Shepley Bulfinch > People > Chris Nieto
In 2004 I co-founded Merzproject with my friend and neighbor, Joe Herzog, with the belief we could inspire others to create bold projects, and change Phoenix and the world through architecture. Before I met Joe I never thought I would be in the architecture business. I come from a long line of small business owners in Arizona and was happy learning the mechanical contracting business from my father. I was very good at what I did. When Joe moved in across the street from me I didn't expect that only 11 months after meeting him, I would leave the family business and enter into a profession, opening a whole new world for me and my family.
While Joe was the architect who had practiced for five years, I was the one who asked him to start an architecture firm with me. It was literally a phone call that lasted a few minutes and led to Joe quitting his job to become a business owner. My wife and I decided to be Merzproject's first clients when we bought the Modern Food Market building, which housed our first studio and the offices of two commercial tenants. When I sold the building I reinvested my earnings in real estate and in Merzproject design by becoming a client again with a renovation/addition project for Hoover House, our home since 2000, and the 'LINK,' a mid-century building in downtown Phoenix that is today a mixed-use restaurant / retail / office facility that houses Merzproject's office.
Not only did the process affect my everyday professional life, but it was important to learn architecture as a client and understand what being a patron of architecture truly meant. What better project than our new studio in which to discover a new profession, gain understanding of our clients, and create an inspiring world for our firm to inhabit every day of our lives?
Projects
The Galleries at TurneyMODUS Development
Medical Center
Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine
After Hours
Oleskow-Haan
New Public Library and City Hall Renovation
City of Show Low
University Outpatient Clinic
Arizona State University Health Services
The Link
Shepley Bulfinch
Corporate Training Center
BSH Corporation
Hoover House
Private Owner
Community Health Center and Administrative Campus
Navajo County