The next generation

Five local architects and architectural designers are changing the landscape of our valley by creating bold, contemporary designs that will possibly outlive them.

They’re not just edgy; they create geometric poetry. Interestingly, four of the five grew up in the Las Vegas Valley and have chosen to stay in their hometown to help the city create a look all of its own.

CJ Hoogland

CJ Hoogland, president of Hoogland Architecture Ltd. AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, was born and raised in Las Vegas and has seen the area evolve from an “anything goes” mentality to the opposite extreme, where homeowners associations spell out the minutia of our every choice from paint color to plant height.

The majority of his work is custom new-build residential, he says, and the baby boomers, “whose kids have moved out of the house and now their priorities have changed.

The local architect is inspired by minimalism, he says. “Since our lives are so saturated with appointments, electronic gadgetry and media, for a lot of people, the absence of those things that are vying for our attention is alluring. Minimalist architecture is the antithesis of that daily busy life. Going home to a space that is quiet is attractive to a lot of people.”

The 40-something lives in The Arbors in Summerlin.

Josh Moser

Josh Moser is close to obtaining his architect license and works for studio g ARCHITECTURE. He knew early on he wanted to build things, “as soon as I discovered Legos,” the 33-year-old said.

He designed the 2016 New American Home in MacDonald Highlands while working for Element Design-Build last year, and has since moved to studio g ARCHITECTURE. The home was showcased during the International Builder Show held in Las Vegas this winter.

Moser, who is also a Las Vegas native, is equal parts a fan of “the midcentury modern, contemporary style that we do here, and I’m also very fond of historical architecture across the board,” he said.

He lives in a single-family home in Henderson.

Tyler Jones

Tyler Jones, co-founder and owner of Blue Heron Design Build, is responsible for the company’s creative design development, forward planning and operations. Although he studied at the University of Colorado, he is not an architect, but his modern homes are very popular throughout the valley. A native Las Vegan, he has worked with the company started with his father, Steve, since 2004.

“We’re not in this business to re-create Tuscany, Venice or anywhere else. We want to create architecture that’s appropriate for Las Vegas, for our city, culture and our society currently, and also what’s appropriate for the Mojave Desert. Those are the things that fuel our architectural style,” he said.

At 38, Jones enjoys living in a downtown Las Vegas high-rise.

Michael Gardner

Residential work accounts for about 25 percent of the work done at studio g ARCHITECTURE, a firm started by Michael Gardner, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP.

His company designed one of the first privately owned homes in Ascaya. He is designing two more homes there. “It was fun. We got to do what we wanted to do, not so much having to have the client’s thumbprint on the project, so really showcasing our firm and what it’s about,” Gardner said.

The architect says Las Vegas is evolving from thematic styles of architecture into more intuitive, natural product. “I’ve noticed in the last three or four years that the sophistication of the Las Vegas consumer is definitely moving forward.”

Gardner, 37, was born in Sydney, Australia, but grew up in Northern California. He lives in a single-family home in Henderson.

Quinn Boesenecker

If UNLV had opened its law school sooner, Quinn Boesenecker might be arguing law instead of persuading clients to embrace his bold architectural designs. The 45-year-old was a PC wiz who mastered digital drawing and all things technical.

He planned on a career as a litigator but became impatient waiting for a local law school to open and instead pursued real estate, eventually taking a job with renowned Las Vegas architect Richard Luke and stayed 10 years before opening Pinnacle Architectural Studio.

Boesenecker, who was born in Michigan, moved to Las Vegas when he was 4. He is a licensed residential designer who never studied architecture in college. To pass his exam he had to draw by hand, something he’d never done. “It was a nightmare. Now they do it (test) on the computer, but back then they didn’t.”

He is building his second home, this one a midcentury modern in The Ridges.