Hufft brings modern design to Ozarks architecture

The saying goes that success begins at home, and Matthew Hufft is no exception.

The Kansas City-based architect and Ozarks native was the featured guest Tuesday morning at Springfield Business Journal's 12 People You Need to Know, and he talked about how the first big break of his professional career came when he designed a new home for his parents while still taking graduate classes at Columbia University in New York.

"They asked me, 'Matthew, do you think you could design our house?' And I told them, 'Sure,' even though I was thinking to myself, 'I have no idea,'" Hufft said. "But we did it, and it was a great experience."

That initial experience has since grown to a list of projects for his company, Hufft Projects, that includes commercial structures such as the Green Circle Shopping Center and the TerraGreen Office Park, and half a dozen houses in the area.

The slowdown in the construction market hasn't slowed down Hufft, though he did say his company has moved from an even split between residential and commercial work to more emphasis - about 75 percent of his total work - in the residential market. About half of his work is in Springfield and half is in the Kansas City area.

While he tries to stay away from falling into one style, Hufft said his designs are heavily influenced by a months-long trip through East Asia that he took after completing undergraduate work at the University of Kansas. It's that influence that led in part to his focus on sustainability - Green Circle, for example, is working to attain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum certification.

To complement his building designs, Hufft launched two additional companies in the last 18 months to create custom design pieces and outdoor furniture that fits his aesthetic.

The key to success, he said, is staying on top of what's happening in the industry, and educating clients as well.

"We've branded ourselves to the point that when people come to us, they usually want what we do, either modern design or sustainable or both. But then once we start the project, we are teaching them why we do things - we have this wall at this angle because of this," Hufft said. "It goes back to teaching people the reason behind what we're doing, and not just doing things because they're pretty - although that's a consideration too."