About

Though SDS opened its doors in 2018, the foundation for firm began in the late 1990’s when the founder, Natalie G. Seagriff was in high school and took her first drafting class. That was when she decided that she wanted to pursue a career in architecture and immediately set her intentions for starting her own firm one day. Upon graduating high school in Naples, FL in 2000, she attended The University of Miami, School of Architecture and graduated early in December of 2004 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree, with a minor in Studio Art.

Shortly thereafter, she took a chance and moved to New York City without a job and within a couple months began her employment at Hart Howerton. As an interdisciplinary design firm with projects around the world, she had the privilege of being involved in projects in a variety of roles ranging from high-end custom residential to hospitality work, locally and globally. In 2006 she enrolled in NYU’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies to pursue a Master of Science in Construction Management, while still employed full time. Upon graduation in May of 2008, she transferred to Hart Howerton’s San Francisco office.

The recession of 2008 forced change upon so many lives, and hers was no exception. However, with every ending comes a new beginning; in February of 2009 she married and relocated to Albany, NY and found herself employed at McKinney + MacDonald Architects in Latham. Her time at this firm was pivotal as she grew into her role as a Project Architect, working primarily on projects for colleges and universities in the northeast. The mentorship provided by the firm owner’s (Jim McKinney {retired} and Geoff MacDonald {now a principal at SWBR in Troy, NY} were paramount to her professional development and the relationships she fostered in the AEC industry. Not long after welcoming the arrival of her daughter in 2012, she became a licensed and registered Architect in the state of New York in 2013.

Change being the only constant, 2013 brought an expanding family along with a relocation to Seattle, WA. At this time, she decided to focus on her young daughter and newborn son; but she also used this time to set the framework for her firm. With her husband being transferred back to the capital region of New York and her children starting their elementary education in 2018, she decided that it was the perfect time to start her journey at the helm of her own business.

Though newly formed, SDS is the culmination of the diverse experience shaped through the years of professional and personal development- bolstered with a passion and enthusiasm for helping others. The goal is truly to help realize visions through the medium of the built environment.