Christopher Townsend (left) and Erin Vasold
By Joshua Burd
Global architecture and design firm HLW has appointed Christopher Townsend and Erin Vasold as co-studio directors of its New Jersey office.
According to the practice, Townsend and Vasold will work together to foster mentorship and professional growth within the Madison-based team while leveraging their combined expertise and longstanding client relationships to drive business development. They’ll also work alongside Ed Shim, HLW’s managing partner, helping advance its leadership position and support the continued growth of the firm’s regional partnerships with new and expanded opportunities in the market.
“Chris and Erin have both been integral to shaping the identity of our New Jersey office — its culture, its standards and its reputation in the marketplace,” Shim said. “They have played a key role in fostering creativity, curiosity and teamwork across all their projects. They will bring that same energy and commitment to guiding the next chapter of growth for the New Jersey team, and I look forward to working closely with them as we continue to strengthen HLW’s presence in this region.”
With more than 25 years of experience in base-building and interior architecture, Townsend has established himself as a trusted project leader across the commercial, retail and research sectors, consistently delivering complex projects on schedule and within budget while maintaining the highest standards of design quality, HLW said. His portfolio includes work for prominent New Jersey organizations such as Haleon, Eisai, Everest and Kering Americas and for New York clients such as Venable LLP.
As a registered architect, he also brings extensive experience collaborating with commercial developers and has worked closely with Shim on base building opportunities throughout the New Jersey marketplace.
Vasold, meantime, has spent eight of her more than 20 years of industry experience with HLW, having guided projects from concept through completion across commercial, financial, workplace and life sciences sectors. According to the firm, she has earned a reputation for design rigor and an unwavering commitment to client service, with clients including Avantor, Everest, Mars Wrigley and Prudential Financial.
