Charles Williams Appointed as Managing Director for Civic + Cultural

Expert in project delivery and data-informed design will lead LPA’s civic and cultural work in Southern California.

Charles Williams, Principal at LPA Design Studios, has been appointed as Managing Director of the firm’s Civic + Cultural practice in Irvine. In the new role, he leads LPA’s integrated design teams in Southern California on a wide variety of library, public service, arts, museum and civic master planning projects.

Charles brings 13 years of experience as LPA’s Director of Project Delivery to his new position, in addition to years working as a project architect on civic and cultural projects. Charles led the effort to develop LPA’s project delivery best practices, currently in use across the firm.

“Charles literally wrote the book on project delivery at LPA,” says Director of Civic + Cultural Jeremy Hart. “He knows how to get projects done using public-private partnerships and progressive design build, which are so important right now for our civic and cultural clients.”

Throughout Charles’ career he has focused on developing tools and workflows for leveraging technology to inspire design and plan projects to ensure financial success and quality. His development of BIM, project management, and information management best practices have promoted a deeper understanding of design, higher productivity and greater insight on LPA’s projects.

“In returning to Civic + Cultural, one of my primary responsibilities is applying the best practices I helped develop to improve quality, effectiveness, and efficiency,” Charles says. “I’m excited to show our clients what’s possible when data informs the design process.”

Charles is a recognized national leader in digital design. In 2019, he served as chair of the American Institute of Architects’ Technology in Architectural Practice knowledge community and the Building Connections Congress. His insights about design technology have appeared in ENR and Architect.

As an architect, Charles has a deep background in civic and cultural work and a personal commitment to delivering projects that reflect and improve their communities. He is currently leading LPA teams on the Inglewood Library and Laguna Beach Civic Master Plan. Previously, he played an instrumental role in new designs for Fullerton Library, Laguna College of Art + Design, Laguna Beach Community and Senior Center, Malibu Library and Buena Park Police Department.