Katherine Leija is highly proficient in Revit and AutoCAD using them daily to assist the CSHQA team in designing and completing construction documents for various projects. As a child she would find herself analyzing the spaces she was in. She would look at how things were laid out and ponder if there could have been a better way to arrange them to improve their function. As she got older she began to notice how buildings differed and how each one had an impact on the community. This is when she knew that she was meant to be an Architect. She wanted to be the one to make a difference, designing buildings that stand out among the rest in functionality and design.
Katherine was inspired by sustainable architecture through her studies at the University of Idaho. She designed a restaurant to the standards of the Living Building Challenge for her graduate project These standards require the buildings designed to be regenerative and connect its occupants to light, air, food, nature, and community, they also need to be self-sufficient and create a positive impact on the human and natural systems that interact with the building. “I would love to design and build at least one of these Living Buildings in the lifetime of my career.”
Family is especially important to Katherine. When not working she spends time with her husband and five kids, three boys and twin girls who surprised the family in 2020. Summers are filled with camping, fishing, hiking, and some minor farming complete with small garden and the raising of a calf or two! In winter things typically slow down a bit, but growing up in Jackson Wyoming, Katherine enjoys snowboarding and tries to hit the slopes when she can.
Education
MArch, University of Idaho
BS, Architecture, University of Idaho
AAS, Drafting Technology, College of Southern Idaho