Jagoda Shipley

My Story

Growing up in a city in Poland, I frequently marveled at the incredible history hidden behind every corner of every building. The buildings told stories of hardships and struggles, while others spoke of wealth and growth. At that time I never realized that one day any building of my own design could be the backdrop to someone's own story, someone's future history. Dedicating my life to our client's spatial needs and embodying them through designs to meet their expectations with the highest satisfaction, I never thought that the same dedication would allow me to create my own stories. On a recent walk through the Zoo I could show my son the wonderful giraffe exhibit expansion that allowed the zoo to house a couple newborn Giraffes, and on another occasion I took my parents shopping for new furniture at a store on which I had spent long hard  hours of work. Having experienced the history aspect of architecture firsthand, I find motivation to continue allowing people to create their own stories, but also to preserve those of people of the past. As a result, my love for architecture lays in not only creating new memorable places, but also respecting those that already exist through proper maintenance and restorations such as those at the historical Grosse Pointe Schools, and local catholic parishes. When you strive to create, and you love what you do, the hard work becomes the easy part, the rest is history.

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"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act but a habit" - Aristotle