Meet 3SIXØ Architecture

3SIXØ Architecture was founded in 1997 and has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors. The Rhode Island chapter of the AIA has bestowed its top honors on 3SIXØ nine times in the past decade and The Boston Society of Architects has recognized 3SIXØ with six awards. In 2002 Architectural Record named 3SIXØ one of ten “vanguard” architecture firms emerging worldwide and in 2008 Architectural Record recognized 3SIXØ’s STIX Restaurant as one of its annual “Record Interiors.” The work of 3SIXØ has also been widely published in magazines including Architectural Record; Dwell; the Korean Magazine; Plus Architecture and Interior Design; the Japanese Journal; SPA-DE; Interior Design; Design New England; Residential Architect; Rhode Island Monthly; The Boston Globe; The Boston Herald; The Providence Journal and The Hartford Courant. Over a dozen books have featured the work of 3SIXØ: Architecture Competition Works; Collection: U.S. Architecture; Stylish Restaurants; Salons and Spas; The Architecture of Beauty; Eat! The Best of Restaurant Design.

Our Leadership

At 3SIXØ Architecture, our work is shaped by the vision and expertise of two distinguished architects: Kyna Leski and Chris Bardt.

Both are accomplished designers, educators, and authors whose projects span residential, commercial, cultural, and institutional architecture. Their combined leadership drives our firm’s commitment to design excellence, innovative material exploration, and the creative process.

Kyna Leski, Principal, Professor, Rower & Navigator of the Creative Process

Kyna Leski is a founding principal of 3SIXØ and a Professor at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). She is internationally recognized for her research, writing, and public speaking on the creative process.

Her architectural work and design thinking have earned awards from The Japan Architect’s Shinkenchiku Residential Design Competition and the Architectural League of New York. Kyna is the author of The Storm of Creativity (MIT Press), an exploration of how ideas form, evolve, and take shape in design and art.

➡ Read Kyna Leski’s full bio

Chris Bardt, AIA, Principal, Professor

Chris Bardt, AIA, is a founding partner of 3SIXØ and a Professor of Architecture at RISD. With over two decades of architectural practice, Chris integrates material research, structural innovation, and architectural theory into his designs.

His work has been exhibited internationally and published in AA Files, ViA arquitectura, and other leading design journals. Chris is the author of The Feeling of Space (MIT Press) and Material & Mind (MIT Press), a deep exploration of how materials influence creativity and design.

➡ Read Chris Bardt’s full bio

Katelyn Mayfield, Project Architect

Katelyn Mayfield is a Designer & Project Architect at 3sixØ Architecture. She graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2009 with a Bachelor of Architecture and a concentration in Art History. Interested in the human scale of design and storytelling, she began her career in exhibit design where she created innovative and immersive experiences within many museums nationally and internationally, including a science museum in Saudi Arabia, a children’s museum in Inner Mongolia, Hohhot Children’s Discovery Museum, and the San Francisco 49ers Museum. In 2012, Katelyn transitioned back to an architectural scale where she explored corporate interiors, independent elementary schools, masterplanning, hospitality and multi-family housing. The Four Seasons’ One Dalton wellness floor, at the center of the 61-story high rise, was a project highlight as it also transformed the Boston skyline as we see it today.

In addition to her work on the ground, Katelyn has served as critic and presenter at several schools of architecture including RISD, the Boston Architectural College (BAC), Roger Williams University and UNC Charlotte. In 2019, she co-taught a graduate studio at RWU as part of the Teaching Firm program with CBT Architects on the value of the iterative design process.

At home, Katelyn is peeling back the layers of her 1970s Italianate in the Nobility Hill Historic District of Stoneham, MA and is enjoying renovating each room with her engineer husband. She also owns a small bookbinding studio, RosePaperie, where she designs and binds custom keepsake non-adhesive sketchbooks, guest books and photo albums.

Aaron Brode, Project Manager

Aaron is an artist, designer, builder, project manager, and teacher. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture from Tyler School of Art of Temple University in 1995 and his Master of Architecture from Rhode Island School of Design in 1999. Much of Aaron’s 20 plus years of professional experience has been in the design/build context of project delivery. He has worked for design build firms including Marmol Radziner and Associates in Los Angles, Site Specific in Providence, and most recently 2Story Design Build, his own firm here in Rhode Island. His project experience is diverse, including the renovation and preservation of historic Mid-century homes in Los Angeles by such architects as Richard Neutra, Rudolph Schindler, and Frank Lloyd Wright, ground-up design, and construction of single-family residences, as well as commercial projects primarily in the hospitality sector. Aaron brings the sensibilities of an artist and the pragmatism of builder and project manager to every project he has a hand in.

Jon Kletzien, Designer, Illustrator

Jon Kletzien is an architectural designer and the office’s architectural illustrator for 3sixØ Architecture – which is his second career. Previously he was a partner and co-founder of the architectural illustration firm, StudioAMD, for 27 years (est.1992) during which time he worked closely with images, clients and the full range of project types and scales that came through the studio: the Sochi 2014 Olympic Bid for HOK, private residences for Richard Meier, the US Embassy in London for Kieran Timberlake, and the World War II Memorial in Washington DC for Friedrich St. Florian. The studio won the Hugh Ferriss Memorial Prize for architectural imaging twice during his tenure as creative director at the studio. Additionally, Mr. Kletzien lectured frequently and taught architectural drawing at the Rhode Island School of Design, and served as President of the Boston headquartered American Society of Architectural Illustrators (ASAI).

Ian Kienbaum, Designer 

Ian Kienbaum is a designer at 3SIXØ Architecture. He finished his Master of Architecture at Rhode Island School of Design. Before attending RISD, Ian worked for three years at a Canadian architecture firm designing lake homes and boathouses in northern Ontario. Born and raised a Detroiter, he attended Lawrence Technological University to earn his Bachelor of Science in Architecture. With previous experience in material research, digital fabrication, and 3D modeling, Ian attended RISD to develop his design skills. Having a solid technical background allowed him to take additional seminars inside and outside of the RISD architecture department. This freedom led to his focused interest in film, photography, and the American mundane.

Ka Hyun Kim, Designer 

Ka Hyun Kim is a designer at 3SIXØ Architecture. She has both a Bachelor of Architecture and a Bachelor of Fine Art from Rhode Island School of Design. Interested in experiential design, she developed herself as both an artist and designer throughout her time at RISD. She was selected as a European Honors Program resident in Rome, Italy and has held exhibitions at the MAAM and the Piazza dei Cenci. 

During and in-between her studies, Ka Hyun has worked on a range of local and international projects of all scales throughout New England, Korea, and China. She participated in the ‘Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism’ and ‘Seoul Architecture Festival (SAF).’

In her free time, Ka Hyun loves to travel around the world and experience the difference in cultures and architecture.

Alice Berresheim-Dukcevich, Project Manager

Alice Berresheim-Dukcevich, designer and project coordinater, joined 3SIXØ in 2013. Her other professional experience includes work with Leeser Architects, New York and Kleihues+ Kleihues Architects, Berlin. She brings a precise and professional eye to all tasks. She has expertise with interior design, material and fixture selection, design and programming, construction drawing production and administration. Alice has experience with a wide range of CAD software including AutoCAD, Archicad, Rhino, Maya, Adobe CS, and is a native German speaker as well as being fluent in English.

Staff (1997-Present)

Julio Romero
Yingkai Xiong
Pai Liu
Alex Wenstrup
Key Nguyen
Michael Hothan
Lei Yingshan
JiaHao Zhang