about us

You may have heard the old adage, "Jack of all trades, master of none." This expression applies to David Larrew... sort of. David is, in fact, a jack of all trades, yet in contrast to the words of the proverb, he has mastered a number of crafts. He is a licensed architect, an accomplished GDL, CBL, LISP, and VB programmer, an adroit multimedia and digital artist, and an adept trainer/teacher. 

David's career path began in Waterloo, Iowa, in 1980. His passion for architecture and construction caught the eye of his 9th grade industrial arts teacher who introduced David to his first client. This client wanted to build an octagon-shaped house, and his teacher knew that his young student was the right person for the job. David completed his first set of architectural drawings, and the client was pleased and impressed!

By his senior year of high school, David had taken every course the school offered in architecture or drafting. The department chairperson offered this star student the chance to spend his senior year in a privileged co-op program. David spent his mornings working for a local architectural firm while completing his senior studies in the afternoons. Meanwhile, he applied to Iowa State University, the college with the best architectural program in the state-- and among the best in the country.

Throughout his years as an architectural student at Iowa State, David worked as an architectural design draftsman for the ISU Residence Hall Maintenance Office. He graduated in 1988 with a BA in Architecture.

After graduation, David returned to Waterloo when the firm with which he had interned in high school offered him a position. For two-and-a-half years, he drafted and/or designed medical, retirement, and collegiate educational facilities. At the end of this term, David decided to return to school, seeking a master's degree in architecture.

For graduate school, David chose the University of Houston. He studied under master preservation architect Barry Moore, FAIA, earning a specialization in Historic Preservation and Adaptive Reuse. During his studies at UH, David was also employed as Barry's graduate Teaching Assistant. In addition, David pursued a specialty in architectural computer applications, all while working for a Houston architectural/engineering firm, Ferro-Saylors, and contracting out to other small Houston firms.

After David had completed his MArch degree, Ferro-Saylors hired David full-time. A year later, Barry Moore, whose company had just merged with New Orleans-based Mathes Group, offered David the chance to work for him doing historic preservation work. For two years, David worked for his old professor. During this time, David obtained his architectural license, passing the rigorous set of exams on the first go-round.  

After some soul-searching, David decided to leave the Mathes Group for a larger firm. He took a position with Kirksey, a growing Houston-based architectural firm. Shortly after being hired as a project architect, the firm discovered his advanced computer skills and asked him to take on the role of CAD Manager. David accepted and spent the next several years supporting the CAD platform, Cadvance. He spearheaded several advancements in architectural technology at Kirksey, including the founding of a Visualization Department to create multimedia marketing materials for the firm and the conversion of the CAD platform from Cadvance to ArchiCAD software. In 2001, David founded and managed the company's Architectural Technology Department, a melding of his roles in Visualization, CAD, and multimedia. While working at Kirksey, David also taught two semesters of Architectural History at Lee College in Baytown.

While learning and implementing ArchiCAD, David began creating GDL objects as a hobby on the side. Several of his home-crafted objects are available at ObjectsOnline and also right here (at a discount). David also has developed an association with CADeshack, where he consults as a digital artist, software trainer, and software developer. These pursuits led him to found his own company, ArchiSolutions, where he offers services that include architecture, visualization, software development, and training.

ArchiSolutions (David) is certified as a Graphisoft Registered Consultant.

Find out more about us at LinkedIn.com.

Download ArchiSolutions vCARD.

“I have worked with David for nearly 5 years now. David is a guy who gets things done. At Kirksey, David was able to transform the company to Building Information Modeling years before most companies could figure this out. The result for Kirksey, dramatically more throughput and revenue with roughly the same number of people. David was the catalyst to make this happen.” - Dominic Gallello, former CEO, Graphisoft

“David is a great architect with an astounding knowledge of technology. He has exceptional grasp of efficient workflow and is very dedicated to his work. I recommend working with David in any building project that you would need professional assistance.” - JT Burk, Principal, OwnerRep Group

“David Larrew has been a huge asset to many firms as they have introduced Building Information Modeling (BIM) into their practice. David understands not only the software, but the architectural practice. He can provide expertise in the interaction of people to make BIM successful in a variety of sizes of firms. I highly recommend hiring a consultant such as David when implementing BIM into any firm.” - Angi Izzi, Division Manager, Graphisoft South

“David was a tremendous help. We had recently purchased some new software and asked David to come in to get our users up to speed. We were able to learn a tremendous amount from his experience. Our team was able to start producing immediately.” - Jeff Van Fleet, National Sales Manager, Coast 2 Coast

“I worked with David for over a year and a half at SLC and he proved to be the greatest thing to happen to that company in a long time. David single handily brought us up to date with the latest technology in BIM. He was always willing to help anyone needing it and mentor anyone willing to learn. David never made anyone feel like they couldn't do it. Personally, I think David is a very high caliber person and was nothing but a sheer pleasure to work with. I am lucky to have worked with him and even more lucky to call him a friend. Patience is a virtue and he has plenty, I know this first hand as he helped me elevate my knowledge and career to the next level.” - Lee Kilgore, former Community / Project Manager, Southern Land Company