Floyd Cline

Floyd sees design everywhere, from the shoes on his feet to the skyscraper he has always wanted to build. Over two decades at Perkins&Will, he has carved out a specialty in projects at the intersection of Higher Education and Science & Technology, knitting together his penchant for the highly technical with a calling to support young people as they learn and grow. His colleagues know him as the “voice of reason” and the “collaborator in chief,” nicknames that reflect Floyd’s straightforward approach to leadership: get people together and bring out the best in them. In his hands, great teams figure out how to build to a brief asking for what no other building has done before.

Floyd’s portfolio includes state-of-the-art biocontainment facilities, such as the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, as well as more flexible interdisciplinary education programs, such as the Watt Family Innovation Center at Clemson University. The one a complex team tasked with realizing an utterly unique national asset, the other a more personal engagement to marry the vision of a passionate donor with the mission of a university president, these projects speak to Floyd’s range in managing the demands of every design process. He is co-champion of the Atlanta studio’s J.E.D.I. Committee, a mentor to many, and a model of taking joy in problem solving.