Interior Design

1999

Design principal, Sottile & Sottile, Urban Design and Civic Architecture, Savannah, Georgia; urban research fellow, Florence, Italy; city architect, City of Beaufort, South Carolina; professor of architecture, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Georgia; apprentice, John C. LeBey, FAIA, Architect, Savannah, Georgia

Establishing Sottile & Sottile as an international, award-winning urban design and civic architecture practice with its primary focus on civic design and master planning, emphasizing historic research, urban analysis and community-wide engagement. Most recently, Sottile led the design of the new SCAD Museum of Art, a historic preservation project that revived the freight sheds of the Central of Georgia Railroad complex, a National Historic Landmark and the only extant antebellum railroad complex in the United States.

• National Council of Arts Administrators, Art Leadership Award, 2011
• AIA National Honor Award for Urban Design, 2010, 1998
• Congress for the New Urbanism, Charter Award, 2009
• Government Finance Officers of the United States, 2009
• AIA Georgia Honor Award, 2008, 2005, 1996
• Georgia Department of Community Affairs, 2008, 2005
• Historic Savannah Foundation, Preservation Award, 2008, 2004, 2002, 2001, 2000
• American Planning Association, 2008, 2005, 2004
• Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, 2003
• USA Today, Top 100 Academics in the Nation, 1998

Preservation magazine: "New Life for an Old Depot: Remnants of an 1853 railroad depot contribute to a major expansion of a Savannah Museum"

SCAD press release:

• SCAD names Christian Sottile as dean, School of Building Arts

American Institute of Architects; National Council of Architectural Registration Boards; National Council of Arts Administrators; National Charrette Institute; Veritas Academy Rhetoric School; Savannah Development and Renewal Authority; Creative Coast Alliance; Congress for the New Urbanism; American Planning Association

• TEDx Conference, Recovering Humanity in the Built Environment
• China, Jiujiang City, US Planning and Historic Preservation
• Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, The New City
• Georgia Conservancy, Blueprints for Successful Communities
• New York Project for Public Spaces, Livability Forum
• Urban Land Institute, The Next Big Ideas
• United States Urban Forestry Program, Savannah's East River
• American Planning Association, National Conference, Human Design Principles
• International Making Cities Livable Conference, Design Districts
• National Public Radio, History of Ellis Square
• National Endowment for the Humanities, Sustainable Urbanism

"To engage in discourse about our collective future, to dissolve perceived boundaries between design disciplines and to re-establish art as the shared language of the built environment. The future is the city. It is the place where all design disciplines come together and where all design disciplines are needed at the same time. At SCAD, we are doing nothing less than preparing students in the School of Building Arts to be the designers of the new city."

• ARLH 306 Reading Urban Form
• ARCH 302 Architecture Design Studio II
• ARCH 303 Architecture Design Studio III
• ARCH 421 Advanced Architectural Presentation
• ARCH 765 Emerging Urban Issues
• INDS 321 Interior and Exterior Illustration

"Make it so beautiful it breaks their hearts; fills their minds with wonder; and awakens their soul to awe."

President, owner, David Rodriguez; northeast and international regional director, bebe stores; dressed celebrities such as Jessica Alba, Heidi Klum, Oprah Winfrey and Eva Longoria; work featured in "Devil Wears Prada," "Sex in the City" and "Friends," among others

Moet et Chandon Designer Debut Award, MODA Award for Hispanic Designer of the Year, Fashion Group International Rising Star Award Finalist, Smithsonian Center Legacy Award, selected by Elle Magazine as one of 10 designers for the Focus Group, Profiled in The Atlantan magazine's September 2009 fashion issue "Look Who's Talking"

• FASH 105 Introduction to Textiles
• FASH 110 Introduction to Fashion Design
• FASH 303 The Business of Fashion
• FASH 419 Current Trends and Forecasting
• FASH 422 Fashion Portfolio Presentation
• FASM 215 Fashion Aesthetics and Style
• FASM 220 Fashion Merchandising, Planning and Control
• FASM 245 Retail Buying Simulation
• FASM 310 Private Label Product Development
• FASM 400 Contemporary Issues in Fashion Merchandising
• FASM 410 Retail Management
• FASM 420 Global Sourcing and Import Buying for Fashion
• FASM 425 Visual Merchandising Communication for Fashion
• LXFM 720 Supply Chain Management Strategies
• LXFM 730 Marketing of Luxury Goods

2009

Eleven years of design and construction management experience in a variety of different firms that specialized in high-end residential, hospitality, institutional and retail design; assistant professor, California State University, Long Beach; principal of Khoi Vo Design; principal, Studio Four Los Angeles, Signal Hill, California; designer, Quatro Design Group, Los Angeles, California; designer, Johnson Favaro Architecture, Santa Monica, California; chair and professor, department of interior design, School of Building Arts, Savannah College of Art and Design; assistant professor, director of interior architectural design, Design Department, California State University, Long Beach; visiting instructor, architecture, The Art Mill School of the Arts, Bohemia, Czech Republic; instructor, interior design, Art Institute of California Orange County, Santa Ana, California; master's thesis advisor, architecture, Southern California Institute of Architecture, Los Angeles, California

"As a professor I have had the opportunity to work with incredibly talented students to prepare them to be creative professionals in the design field. As chair, I have had the opportunity to work with great faculty and staff in leading a nationally ranked interior design program that is internationally recognized."

SCAC (Scholarly and Creative Activities Committee Grant), Spring 2006; 3E (Enhancing Educational Effectiveness Grant), Spring 2006

International Interior Design Association, Interior Design Educators Council, U.S. Green Building Council, American Society of Interior Designers, SCI-Arc Alumni Association

Articles

• Tony Ozuna, Prague Post: School & Education, March/April 2008, interview
• Donna Dorian, Garden Design Magazine, September/October 2005, product review
• Architectural Record, New York City, New York, October, 2004, product review
• Dwell, September 2004, photograph of product
• James Lippincott, Land + Living, August 2004, product showcase
• David Keeps, Los Angeles Times, product showcase, Los Angeles, California, Sept. 2, 2004, p. F7
• Donna Dorian, Garden Design Magazine, July/August Issue. Product review
• The New York Times, New York, New York, Aug. 7, 2003, p. D2, photograph of product

Presentations

• Presenter, Southeastern College Art Conference, October 2010, Richmond, Virginia
• "Baba: An Interior View of the Czechoslovakian Werkbund Housing Estates," Interior Design Educators Council, March 2010, Atlanta, Georgia
• "Baba: Inside the Czechoslovakian Werkbund Housing Estates," Modern Interior Symposium, March 2010, Atlanta, Georgia
• Organizer and host, Architecture Education Summit 2007, April 2007, The Standard Hotel, Los Angeles, California. Created and executed a three-day symposium that brought together architects and educators from around the country to discuss the current state of design education. Keynote speakers included Hitoshi Abe and Michael Maltzan.
• "Modeling Disaster Preparedness and Relief through Complexity Theory," Disaster Recovery & Redevelopment Conference, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 2006

TV appearances

• "Visiting with Huell Howser," show No. 1307
• HGTV, "Landscaper's Challenge," episodes 609, 806.

"The continuation of excellence within the discipline of interior design hinges on the education of the next generation of designers. It has always been a personal and career goal and desire of mine to be a design educator. Having been so influenced by my own personal experiences with great teachers throughout my education, I hope to contribute to the next generation of designers in the same manner."

• INDS 102 Form, Space and Order
• INDS 210 Interior Design Studio II
• INDS 310 Interior Design Studio III
• INDS 480 Interior Design Studio VI

"Working with designers and artists from multi-faceted disciplines in a collaborative effort to create environments that inspire users of all different types."

khoivodesign.com

2008

Principal, Off Grid Studio; studio director, Gerding Collaborative; senior engineering consultant, EMG; project manager, Sharpe Architecture; intern architect, PHA Architects; intern architect, LDDI Architects; intern architect, SRSSA; professor, Savannah College of Art and Design; adjunct professor, American Intercontinental University; summer program instructor, Duke University; teaching assistant, North Carolina State University

Through my work with the mayor's sustainable building task force, the Sustainable Cities Institute and SCAD, I have been able to bring attention to - and advocate for - the role sustainability may play in resolving many of the challenges facing our society. I am proud to invest in our next generation of designers and civic leaders as they embrace the challenge of creating a more regenerative environment for those yet to come.

Georgia Interfaith Power & Light Award for Volunteer Service, 2007; EMG Commitment to Excellence Award, 2006; EMG Outstanding Leadership Recognition: Tundra Portfolio, 2005; Service Recognition, Board of Directors, Atlanta Community ToolBank, 2002; Design Technology Award, North Carolina State University School of Design, 1995.

American Institute of Architects; American Society of Interior Designers; Construction Education Foundation of Georgia; Interior Design Educators Council; International Interior Design Association; Southface Energy Institute; U.S. Green Building Council

Publications

• Layman, “Organization Essential Before Selecting Designer,” Atlanta Business Chronicle, July 1-7, 2011, page 35A
• Harrington and Maslia, “Communication is Important to Architectural Process,” Atlanta Business Chronicle, Aug. 15-21, 2008, page 5B
• Totten, Shane. Interviewed with Audrey Galex. AIB News. Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters, Atlanta, Georgia, June 27, 2008
• Totten, Shane, “LEED-CI and Real Estate,” Facilitec e-newsletter, Oct. 2007

Presentations

• “The Rise of the Green Building Ordinance,” GreenLaw monthly meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, June 9, 2010
• “The Impact of Sustainable Building Ordinances on Design and Construction Teams,” Construction Seminar, College of Architecture, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Georgia, March 15, 2010
• “The Power and Responsibilities of Designer’s Choices,” and “What Powers You?” Going the Green Mile Green Idol Contestant Workshop, Atlanta, Georgia, March 12, 2010
• “Fulcrum’s Going Green: It’s going to be a Great Ride!” Fulcrum Construction Annual Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, Jan. 29, 2010
• “The Rise of Sustainable Building Ordinances: Atlanta,” GreenBusinessWorks Expo, Atlanta, Georgia, Sept. 2, 2009
• “Sustainability and Transportation,” Institute of Transportation Engineers, Georgia Chapter, Atlanta, Georgia, June 11, 2009
• "Space Planning, Urbane Design and Sustainability in High Rise Living," SCAD Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, May 5, 2009
• Moderator for “Atlanta Sustainable Building Ordinance,” Buckhead Kiwanis, Atlanta, Georgia, March 23, 2009
• “Atlanta Sustainable Building Ordinance,” Construction Managers Association of America, Atlanta, Georgia, Feb. 17, 2009
• “The Greening of Building Codes,” Sustainable Atlanta Round Table, Atlanta, Georgia, Jan. 9, 2009
• “Atlanta Sustainable Building Ordinance,” AIA Committee on the Environment, Atlanta, Georgia, Nov. 14, 2008

Pursuing education is an inherent act of optimism. Design students further manifest such optimism through choosing a career path that can potentially alter the quality of the future. My lifelong conviction of regarding design as a solution inspires me to share this with our students. Establishing intellectual rigor and expectations of excellence prepare our students to enter the next chapters of theirs lives capable of contributing to the betterment of society. That's worth getting up for in the morning!

• INDS 210 Interior Design Studio II
• INDS 220 Building Construction and Systems for the Interior
• INDS 320 Interior Design Studio III
• INDS 413 Professional Practices in Interior Design
• INDS 470 Interior Design Studio V
• INDS 480 Interior Design Studio VI
• INDS 702 Interior Design Seminar
• INDS 712 Interior Design Studio I
• INDS 714 Interior Design Studio II
• INDS 749 Interior Design M.A. Final Project
• INDS 751 Interior Design Studio III
• INDS 791 Interior Design Studio V: M.F.A. Thesis I
• INDS 792 Interior Design Studio VI: M.F.A. Thesis II

• offgridstudio.com
• linkedin.com/in/mshanetotten