About Us
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| ABOUT US |
| Elevate Studio began in 2006 as studio jv|a, an architectural design and consulting firm in Grand Rapids, MI. After 18 years of professional growth and achievement with Progressive AE, and with a vision for a highly personal, hands-on approach to collaborative work and client participation, Jim Vander Molen founded the firm to specialize in the planning and design of spaces for spiritual and social community. Services include consulting for pre-design programming and facility evaluation, master-planning/feasibility studies, and interactive visioning workshops, as well as architectural and interior design, documentation, fabrication, and installation. The studio's work can be found throughout the Great Lakes region and the San Francisco Bay Area of California. In the spring of 2010, long-time colleague, co-designer, friend, and next-door neighbor Steve Fridsma joined Jim as a principal architect, and Elevate Studio was created. Jim and Steve share a creative history of nearly 16 years, including 12 years leading Progressive AE's Worship Environments Studio. Jim, Steve, and a close-knit group of collaborators are committed to a client-centered, participatory design process and design solutions that are imaginative, inspiring, and appropriate in fuction, appearance, and cost. This team is committed to partnering with each unique client to design environments that testify to their values, reflect their vision, and further their mission. Jim VanderMolen AIA LEED has 30 years of experience as a design architect, project manager, and studio leader, most recently as the founder and a principal architect for Elevate Studio in Grand Rapids, MI. Jim’s design work has received over 30 local, regional, and national design awards and he has presented and published papers on topics such as Green Learning Environments, Art and Liturgical Design, and Architecture for the Emerging Church. He has an infectious passion for all things creative. Jim’s project experience includes corporate, educational and civic facilities in the Great Lakes region as well as worship environments throughout the United States. He was the designer of the very first LEED-certified school building, the Goodwillie Environmental School in Ada, MI, and the first LEED-certified public transportation facility, The Rapid Central Station in Grand Rapids, MI. Jim has volunteered on such diverse projects as the design and construction of a critically acclaimed set for Opera Grand Rapids’ production of “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Philip Glass; “Building Our World,” an interactive display for the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum; and the winning entry in Habitat for Humanity’s “Design for Humanity” competition. He has served as the building committee chairperson for Church of the Servant Christian Reformed Church in Kentwood, MI, where he is also a musician and artist. He lives in Grand Rapids with his wife, daughters, and studio mutt, Jack. Steve Fridsma AIA LEED is a licensed architect, designer, and consultant with 17 years of experience in a wide variety of building types for ministry, educational, residential, and commercial clients. He is Co-Owner and Principal Architect at Elevate Studio in Grand Rapids, MI. Since 2001, Steve has focused his learning and experience on the design of worship and learning environments. Steve is the former Worship and Learning Environments Leader of Progressive AE, where he developed a passion for examining spiritual, technological, and cultural forces and discerning appropriate responses for each particular church or school’s unique ministry or learning context. He has published articles and presented at church and school facility conferences across the country concerning adaptive reuse of existing buildings, environments for alternative education, Creation Care and Sustainable design, and building types for emerging forms of learning and worship. He also taught an introductory design theory course, "Thinking Architectonically" at Calvin College, and has also served there as an exhibit curator, juror, and student advisor. He is the recipient of the 2007 Young Architect award from the American Institute of Architects Grand Valley Chapter. Steve has also served as a worship leader for four churches, and now serves on the Vision Team and in the worship arts ministries at Monroe Community Church, a downtown Grand Rapids, MI church plant. He lives in Grand Rapids, MI with his wife Mary, two children, and his office mascot, a retired racing greyhound named Roxy. Jim on Linked In Steve on Linked In |