Jim Brown, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP

Founding Owner | Architect

Jim, originally from Oklahoma, graduated from Oklahoma State University with a professional degree in architecture in 1990. Drawn to the opportunities in the Great Northwest, he accepted an offer from LMN Architects and started his career in Seattle. Over his 17 years there he worked on high profile projects in Seattle and across the country. Most notably, Benaroya Hall and The Seattle Public Library where he spent six months living in The Netherlands working in the Rotterdam office of OMA (Rem Koolhaas) who were the joint venture partners with LMN. In 2003, Jim furthered his leadership acumen by receiving an associate’s degree from the University of Washington in Design Firm Leadership and Management. Jim spent five years as the design team leader for the Vancouver Convention Center West project in Vancouver, Canada. The building earned a LEED Platinum designation and three National AIA Honor Awards for urban design, building design and interior design. The building was also the media center for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Jim started his own practice in 2008 by founding URBANADD Architects. He led the company for over 16 years, producing award-winning projects across the Northwest and in his home state of Oklahoma. His passion for working closely with clients, consultants, and contractors produced hundreds of successful projects and happy clients. One of URBANADD’s earliest collaborations was with Ryan Rhodes Designs, where they co-designed several public projects, most notably, the Silver Fir Lodge at The Summit at Snoqualmie Ski Resort just outside of Seattle.

In March of 2024, The Summit again called on the team to perform a renovation study for the Alpenhuas Lodge at Summit West. The team came back together with staff from both firms working collaboratively. Jim and Ryan soon realized it didn’t make sense to continue operating two separate firms with the kind of synergy they were observing. In September of 2024, RRD co-located with URBANADD and the new firm was launched – RRA Architecture!