About Compton Associates
R.Tom Compton, Architect
“Great architecture is inspired by and stands for the dreams of the client.”
R. Tom Compton, AIA
Founded Compton Associates, Development/Design in 1990
RTom is committed to the pursuit of architecture in the vein of the Master Builder. He has dedicated his carrier to understanding the nature of building materials and systems; their appropriate applications and assemblies; and finally the implementation processes necessary to create reasonable, functional and durable architectural solutions for every client.
The practice of Architecture is the source of training that has developed the free thinking spirit that defines RTom’s approach to problem solving. Every opportunity, large or small, is a chance to improve. There is never a best way to solve a problem… any problem. He often tells his clients, “If I were the best architect in the world and you the best client in the world, the solution we create today would not be the best for you tomorrow.” This is the process of evolution, the ever changing variables in life, that make every design unique and always captured in time. Architecture forms a static solution, maybe upgrade-able, yet static once complete. The adaptive nature of humans allows us to live, work and even thrive in the worst examples of building design. But to have the opportunity as collaborative partners, architect and client, to create specific solutions that capture your dreams can be the difference between surviving and thriving. Hence the phrase, “Great architecture is inspired by and stands for the dreams of the client”.
Key experiences & commitments include:”.
- A strong sense of Family, God & Country and the freedoms they bring;
- Educational background: United States Naval Academy at Annapolis and The University of Kansas School of Architecture;
- An appreciation for, and experience in, private business and entrepreneurial adventure;
- Broad practical experience gained as a project architect with a large architectural firm;
- Corporate experience as the in-house architect/land planner for a large land developer;
- Project management experience in the planning & development of hotel properties;
- Civic participation on not-for-profit charity boards;
- Public work as volunteer, including chairman of a regional task force defining building standards;
- President of a construction company, Compton Design/Build Inc.;
- Inventor/Developer/Manufacturer of a patented building system, EnergyEdge;
- CEO of EnergyEdge, LLC, distributing product across the U.S. & Canada through CertainTeed Corporation;
- Founding member of a manufacturers consortium developing international & emergency housing solutions;
- Multiple and on-going product manufacturing endeavors developing new building and system solutions;
- Owner of Compton Associates, founded in 1990 and designer of hundreds of successful projects across the United States & beyond.
