People — Haeccity Studio Architecture

Travis Hanks

Principal, Co-founder
Architect AIBC, RA Virginia (US)

Travis's experience ranges from designing objects to large infrastructural projects, including the National September 11 Memorial and Museum for which he received a Presidential Citation. He holds a BArch from Virginia Tech and an SMArchs degree from MIT. He regularly serves as guest critic and has lectured on his work in Canada, the US and Brazil. Travis has been Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia since 2012 and is licensed in New York, Virginia, and British Columbia.

Shirley Shen

Director, Co-founder
Architect AIBC, RA Washington (US)

Prior to co-founding Haeccity Studio, Shirley gained valuable experience at Peter Gluck & Partners and Henriquez Partners Architects. At MIT she cofounded the Office for Unsolicited Architecture. She holds an MArch from MIT and a BScArch from McGill University. Shirley recently served two years on the Vancouver Heritage Commission and taught at UBC SALA. Shirley is a registered Architect in Washington State and an advocate for the equitable representation of all communities.

Jorge Román

Senior Project Manager
Architect (Spain), BIM Specialist

Jorge studied architecture in Spain and Italy before receiving his Masters of Architecture from CEU University of Madrid. Jorge joined Haeccity Studio in 2014 and has been an instrumental member of the team ever since. He manages all aspects of project design and construction including the studio’s BIM workflow for seamless project delivery. Jorge is a licensed architect in Spain as well as an avid musician and outdoorsman.

Sheyla Cavalcanti

Office Manager
BA, PDD Bus. Admin

Sheyla studied Arts and Media in Brazil and has a post-graduate Diploma in Business Administration. She has worked in several music and sports events across the UK and Brazil, including 6 years delivering the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Sheyla oversees the studio’s day-to-day and strategic operations.

Alena Pavan

Intermediate Project Manager
Intern Architect AIBC

Alena completed her Master of Architecture from UBC in 2020, with a thesis project on intuition and its relationship to the way we maintain buildings and landscapes. She is passionate about accepting lived realities in architecture and translating these into physical spaces. Originally trained as an engineer before coming to architecture, she aims to use her structural expertise to support her ideas. Alena participates in the development of designs and supports the studio’s documentation and production efforts in all phases of the projects.

Alena Pavan

Intermediate Project Manager
Intern Architect AIBC

Hannah graduated from UBC's Master of Architecture in 2023 and has over four years of experience working at several architecture firms, both in Canada and Europe. Hannah is an exceptional researcher, passionate about equitable design, with experience working in community housing and doing research alongside activists and academic experts to advocate for housing rights. Hannah strongly believes in using architecture as a tool to change cities into more equitable environments for all. She supports the studio’s engagement, documentation and production efforts in all project phases.

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