Michael Phinney
Owner & Principal Architect
Phinney Design Group
Saratoga Springs, NY USA
“There’s no such thing as perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. At the end of the day, just do the best that you can do.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationMichael Phinney
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
From a young age, I loved to draw and thought I would become an artist.
When I was 15 years old, my guidance counselor suggested I look into studying architecture because I was very artistic and was also good at science and math.
I earned my bachelor’s degree in architecture from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where I did my thesis on environmental awareness in architecture.
After graduating, I started my career as a project architect working primarily on large office buildings.
I did that for about 10 years and also worked on some college university projects.
I was pitching green ideas at work with little response until my boss asked me to become his right-hand man for the new headquarters of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Shortly after, I decided to start my own company focused on green design and sustainability.
I’ve been leading my company, Phinney Design Group, for about 20 years now.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Owner & Principal Architect
I lead an architecture, interior design, and construction management firm focused on green design and sustainability.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Design
Environment & Nature
Building Things
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"Am I making the right decisions? I need to be perfect or they're going to judge me."
Interviewed By
Empowered State
The state of New York leads a clean energy revolution
