OPN welcomes Tate Walker as Associate Principal
We are excited to announce that Tate Walker, AIA, LEED Fellow, WELL AP, has be promoted to Associate Principal, joining OPN’s leadership team.
In his more than two-decades as an architect, Tate has established himself as a nationally recognized leader on energy and sustainability in the built environment. Tate is an exemplary leader in our firm and industry, paving the way to a better earth through architecture.
He regularly writes and presents on issues relating to energy, technology, building science, and promoting environmental awareness through design. Tate has the distinctions of being named to the 2015 class of LEED Fellows and sitting on the AIA’s Committee on the Environment. Tate was a lead author of the COTE Toolkit, which assembles best practices, exemplary projects, metrics, and research to support the design of beautiful, high performing buildings. In 2019, AIA adopted the toolkit as the Framework for Design Excellence for the entire membership, to support a healthy, zero carbon, equitable, resilient future for all. He’s committed to pushing our practice to the forefront of sustainable design, delivering cost- and energy-efficient, health-conscious, and resourceful solutions to meet the varied needs of his clients.
I am inspired by the collaboration in my field of work and everyone that touches it. I’m always excited for a new project, and all the new ways I can serve a building and the people in it.
Tate also was the AIA Wisconsin President in 2019 and was part of the AIA COTE Leadership Group from 2017-2019. Tate has served many organizations, including cities and universities, holding positions on the USGBC Energy & Atmosphere Technical Advisory Group, a Chair on the AIA 2030 Commitment in 2021, the AIA Strategic Council from 2021-2022. He also co-authored the DFDM Sustainability Guidelines for Capital Projects for the State of Wisconsin.
“Tate is a great leader across the firm and the architecture field. From projects to sustainability initiatives, he is extremely involved and dedicated to his work and those he works with. His experience is rooted in the architectural design process, but his knowledge spans far past programming and project management. Tate has been a crucial part in the development of technical guidelines for high performing buildings.” – Wes Reynolds, Principal
During his tenure at OPN, Tate has served most projects with sustainability consulting and design implementation, and has co-led OPN’s design excellence program. He led the design of the award-winning Madison Fire Station No. 14, which set a precedent for highly efficient, healthy public spaces. The LEED Platinum building, which has also garnered a National AIA Justice Facilities Award and an AIA Wisconsin Design Award, was designed using the AIA Framework for Design Excellence, setting a new set of standards and processes for the city.
“We are looking forward to having Tate direct the firm and grow into his new role. We know his insight and passion will bring so much opportunity to OPN.” – David Sorg, Principal