Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Siems, AIA, NCARB.
Hi Nathan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in Iowa, surrounded by farmland, hard-working people, and small towns, which gave me an early appreciation for land, community, and the relationship between people and place. My father grew up on a farm, and from a young age he involved me in planting, maintaining, and harvesting the fields. In Iowa, the land was our greatest asset, and it was treated with respect and care. That upbringing instilled a deep sense of stewardship and long-term thinking, and what I now recognize as an early developer’s eye for land, value, and potential.
I trained as an architect, but I’ve always been drawn to work that lives at the intersection of design, social impact, and real-world constraints where ideas are tested not only by aesthetics, but by economics, constructability, and the lives they touch.
Early in my career, I worked in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake, an experience that profoundly shaped how I approach architecture. I was involved in designing, fabricating, and assembling transitional housing in the aftermath of the disaster, as well as helping design and reconstruct an orphanage. Working under extreme constraints made it clear that architecture is never abstract; every decision carries real implications for safety, dignity, and resilience.
I later worked at an architecture firm in Austin, where I helped shape early thinking around 3D-printed housing and led the development of the world’s first 100-home printed community. That community is now thriving in Georgetown, Texas, and the experience fundamentally reshaped how I think about scalability, construction innovation, and the future of housing delivery.
I also spent several years working in landscape architecture and planning, which continues to influence how I think about sites, infrastructure, water, and long-term systems, not just buildings. It reinforced the importance of starting with the land and allowing design to emerge from its constraints and opportunities.
Today, I’m the Director of the Texas Region for Market Square Architects in our Austin office, where I focus on early project visioning, feasibility studies, and helping clients unlock complex sites, particularly multifamily housing projects that seek to balance financial viability with meaningful community impact.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road. The path has been littered with potholes, speed bumps, and the occasional U-turn, and that’s exactly how I like it. Much of my career has been spent stepping into ambiguity: new technologies, unfamiliar markets, post-disaster environments, and early-stage development ideas without a clear roadmap.
Working in mission-driven spaces has often meant navigating the tension between ideal outcomes and financial, regulatory, or logistical realities; learning how to hold ambition and pragmatism at the same time.
Building credibility across disciplines, architecture, development, construction, and policy has required constant learning, humility, and a willingness to listen before leading.
One of my biggest professional challenges has been learning when to slow down and create space, and when to move forward decisively, especially in leadership roles where clarity matters as much as creativity.
Each challenge has ultimately reinforced my belief that strong design leadership is rooted in clarity, ownership, and long-term thinking, not just aesthetics.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Market Square Architects?
Market Square Architects provides architecture, master planning, and interior design services nationwide with a team of nearly 50 talented professionals. We serve projects and clients from our office locations in Austin, TX; Nashville, TN; and our headquarters in Portsmouth, NH. This structure offers our clients the reach and capacity of a national firm combined with the important local relationships and knowledge everywhere we work. Much of our work is focused in housing design, including market rate multifamily, affordable and workforce housing, and senior living design. We also have extensive experience designing commercial offices, advanced manufacturing, retail, hospitality, healthcare, academic, mixed-use, townhome developments, and luxury spec single family homes. Our firm has a client-centered approach to design: our clients’ strategic, financial, and aesthetic goals guide the design. In alignment with their vision, we strike the balance between beauty, function, cost efficiency, technical delivery, and lasting value.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Housing delivery will increasingly reward speed, clarity, and early decision-making, while traditional linear design processes will struggle to keep up.
Feasibility, pre-design analysis, and entitlement strategy will become just as important as architecture itself.
Construction methods will continue to diversify. Modular, panelized, and alternative systems will gain traction as labor and cost pressures persist.
Policy and zoning reform will play a larger role in shaping housing outcomes, especially in fast-growing cities like Austin.
Architects who can speak the language of developers, cities, and communities simultaneously will be best positioned to lead.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://marketsquarearchitects.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/market-square-architects/
