Nicola Springer is a Partner and Managing Director of the pK-12 Practice at Kirksey Architecture.

With over 21 years of educational design experience, Nicola believes that architecture should be a learning tool that inspires creativity, engages users, and promotes a healthy and happy life. Her projects have received many accolades, including LEED Platinum for the Burnett Bayland Gym in Houston, as well as multiple AIA Houston Design Awards and the prestigious TASA/TASB Caudill Award for Texas School Architecture. Nicola is the founder of Play Theory, an innovative approach to end-user engagement. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Princeton University and a Master of Architecture from Rice University. Nicola has spoken professionally on the influences and advances of 21st-century learning and sustainable design in schools at Regional and National A4LE Conferences as well as Gulf Coast Green, The Green School National Conference, and the TxA Annual Convention.

CIDIE Role: Nicola brings deep expertise in community and user engagement to support the development of the CIDIE Standard. She also serves as a champion of CIDIE adoption across the architecture industry.