Dave Robar, AIA grew up in rural Michigan, developing a love of the outdoors, fishing in ponds and wading in swamps to capture and play with every creature possible. With the freedom to experiment with building things outdoors, including tree forts and hidden underground dens in what seemed like far-away places at the time, in retrospect he was developing a keen sense of nature and our interwoven relationship to it. At the same time, coupled with a love of making art, Dave’s first exposure to architecture was watching father/architect Mike Brady on The Brady Bunch, using his built-in problem solving skills to help every challenging situation have a better outcome.
Dave enrolled at Lawrence Institute of Technology (now Lawrence Technological University) in Southfield, Michigan and discovered that architecture is a truly labor of love, earning a Professional Degree while taking advantage of the opportunity to interact with design leaders of the time, including Don Hisaka, Charles Moore, Charles Gwathmey and Thom Mayne. A particularly influential semester was spent discovering Field Theory with Walter Nesch. An even more influential part of architecture school was the opportunity to meet Wendy, his future wife of 40 years. Dave then joined the design firm of Charles T. McCafferty, FAIA, working on commercial interiors in historic buildings in downtown Detroit.
Dave and Wendy moved to Cleveland in 1988, when Dave joined Richard Fleishman Architects, working under renowned architect Richard Fleishman, FAIA. RFA studio’s approach provided opportunities to create stunning modern buildings, integrating interior architectural design that was both functional and inspiring. Dave eventually moved on to Design Collective, directing the new Cleveland office of the leading Columbus-based interior design firm through numerous assignments, design awards and industry recognitions.
Today, Dave serves as a Director at Vocon in Cleveland, currently working with local non-profit organizations to create engaging environments that fit both their short term spending goals and long term facility needs. In addition to professional work, Dave enjoys capturing award-winning architectural photographs and serving in the leadership group of AIA’s National Interior Architecture Knowledge Community. He also leads an ACE Mentor high school class in Cleveland, serves on the ACE CLE board and runs its charity golf outing, as well as on the boards of NAIOP Northern Ohio and AIA Ohio, where he is chair of the Government Advocacy Committee and is Board President-elect.