PIVOT Architecture is pleased to introduce our three newest hires! We welcome two designers as well as an administrative and marketing assistant to our team.

Designer Justen Stiles

Justen joins PIVOT with five years of architectural experience. Originally from New Jersey, Justen has practiced architecture on both the East and West Coast. He holds undergraduate degrees in Environmental Science and Art History from Drew University as well as a Master of Architecture from the University of Oregon. A Certified Passive House Consultant, Justen looks at the world through an ecological framework and brings sustainability to the forefront of every design decision. In his free time, you will find Justen at the coast surfing or spending time outdoors with his partner, stepdaughter, and dog.

Designer John Miller

After stepping away from PIVOT last summer to complete his Master of Architecture and Master of Interior Architecture at the UO, John has returned! Along with his masters’ degrees, John also holds a Bachelor’s of Psychology from Simpson University and has more than 20 years of construction experience. A wheelchair user, John is passionate about accessible design and creating connections with others. He is a man of many talents, including singing, playing drums, and digital art. However, there is nothing more important to him than his family.

Administrative and Marketing Assistant Hannah Felt

Hannah joins the team after graduating from the UO with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, concentrated in marketing, and a minor in Environmental Studies. She comes to PIVOT with a wide variety of experience, including digital marketing, administrative support, and office coordination. Hannah strives to be a change agent for sustainability and amplify voices of those making positive impacts, socially and environmentally. When not at work, Hannah enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with her partner and dogs.

Here comes double trouble! This summer, PIVOT has selected two students for the PIVOT Architecture Fellowship which is designed to let University of Oregon students explore a research project of their choosing and work within our project teams.

Josh Garhofer’s project focuses on the study of mobile home parks and manufactured housing looking at how their stigma influences neighborhoods. This stigma can lead to reduced property values, increased traffic, additional public infrastructure, increased risk of fire danger, and other issues. With affordable housing a pressing issue, his proposal aims to address this concern by understanding the viability of manufactured housing for creating sustainable, affordable housing developments that provide residents with safe and comfortable living conditions while changing the stigma of these types of housing.

Josh is from Seaside, OR and owns a home in Springfield, OR near a proposed manufactured housing community. He has a bachelor of arts in media communications with a minor in liberal studies from Oregon State University and is pursuing a master of architecture at the UO.

Willy Benjamin’s project looks at the feasibility of incorporating biogenic materials into conventional construction to sequester carbon and reduce the embodied energy of the built environment. With buildings contributing to nearly 40 percent of global energy-related CO₂ emissions, regenerative buildings have the potential to significantly reduce the negative impact on the environment. His project aims to explore the barriers to and opportunities for the implementation of proven, yet alternative building materials.

Willy is originally from Hotchkiss, CO and served in the Peace Corps in Senegal. He has a bachelor of arts in international studies with minors in French, writing, and rhetoric from Trinity College and is pursuing a master of architecture at the UO.

About the PIVOT Fellowship

The PIVOT Fellowship is a means of fostering original thought about issues outside the daily routine or obvious future trajectory of our firm’s thought process. PIVOT selects fellows based on the nature of their project proposal and other factors. It is a paid position and the term runs from June until September. The fellowship is open to students for the summer preceding their final year of study at the University of Oregon. The fellows’ projects constitute half of the candidates’ responsibilities. Fellows will also be incorporated into PIVOT project teams for the duration of their term.