firm profile

SOE LIN & ASSOCIATES is a full-service architecture firm offering planning, architectural, and interior design services to both the residential and commercial sectors. After eighteen years of experience as an award-winning design associate and partner with a broad range of top firms, Mr. Soe Lin established SL&A in 1990 with a goal of providing first class design services to our clients.

To broaden the firm’s capabilities and world outreach, Soe Lin & Associates opened Soe Lin Group II in Myanmar, and joined forces with Architects 1990 and Kin Architects – leading architecture firms in Singapore and Germany respectively. These partnerships allow the firm to better service our international clients’ requirements, maintaining our hands-on approach, despite the distance. Our entire client base benefits from the broad experience and design techniques learned through the work of our associates around the world.

Drawing on our international experience, our firm offers a design vocabulary comprised of the environmental sensitivities of Asian architecture and craftsmanship, the discipline of European architecture and planning, and the modern technology of American architecture and construction.

The firm’s strength lies in its design philosophy. We believe that oftentimes:

“fortune comes disguised as misfortune.”

Our service oriented approach is to bring a positive outlook towards what may be perceived by others as constraints or problems.

Challenges allow us to draw on our creativity, talent and expertise to produce the best results possible. Even budgetary constraints can force more creative solutions.

This philosophy has earned Soe Lin & Associates a prominent client base with a full range of successful projects in the United States, Europe, and throughout Southeast Asia.

 

principal

Mr. Douglas Soe Lin, AIA Mr. Soe Lin, born in Yangon, Myanmar (formally know as Rangoon, Burma) is the founder and President of SOE LIN & ASSOCIATES, ARCHITECTS (USA) and SOE LIN GROUP II, ARCHITECTS (Myanmar) with associated offices in Singapore and Germany. Prior to forming SOE LIN & ASSOCIATES in 1990, he was a partner with Donnally, Donnally, Soe Lin Architects in Washington, DC. With numerous design awards and loyal clients to his credit, Mr. Soe Lin brings more than twenty-five years of diverse architectural experience to his clients in the United States and abroad. Mr. Soe Lin frequently lectures and contributes regularly to the Yangon Institute of Technology as a visiting critic. His continued community involvement includes participation with the Myanmar Buddhist Meditation Society, and leading clinics for the International Bando Association. Mr. Soe Lin holds a 6th-level Black Belt in Bando and a 3rd level Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do.

 

education

Master of Architecture in Urban Design,
Catholic University of America, 1976

Graduate Studies in Fine Arts,
George Washington University / The Corcoran School of Art, 1973

Bachelor of Architecture,
University of Oklahoma, 1972

Bachelor of Science – Environmental Design,
University of Oklahoma, 1972

 

professional affiliations

Member, American institute of Architects

Registered Architect, State of Maryland

Registered Architect, District of Columbia

Registered Architect, Commonwealth of Virginia

Board Member, Asian Real Estate Association, Washington DC

Board Member, Board of Visitors, University of Oklahoma College of Architecture

 

VICE PRESIDENT

Mr. Michael Greigg, AIA

Mr. Greigg joined SL&A in 1993. He has over fifteen years experience in all phases of architecture, from schematic design and design development, through construction documentation, into construction administration.

Mr. Greigg has served as project architect for over 60 million worth of commercial construction in both the United States and South East Asia. Such notable projects include the new headquarters for the Defenders of Wildlife, The Quince Orchard Park Community Center, the new photo lab for the Navel Maratime Intellegence Center (NMIC), The Shops at National Place, The National Press Building and a new office park in Chantilly Southgate I & II.

Mr. Greigg has also been the project architect for over 60 residential projects that include Single family homes, Additions and Assisted Living projects for the Housing Opportunities Commission.

Mr. Greigg also volunteers in the community through the Neighborhood Design Center. Providing design services to underserved Communities

Education

Masters of Architecture 1993
University of Maryland

Bachelors of Science in Architecture 1990
University of Maryland

Professional Affiliations

Member American Institute of Architects

Registered Architect in the State of Maryland

Registered Architect in the State of Virginia

Registered Architect in the District of Columbia

Registered Architect in the State of Delaware

Registered Architect in the State of Pennsylvania

Member of the National Building Museum

Member of NCARB

 

DIRECTOR of interiors

Ms. Vanessa W. Ford, AIA

With more than twenty years of experience in the Architecture and Interiors field, Ms. Ford has a thorough knowledge of building codes, building systems, finish specifications, and all aspects of design leading to smart solutions of project requirements. Her expertise is evident by the numerous successful commercial and residential construction projects on which she has served as Senior Designer, Project Manager, or Project Architect.

Vanessa brings a unique understanding of the design process to the table with her technical Architectural background in combination with her extensive Interior Architecture & Interior Design sensibilities. Notable SL&A projects include the Washington Research Library Consortium, The Grand Hyatt—Washington lobby bar and club fitness renovations, the Regional Headquarters for the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms, the BET Jazz Club & Restaurant, and the 2130 P Street lobby renovation.

Prior to joining the SL&A team, Ms. Ford operated a successful design practice which she formed in 1990, where she worked in the DC area, as well as Baltimore, Delaware, and New Jersey. Ms. Ford has also worked in notable architecture and interior firms in the Metropolitan area, including Perkins & Will, Donnally-Donnally-Soe Lin Architects, Vlastimil Koubek Architects, and Griswold Heckel & Kelly.

Ms. Ford’s diverse portfolio offers projects types from Mixed-Use Developments, Health Care, Insurance, Telecommunications, and Libraries, to Financial Institutions, Residential Custom Homes, Custom Furniture Design, and Not-For-Profit organizations. Noteworthy projects include a new Colorado Springs Campus for T. Rowe Price Associates, a new East Coast corporate headquarters for EarthShell Corporation, a new regional trading floor & computer facility Headquarters for Constellation Power Source in Baltimore, a new Model Office for CareFirst (Blue Cross Blue Shield), and boutique restaurants inclusive of Paolo’s at Towson Commons, Baltimore Inner Harbor and Reston Town Center, CinCin at Rio Center in Gaithersburg, and the Bayou Blues Café in White Marsh.

A native to the nation’s capital, Vanessa’s continued community involvement includes participation with The United Way, Baltimore Education Scholarship Trust, The Boys & Girls Clubs, The National Trust fro Historic Preservation, and Habitat for Humanity.

 

Education

Japan Independent Travel Study,
Pratt University, 1990
summer program

Bachelor of Architecture,
Cornell University, 1985
five year professional degree

Professional affiliations

Member, American institute of Architects

Registered Architect, District of Columbia

Member, The National Building Museum

Member, National Trust for Historic Preservation