Rand Elliott Architects believes concepts should be timeless,
and great craftsmanship and attention to detail are vital.
That light is the essence of architecture, even life itself.
And that our work is energized by light.
ABOUT US
EXPERTISE
As a multi-disciplinary design firm, we serve a variety of markets.
Corporate Campus & Office
Residential & Multi Family
Educational Facilities
Civic & Community
cultural & performing arts
historic preservation & renovation
Science & Technology
Restaurants & Retail
Infrastructure & Support Facilities
388
Awards for Architectural Excellence
450+
Books and Publication
Features
Rand Elliott Architects is a dynamic team of licensed practitioners and architectural specialists with a deep respect for the unique opportunities and challenges each client and project presents.
We maintain a close connection to each project’s unique history and surroundings, drawing inspiration from the landscape, how the light filters, and the prevailing wind.
REA strives to address not only the functional needs of our clients, but also how our work affects people, body and psyche. Atmospheres that awaken the senses, lighting that captivates, and materials and textures that create contrast and harmony; are all woven together to create a space that sparks an indelible experience.
Ultimately, we see our work as a poetic expression of our clients’ ideas. It is their story, expressed as architecture.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
- Architecture
- Interior Architecture
- Lighting Design
- Master Planning
- Historic Preservation
- Sustainable Solutions
ARCHITECTURE
Architecture is a profession as well as the art of designing and building, distinguished from the skills associated with construction.
It is the process and product of sketching (a dying art that’s become a meaningful benefit for REA clients). Rand’s sketches are invaluable for the process of conceiving, planning, designing, and overseeing construction – as well as communicating original ideas. The process serves structures beyond buildings, as seen in REA’s landmark 66-ft POPS bottle in Arcadia, the Will Rogers World Airport arrows or the Beacon of Light.
Defining “A Good Building”
Rand Elliott draws on the classical tenets of the Roman architect, Vitruvius, whose definition of a good building embodies durability, utility, and beauty (1st century B.C.). In the 19th century, Louis Sullivan declared that “form follows function.” (“Function” began to replace the classical “utility” and was understood to include not only practical but also aesthetic, psychological, and cultural dimensions.) The idea of sustainable architecture was introduced in the late 20th century.
Modern architecture began after World War I as an avant-garde movement that developed a striking new style to reflect a new post-war social and economic order to accommodate the middle and working classes. Modern techniques, materials, and simplified geometric forms paved the way for high-rise superstructures.
Over time, the field of architecture evolved to include everything from ship design to building interiors – i.e., Interior Architecture (another REA proficiency).
The Golden Section (aka Golden Ratio) is a geometric proportion that is particularly pleasing to the eye.
It’s 1 to about 1.618 and is frequently found in nature. It was first identified by Vetruvius.
For the Heartland HQ building in downtown OKC, Rand Elliott Architects applied the Golden Ratio to modulate window sizes for the transition from the mid-sized (one- and two-story) buildings of Automobile Alley to downtown’s larger scale. It creates order quietly; a grace note inserted into its surroundings where a surface parking lot had been for generations.)
Interior Architecture
As Rand Elliott sees it, “Architecture is architecture,” whether it’s inside or out. One supports
the other to carry the project through and illustrate a powerful result.
What Interior Architecture isn’t is Interior Decoration.
Virtually every REA ground-up project includes Interior Architecture, bringing the power of the design concept inside to deepen the experience. Scarcely any REA projects involve exteriors only.
That said, many REA projects are strictly Interior Architecture – i.e., working with an existing building (historic or otherwise) and creating an experience with energy, clarity and drama that uplifts as it illuminates the client’s story. Often, it’s the details that speak most indelibly.
Often, furniture is selected – or built — to support the concept.
A traditional example of interior architecture from our portfolio are a couple of art-driven residences – homes that reflect the client’s wishes and loves.
Yet many commercial projects are the result of a client’s need to communicate with clients and prospects. Rand Elliott Architects’ decades-long experience with ImageNet saw the company through many evolutions of technology. The idea is to showcase the brand’s story in a way that’s elegant – reflecting a sense of sophistication and imbuing it with a spirit that speaks, memorably and persuasively. ImageNet represented the cutting-edge, and loved bold, pioneering concepts.
Our work for ImageNet grew from Oklahoma City to Houston, Dallas and Carrolton, Texas. Some projects occupy historic building, others are in commercial warehouse or standard retail settings.
TWO PROJECTS: WORLD NEIGHBORS & FLOGISTIX
Here, one of Rand Elliott Architects earliest projects is paired with a recent work. One low-tech, one high-tech. Both occupy nondescript pre-existing buildings, leaving the interior as a stage for storytelling.
A GLOBAL VILLAGE: WORLD NEIGHBORS
Evoking the villages World Neighbors builds to support vulnerable populations.
For World Neighbors – a global cause that brings rudimentary housing to impoverished populations. Rand Elliott Architects transformed a suburban commercial building shell with Strand board, leather door pulls, cedar-lined restrooms with stainless salad bowl “sinks,” a corrugated acrylic roof. All evoke the fruit of the nonprofit’s work: Whole villages of shelter built to buttress vulnerable human lives.
A giant inflatable “Earth” eloquently speaks to the scope of the cause – unexpected, meaningful, and economical. Making “makeshift” a kind of poetry.
ESCAPE CAUSE: Tech to Stop Leaking Emissions
Flogistix Energy Technologies — another global, yet commercial, mission — occupies a nondescript 1970s building. The architects’ statement starts at the front door with an orange glow and river rocks to suggest hot, arid conditions. A graphic announces “Our Goal is Zero” as visitors enter a bracingly cool world and reflect on the goal of “Zero.”
Inside, the Rand Elliott Architects’ team used a 36-ft wide LED screen (and reflective side walls) to immerse visitors with the power of the story. The client’s powerful technology brightens the future of oil and gas and our planet by stopping methane leaks at the wellsite. (Captured, the carbon-heavy emissions are sold for productive use.)
Images of our fragile planet emanate from the screen as the “Blue Marble” hovers overhead. The company has drawn leaders of global nations to Oklahoma City to learn how to put Flogistix to work.
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