Senior Architect, Associate Chris Hillebrand, AIA, LEED AP, recently celebrated his fifteen-year work anniversary at Shepley Bulfinch. Now he’s taking a moment to reflect on his journey: the projects, people, and experiences that have shaped his career and growth along the way.
Chris’s journey is filled with meaningful moments, lessons, and experiences that have influenced who he is as a designer and teammate. Hear what’s inspired him, what he’s learned, and why Shepley has been such a big part of his story.
What brought you to Shepley Bulfinch?
I started my career hand-drafting at a residential firm right out of undergrad, working on single family homes in Minnesota. It was a great foundation – both in architectural fundamentals and understanding how buildings come together. Then I moved to Boston to pursue my master’s at The Boston Architectural College, which allowed me to continue to grow my career during the day while going to school at night. I would work for multiple firms in Boston during my four years at the BAC, where I would later teach upon graduating.
As I was finishing my master’s, I completed my thesis on higher education and town-grown relations – all in Revit. Around that same time, the country was coming out of a recession, I needed a job, Shepley was hiring, and they happened to be transitioning to Revit, which aligned perfectly with my experience. I was fortunate to be placed on higher education projects right away, which continues to be a real passion for me. Fifteen years later, I’m still here and grateful for the timing, and for the opportunity to keep growing with incredible teams, clients, and collaborators.
What is your favorite part about working at Shepley?
My favorite part about working at Shepley is the people and the culture – it’s a place where leadership is truly accessible. I’ve worked in firms where leaders were behind closed doors, hard to approach. Shepley is the opposite. There’s transparency, openness, and collaboration at every level, and I really absorbed that, especially early in my career. Being surrounded by incredibly talented people with deep expertise helped me grow tremendously, and I’ve been fortunate to have several official and unofficial mentors along the way – people like Carole Wedge, Nat Finley, and Matt Gifford – who’ve helped shape my path.
I also love the work we do. Higher education projects at Shepley are never one-size-fits-all. I’ve had the chance to work with private institutions where the process is almost academic – testing and pushing brand new design ideas – and with public institutions where there’s deep trust in our expertise to apply our design research and innovations. That range keeps the work meaningful and constantly evolving.
What’s a fun memory you have from Shepley?
One fun memory that stands out is the Shepley pub crawls we used to do “back in the day.” A group of us would go bar hopping, sometimes even planning stops that matched the letters in “Shepley” – it was a hilarious and creative way to bond outside the office. More recently, I’ve really enjoyed coaching and playing on the Shepley volleyball team. It’s a great way to connect with colleagues in a fun, low-stakes environment. It brings out a different kind of teamwork that’s just as rewarding as the work we do together in the studio.
What has been one of your favorite projects to work on?
One of my favorite projects has been the Johns Hopkins University Hopkins Student Center, which is currently under construction, and expected to finish this summer. It’s been both challenging and incredibly rewarding. This project pushed me in new ways – applying new mass timber technologies, partnering with a big-name design architect, working with a major university client, and managing a team of over 20 consultants. The level of coordination and communication has been intense, but it’s also been a great opportunity for growth and collaboration. Seeing it come to life has been really fulfilling, and I look forward to seeing the university’s first student center welcome students in the fall.
Johns Hopkins University Hopkins Student Center, Baltimore, MD. Renderings © BIG.
What about the design process inspires you?
What inspires me most about the design process is both the beginning and end phases of a project. At the start, it’s the engagement with the client – getting to really listen, understand their goals, and build trust. That early dialogue is where the vision starts to take shape, and it’s incredibly motivating. Then at the end, seeing that vision come to life – watching the client and users experience the space for the first time – is always inspiring. It’s incredibly fulfilling to know we’ve been able to translate the clients’ needs and goals into a design that works, feels right, and brings value.
North Shore Community College, Lynn, MA. Photo by Anton Grassl.
What advice would you give to young designers?
One of the best pieces of advice I received early on was: complete a project on your own from start to finish – at the right scale – and you’ll be able to do anything. I didn’t fully understand it at the time, but it clicked for me after working on the Northshore Community College project. It was a very small team; I was able to gain experience drawing, presenting to clients, and working with the contractors during construction to build it. It was the right-sized project for me to wrap my head around and getting the experience to see it through from start to finish gave me so much confidence.
My advice to young designers would be to seek out or accept opportunities where you can take real ownership, no matter the task. It might feel daunting, but the growth you get from it is unmatched. It will change the way you see yourself as a designer and a professional.
Christopher Hillebrand, AIA, LEED AP
Senior Architect, Associate
Chris brings 15 years of experience in organizing consultants, contractors, and owners to understand everything from the overall project goals to the finer details.