K. S. KEYS DESIGN
RESUME AND work experience
a brief description of my skill levels achieved in Design, Architecture and Cad Training.
1973-1975
I acquired a job working in a custom furniture shop and learned many aspects and techniques involving skills needed in making custom furniture.
1975
I ventured out on my own and began designing and building custom furniture, as well as other interior and exterior projects.
1977
I obtained my General Contracting license and started a Design / Build business designing Custom Homes and Remodels in a small beach community in California.
1982
I built a home for a Client on the island of Tahiti, in French Polynesia. This was a fabulous experience on several levels. I had to learn to speak some French and Tahitian in the process. This was the beginning of an ongoing relationship with French Polynesia.
1984
I was involved in another project in Tahiti, where I remodeled and upgraded an existing home that employed the use of a good deal of bamboo as accents on porch rails as well as interior wall detailing.
1986
I was a job superintendent for alterations and additions to an Elementary and High School in Cambria, California.
1986-1989
I continued on with my Design / Build business, as well as designing and building another personal spec home.
1989-1990
I lived on the island of Molokai, in the Hawaiian Islands. I had several Design projects that I brought along from California to work on, as well as doing some local Design work.
1990
I lived in and remodeled a property in Marathon Florida, in the Florida Keys. I basically took an old non-descript flat roofed house and added a steeper pitched metal roof, as well as other tropically oriented enhancements. I remained in Marathon Florida until 1993. While I was living in the Keys I was fortunate to spend some time with a very dear friend of mine who was more than knowledgeable about Dolphins. She most definitely inspired me to learn more about them.
1991
One of my most interesting projects in French Polynesia. I designed, as well as performed some construction, on a small two-story structure on a coral head in the middle of a lagoon on the island of Ahe. (I know it wasn’t environmentally correct, but that was not my call). They used the structure as a venue to graft the oysters, which produce the famous Tahitian black pearl.
1993-1996
I continued on with my Design / Build business in a small beach town in central California.
1996
I made the decision to stop my General Contracting business and focus only on Design. At this time, I also began giving training to others in the use of Vectorworks Cad Software.
1997
I produced an entire set of working drawings for a Medical Imaging facility (MRI), in California. I was working in conjunction with two associates, consultants and a structural engineer on this project.
1998-2003
My primary focus remained on Design work as well as Cad Training. Because of my skill levels and basic drawing package, I was often hired by other architects to do 3-d renderings, presentational graphics, virtual reality work, and animations of their projects for their Clients. In addition, I have set up several architectural and design companies to utilize VectorWorks Cad Software in their businesses.
2003-2009
I purchased a live aboard Catamaran in the fall of 2003. My new Catamaran, "Tere Hau Nui', made her way from California to Hawaii and was based in the Ko Olina Marina, on the west shore of O’ahu in the Hawaiian Islands. It proved to be quite exciting, thanks to the burgeoning
During this time I worked for several Architectural Firms in the Honolulu area. For IDS architects, I was hired to do working drawings and 3d modeling for commercial retail stores such as Crazyshirts, Rolex, Le Sportsac, Christopher James and several others. Genesys Design Group,
advances in technology and Broadband Internet, to be able to live and work from my catamaran sailboat. I still had a Client base in California and continued with Residential Design work as well as presentational graphics relating to architecture.
an O’ahu based Firm, commissioned me to produce several Renderings and Presentational Graphics for several Church Projects they were designing in Hawaii. In April of 2009 I left Hawaii and relocated my Catamaran to Vava’u,Tonga, where I spent one year living on my Sailboat. I continued with my Architectural Business designing custom homes as well as being outsourced
by other Architectural Firms in the US and Canada.
2010
In May of 2010 I departed Vava’u, Tonga and sailed to Fiji, where I lived aboard my Catamaran 'Tere Hau Nui' for 16 months and continued with my architectural practice, while floating on the beautiful waters of the South Pacific.
2011
In September of 2011 I sold my Catamaran and relocated to the island of Moorea, in
French Polynesia, where I continue with my own Business, as well as assisting other
Architects and Designers with their Projects.