GEM Studio Architecture, Inc.

Company Statement

GEM Studio Architecture, Inc. is a full service national commercial Architectural and Interior Design Firm.  GEM Studio has over 20 years of commercial experience working on multiple project types of varying scale.  Our project experience includes new build and renovations of the following project types: commercial retail/office, hospitality, restaurants/bars, & industrial.  Project scale varies in cost from $100,000 to $200,000,000.  GEM Studio has experience working with jurisdictions across the United States.  We are currently licensed to practice Architecture in 22 states and are willing are and able to work in all 50 states.

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GEM Studio Architecture, Inc.

Quality Is Non-Negotiable

Our specialty is quality service. We ensure quality through our comprehensive design process. Other design firms do not include in their scope of work what is necessary to provide quality service to reduce design fees and be more cost competitive. We include the scope of work for what we believe is required to ensure quality even though it sometimes makes our pricing higher than our competitors’. Paying a little more in design fees upfront is much less expensive than paying changes orders or additional services during construction.

GEM Studio Architecture, Inc.

Comprehensive Design Process

We provide 24/7 online access to all project documentation for our clients, engineers, and general contractors to ensure current and accurate information is always available.  For renovation projects, accurate field verification is essential to ensuring new conditions work with existing conditions and reduces the amount of change orders during construction. All our projects are built in 3D.  Building the project in 3D helps us properly coordinate with our Engineers. Success is ensured through quality control reviews/redlines of all documents at every stage of the project from conception through permit drawings. Our services include our team leading the permitting process. Other design firms push off the permitting process to the General Contractor to reduce their fees.  The problem with the General Contractor controlling the permitting process is that it adds another step between the design team’s responses and approvals.  If we control the permitting process it speeds up response times and construction will commence sooner.

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Team

Meet Our Team.

Geoff Mckinney

Geoff Mckinney

Leed AP Senior Principal & Founder

Geoff McKinney has over 20 years of experience in the Architecture Industry. His professionial experience began doing retail, hospitality, and multi-family projects in 2004. In 2010, he went to work for 2WR + Partners as a Project Architect at their office in Columbus GA. After a year working in the Georgia office, Geoff decided to move back to Denver Colorado and he opened a branch office of 2WR + Partners as a Senior Principal & Partner. Geoff McKinney built 2WR of Colorado into a firm specialized in hospitality, retail, multifamily, industrial, restaurants, medical, and government projects. In 2021, 2WR was purchased by Urban-Gro a company on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange for $9,000,000. In 2024, Geoff McKinney left Urban-Gro started GEM Studio Architecture, Inc. to continue to purse national projects in the commercial market.

Geoff has extensive experience with building design, Building Information Modeling (BIM), envelope design, document development, specification writing, and construction administration. He routinely serves the roles of Principal Architect and Construction Administrator. His responsibilities include attending project specific kick-off meetings, weekly conference calls, quality control reviews, consultant coordination, interior design coordination, full document coordination, program conformance, project communication & documentation, full project development, and construction administration.

Bachelor of Architecture
University of Oregon

Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming

Years in Industry
22

Andrew Wagenblast has over 4 years of experience in the Architecture Industry. Andrew began his career in the life sciences industry in the northeast. Andrew is an experienced Project Manager with a strong foundation in project coordination, he has led multiple projects from concept design through construction administration, ensuring alignment with client goals and industry standards. As a Project Manager, he has overseen the production of comprehensive construction documents, consultant coordination, and construction administration for both renovations and new builds.

His expertise extends to performing site visits, field measurements, and proactively addressing design and construction challenges. Andrew also has a keen eye for visualization, developing realistic renderings that help clients engage with projects in real time. Passionate about mentorship and efficiency, he has guided colleagues in drawing standards, detailing, and BIM practices, strengthening the firm’s workflow and technical proficiency. Andrew’s ability to manage complex projects, communicate design intent, and leverage technology makes him a valuable asset in the architectural field.

Master’s of Architecture
Montana State University

Years in Industry
4

Andrew Wagenblast

Andrew Wagenblast

Project Manager