Meet KA
For nearly thirty years I have practiced architecture across a variety of building types. I began designing custom residential, then broadened to public work, in particular university, cultural and educational buildings. As a design architect, I develop concepts, execute programs and oversee construction documents; and ultimately the construction and completion of each building.
Each design challenge represents a collaboration of skills that could be likened to a symphony, an orchestration of tradesman, consultants, engineers and interior designers. Though the challenges become greater as the buildings get larger, the composition of the team and communication are critical components in every project.
Over the last decade, my design focus has returned to the craft of residential architecture. When an architect is hired to create a home, he/she is invited into the setting of the family: its relationships, its pursuits and its beliefs. For me this is an opportunity to participate in a timeless and ancient craft: the creation of shelter and the warmth of the hearth. My love of the natural landscape, expressed abundantly in my paintings, inspires me to design environmentally sensitive homes that will remain integrated into the natural landscape for many generations.
Keith Anderson, R.A., can be reached at (406)223-2946. He works primarily from his studio office at 5277 W. Cameron Bridge Road in Manhattan, MT, and is NCAARB licensed in Montana and Vermont. admin [at] kaarchitecture [dot] co (Email).
Biography - Architecture
Keith graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Arts and a minor in Philosophy, and from Montana State University in 1983 with a Masters in Architecture. He is professionally registered and licensed as an architect in both Montana and Vermont. He started his career in Jackson, WY, where he has designed numerous homes, including one for Harrison Ford. He then moved to the East Coast, where he was a partner at Harriman Associates in Auburn, Maine for six years. As a Senior Architect he designed various large public buildings, including Presque Isle District Courthouse, for which he received an AIA Honorable Mention Award; several public schools, technical colleges and universities. After moving back to the Midwest where he grew up, he became a Senior Design Architect and Partner at a 250 person firm, KKE Architects, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During his five years there, he designed multiple educational and university projects, including the 55 million dollar Gateway Alumni Center, the 36 million dollar University of Minnesota Coffmann Memorial Student Union Renovation, and multiple secondary and charter schools. He also designed a number of mixed use clubs, including Calhoun Beach Club and Minneapolis Athletic Club.
After leaving KKE, Keith joined Gensler Associates in Houston, Texas, a thirty office firm with 3,500 employees. As a Senior Architect, Keith designed large educational facilities, including Laredo Community College, a 235,000 square foot, 30 million dollar facility that won an AIA award. He also designed the 350,000 square foot, 42 million dollar Cy Fair College, a technical college in Texas for which he also won an AIA award. Other significant projects Keith completed at Gensler include the African American Museum in Houston, TX; Schlumberger Research Facility in Sugarland, TX; and the University of Houston Academic and Science Center. Keith also worked a brief time as an associate at Leonard Parker Architects in Minneapolis, MN, where he was hired specifically to design a 4 million square foot mixed-use facility in Dalian, China; as well as Gwang Gu Convention Center in Korea.
After following his dream of moving out West, Keith joined Pearson Design Group in Bozeman, Montana in 2003. As Senior Design Architect, he designed over thirty custom homes at the Yellowstone Club in Big Sky, MT, ranging in size from 5,000 to 12,000 square feet and 5 million to 18 million dollars. Keith was also involved in the design of Pelican Lake House, a 24 million retreat in Minnesota, as well as multiple resorts and homes in Colorado and Vermont. Keith was instrumental in growing Pearson Design Group from a 3 million company to a 10 million dollar company in his seven years as lead designer.
With twenty-eight years of experience working for other firms, Keith decided in 2011 to open his own architectural firm in Bozeman, MT. Although his design expertise is broad, he is currently focused on residential and resort. He has most recently designed homes in Banner Elk, North Carolina at a golf resort and at Red Ledges Golf Resort in Heber, Utah. He is currently designing a large resort hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida and a ski resort home at the Yellowstone Club in Big Sky, Montana. Keith views architecture as a form of fine art that is lived in, combining the science of technology with the creation of the aesthetic. His professional career has been dedicated to creating complete architectural environments, harmonious within their natural context as well as their aesthetic and functional aims.