Ryan Leichtweisz

About Ryan Leichtweisz

Ryan is an architect and interior designer with an expertise in the conception of well-branded and immersive hospitality and entertainment environments. He capitalizes on his background in theater to develop spaces that - like well-curated stage sets - are dramatic and memorable for visitors and that tell a story. His design thinking has been paramount in the strengthening of Live Nation\'s Fillmore brand, having designed four Fillmore theaters in cities across the U.S, which each include bars, kitchens, and separate VIP experiences. He also designed the major renovation to Irving Plaza in NYC. Ryan played a key role in the master plan redevelopment for one of the Triple Crown horse race tracks, Belmont Park, which now includes the new arena for the NY Islanders and will be expanded to include a year-round, destination entertainment district with retail, restaurants, and hotels.His natural extroversion has guided his career towards a passion for gathering spaces in which people come together to celebrate, dine, relax, or to play. Ryan believes that architecture and interior design foster a celebration of the human spirit and should both represent and influence the personalities of its inhabitants. He believes that the immaterial qualities of architecture are as important as those expressed visually. By manipulating and curating form, space, light, air, and sound, Ryan uses all the tangible and intangible tools of his craft to custom-tailor each project, celebrating the uniqueness of each specific client and their guests. He is capable of working at a variety of scales but finds the most personal pleasure in the fine design details, from material and furniture selection to the highly-tuned and dramatic lighting that is too-often overlooked. Ryan has a taste for comfortable elegance in which good design is evident not only in the way a space looks but in the way it makes us feel and how it performs over time.

Experience

1. Principal

   EwingCole

   Jan 2024 — Present · Philadelphia, PA, US

   Ryan co-leads the firm\'s Entertainment practice, merging his interests in theater and architecture as he designs venues for live music and the performing arts. Bridging across multiple market sectors, he enjoys creating spaces that bring people together and approaches each project through a people-centric hospitality lens. Having designed multiple Fillmore venues across the country for Live Nation as well as the renovation of Irving Plaza in New York City, his favorite ongoing projects include The Crown Event Center in Fayetteville, NC, the redevelopment of Budweiser Stage at Ontario Place in Toronto, and the expansion of The Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, PA.

Education

• Paris American Academy

  Architecture

  2011 — 2011

• Architecture Association of London

  Architecture

  2012 — 2012

• University of Pennsylvania

  Master of Architecture (M.Arch.), Architecture

  2010 — 2013

• Lehigh University

  BA, Architecture, Business, Theater

  2006 — 2010

• Terrafirma University of Vicenza

  Architecture

  2009 — 2009

Skills

• Generative Components
• Analog Drafting and Modeling
• Revit
• Vray
• Adobe Creative Suite
• Model Making
• Illustrator
• Rhino
• Architecture
• Interior Architecture
• Google Sketchup
• Microsoft Office
• Ecotect
• Autocad
• Sketching
• 3d Studio Max
• Adobe Aftereffects
• Photoshop
• Sketchup
• Sustainable Design
• Maxwell Render
• Architectural Design
• Grasshopper
• Design Research
• Photoshop Rendering
• Indesign
• Rendering