An Interview with our Architect Angelo Neofitos

We welcomed architect Angelo Neofitos to our team this year, and we’re excited about the passion and experience he brings to the table when it comes to product design and sustainability. As we expand our product lines to deliver a broader range of solutions, Neofitos is working with our manufacturing team to design and develop homes that can be rapidly built with our core values in mind.

Please enjoy learning about Neofitos and the contributions he’s making to our product and company culture.

What's your approach as an architect?

I believe in focusing on emotionally intelligent building solutions and products. I believe in taking a locally focused approach while maintaining a global perspective. In general I believe that it’s very easy to be different, but very difficult to be better.

Tell us a little about your background.

I have an academic background that focused heavily on modular construction research and CLT (cross-laminated timber) construction. I started as an intern in Chicago with Skidmore Owings and Merrill and Cannon Design as a research design analyst. After coming back to Salt Lake City I worked with Atlas Architects, a boutique design architecture firm focusing on commercial and modern residential projects. With Atlas I worked on several large SLC RDA (Redevelopment Authority) projects which helped revitalize the central 9th neighborhood in SLC. After leaving Atlas architects I’ve built my own architecture firm specializing in modern residential projects. 

Why did you want to work with Stack Homes, and what are you working on now?

When the opportunity to work with Stack Homes came my way I was very excited because modular design and construction are pushing the construction industry to progress. This is a big paradigm shift from the traditional design, bid, build process.

What potential do you see for modular homes to shape the housing landscape?

Modular home design excites me because it brings the progress and efficiencies of product design to architecture. Modular home design brings precision and cost savings that are not possible with traditional construction. Mass manufactured architecture has been a dream of the modernist movement dating back to the early 1900s. It’s very exciting to be part of that movement and push it forward at a time when technology and supply chain has finally made mass manufactured architecture a reality. I believe modular homes have the potential to change the housing landscape and bring a new era of affordability to home ownership.

You said you're passionate about product design. Why?

I love that product design encompasses design, engineering, and mass production to achieve a design that is within reach for the entire public. With product design you can impact so many people’s lives.

Do you think there's an area of home design that could use more focus in order to build homes more sustainably?

I believe the mechanical systems in home design have been overlooked. These systems are effectively the engine of the home. With progress in mechanical systems and design, we can reach a much higher level of sustainability in our homes. Much of today’s waste and greenhouse gas emissions come from building emissions and from construction waste. By building efficiently in a factory and by integrating efficient mechanical system into our modules, we can consider our planet as well as the client when creating these spaces.

What comes to mind when you think about the people who will be living in the spaces you design?

When I design homes for people I think about their everyday life and how they engage with their space. I love design because it’s a service to our species. It’s about putting a lot of love and care into a product for humanity and sending it out there for people to enjoy.