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H. Hamilton Lowder
Influencers 18 years ago No Comments

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HHLowder-web.jpgWe discovered IIDA Government Forum Advisor H. Hamilton Lowder at NeoCon 2005 when he gave a talk about sustainability, designing for the U.S. Government, and using the design-build process to increase efficiency. He was knowledgeable and interesting, worked for an employer that hadn’t been on our radar, and was downright funny. We immediately liked him. So, of course we were thrilled when he agreed to let us put the spotlight on him for PLiNTH & CHiNTZ readers.

H. Hamilton Lowder, IIDA, is the Lead Interior Designer for the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest. That’s right — for the United States Navy. No, he’s not in the military, but he does design and manage projects for “just about any building type you might find in a small city,” as he puts it.

He oversees the development and project management of in-house and contracted Interior Design Services for west coast naval facilities from California to Alaska and for the Pacific Rim. Who knew” How many of you have considered the U.S. Government as a potential future employer” Sheepishly, we admit that we certainly hadn’t; but once Hamilton began telling us about his work, we were transfixed…


Where It All Started

 

“I feel privileged to have received an Interior Design degree under a Bachelor of Fine Arts [BFA] program from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. Unlike a Home Economics program, the BFA requirement included a good deal of fine arts courses in painting, anatomy drawing, sculpture, art history along with architecture and drafting classes. I feel the result offered a great cultural advantage over other degree programs.

“I still am very interested in fine arts and maintain a passion for abstract painting, as time will allow. This, I feel, has also enhanced my ability as an Interior Designer with a keen understanding of color, form, scale, and other “painterly” elements of design as they pertain to interiors.”


All Experience Is Good Experience

Hamilton has worked in many of the same fields as most designers: retail merchandising, department store design, furniture manufacturing / marketing, and contract interior design and management (furniture dealer level). What sets him apart, though, is his 25-year stint in Governmental Interior Design.

But let’s let Hamilton tell you about Hamilton: “My first real job was selling shoes in my father’s store. I learned that women will always try to get a size 9 foot into a size 7 shoe. I also learned how to use a bunion stretcher (not pretty). But most of all I learned how to sell — a skill you must have as an Interior Designer!”

Hamilton’s first “real” job in the design industry was in Department Store Design for JC Penney Corporate in NYC, which was quite a change of pace from small-town west Texas where he grew up: “I learned how to ‘manually’ draft and how unglamorous Interior Design can be. I also learned how Joe Buck felt in Midnight Cowboy, being transported from Texas to NYC without a clue! The job was secondary. The real learning experience was living in NYC in the early 1970s.”


Turning Lemons Into Lemonade

“My biggest work-related mistake was going to work as a manager of a contract furniture dealer without a signed contract stating percentage-of-profit as a yearly bonus. I had a verbal commitment from the owner, but the bonus was not [paid]. My loss was substantial. This event was actually a good thing for me, as it propelled me into my government career, which is something I have never regretted.”


Anchors Aweigh

“I had a good friend, Paul Roseland, who was one of my Texas Tech Interior Design Professors, a mentor, and a friend, who went to work as one of the first Interior Designers ever for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers [USACE] in Fort Worth, Texas. When things were not working out for me in the private sector, and I was very discouraged, he encouraged me to apply for a position with USACE telling me there were guaranteed increases in pay and world travel — who wouldn’t jump on that bandwagon”!

“I have now worked for the Federal Government in Interior Design and Project Management for over 25 years and have never once regretted it. It has allowed me to work on high visibility projects all over the world and has enabled me to live in Fort Worth, Texas; San Francisco, California; Frankfurt, Germany; and, now, San Diego, California. It seems unbelievable to me that I’ve been working this long in my government career. Of course, there are challenges, as there are with all jobs, but I have to say, I couldn’t have made a better career choice.

“I currently act as an Interior Design Project Manager for Navy west coast projects. Most of my projects are Congressionally-funded, land-based Military Construction projects. Types of projects range from Enlisted and Officers’ Quarters, Admin Buildings, Clubs, Child Development Centers, Gymnasiums, Hospitals, Clinics, and just about any building type you might find in a small city.

“Working in the public sector, rather than the private sector, has its own set of challenges. We have unique challenges with Design-Build (fast-track construction), furniture specification and procurement, ensuring competition with best-value documentation, utilization of GSA -scheduled products, adherence to the Federal Acquisition Regulations, and a host of other unusual considerations.

“Also, Interior Designers working for the Department of Defense are usually working for engineering offices generally run by Civil Engineers. The acceptance of the role of Interior Designer in an ‘engineering world’ has been, and continues to be, one of our greatest hurdles.”


This One Made It All Worthwhile

“I created an award-winning and published design for a Consolidated Club at Naval Air Station El Centro, California. The challenge was great with a tight budget and for a facility that was in great distress. The working relationship with the Commanding Officer was a great help in facilitating an excellent design solution. It was a project that really made the creative juices flow, and [was] one of the few projects I’ve worked on where the customer really trusted the Interior Design team. The synergy was there and worked its magic.”


A Typical Day” Never!

“A year ago I was challenged with the largest furniture specification of my career. It was for $22 million in furniture and furnishings for Los Angeles Air Force Base. Managing the Interior Design firm tasked with the project and then sitting on the Acquisition Team for procurement was a monumental feat. I thought that was the largest project I would ever see, but just last year I was tasked with managing the Interior Design for a hospital and ten support facilities in Okinawa, Japan. The total estimate for FF&E for the project is over $40 million, with up to twelve trips to Japan to facilitate the project. Will I survive the stress” Only time will tell. So much for those that have said, ‘Oh, you have a cushy government job.’”


Man On A Mission

“A coworker of mine ‘passed the torch’ to me as the IIDA Government Forum Advisor. She told me it was an easy task and would not be terribly time consuming. All I can say is, ‘She lied!’ The task has been very time-consuming, but also extremely rewarding.

“My first Government Forum meeting at NeoCon 2005 had triple the attendance of the previous year. This might have been luck, but I’d like to think it was due to hard work and a lineup of speakers that was both interesting and appealing. Attendees were public sector Interior Designers and related representatives of industry.

“There is also a yearly IIDA Industry Roundtable meeting in Chicago every September for the Advisory Board. This meeting is to establish and discuss topics of interest to our industry. Past discussions have been the impact and interface of Interior Design on product branding and commercial real estate. The outcomes of these roundtables are published as industry tools to the professions they impact. My mission as the IIDA Government Forum Advisor is to promote the cause of Interior Design within the public sector.”


Listen To Hamilton, For He Knows

“There are many other professions offering you more money — that’s for sure! If getting rich is your quest, look elsewhere. I think you must have a passion for design and design-related endeavors, must be creative in thought processes, and must continually look in awe at nature’s colors, textures and shapes. Learn to sketch and draw and to conceptualize in that way. You need to be able to look at life differently and accept diversity with glee.

“Above all you must have a keen sense of humor, for without it, you are doomed to a dull and uninteresting career. When I mention passion [I mean that] I am constantly design-aware; I’m always visually going through a cerebral critique of interiors, fashion, architecture, art, and all else that I can see. Driving home tonight I will probably be thinking, ‘The taillights of that car in front of me are extremely well-designed.’ It never stops. It is a passion that could be thought of by some as OCD!”


Now For The Fun Part

What would you not travel without”
In a car: navigation and a cell phone. On a plane: zinc tablets, a facemask, and antibacterial gel. On a cruise ship: a large napkin and a map to the dining room.

When do you feel the most creative”
In the late morning after a big pot of coffee. Or in the evening after a big martini… or two.

Where do you go to get away from it all”
When there’s money . . . Amsterdam, Venice, or Tuscany. When there’s little money . . . San Francisco, Sonoma, or Napa.

What’s the most useful thing you learned from your parents”
From my father, independence and lots of humor. From my mother, unconditional love and lots of humor.

What the one thing that you wish you knew more about”
Horticulture and cooking. Actually I’m pretty good at both. Luckily, unlike some [people], I’ll have something fun to do when I retire!


Why We Like Him

Is there any other information that you would like to mention that we haven’t covered here”
Are you kidding”!


To chat with Hamilton on the truly interesting world of Interior Design for the Government (if you can catch him between flights to Japan), you can email him at henry.lowder@navy.mil. You can also look at the Naval Facilities Engineering Command website to view projects completed by the Interior Design Team and to find out more about what they do.