health care, institutional, and commercial projects. Armed with a bachelor's degree in architecture and a master's degree in construction management, Amir has demonstrated his expertise on both sides of the industry. In his most recent role before joining the MDS team, he dedicated seven years to Kasian Architecture, where he played a key role in the design, development, documentation, and successful delivery of various high-profile projects. Notable among these are the QEII Health Science Centre in Halifax, a multi-campus healthcare facility with five separate structures dedicated to research and training, and the YVR Pier D Expansion, the largest project at YVR since 1996. His portfolio also includes the West Memorial Building rehabilitation in Ottawa, the One Water Street high-rise residential project in Kelowna, and initiatives for TD Bank and BC Hydro.
Recognized for his leadership skills, Amir is a staunch advocate for integrating technology into the building industry, with a particular emphasis on the proper application and use of Building Information Modeling (BIM).
