Charles Lee, AIA
Principal
Registered Architect, California – #C26238

BIOGRAPHY

Charles Lee brings over 25 years experience in Architecture, Interior Design and Development Management. His vast experience extends from sophisticated conceptual interior and architectural design to business development, design development, project management, and programming. He was trained as an Architect and practiced Architecture in the early part of his career, then practiced Interior Design. By adding development experience, he further expanded his extensive knowledge and expertise in the Real Estate Development Business.

In January 2011 Charles assembled a project management team for his client M+D PROPERTIES, and led the team as a principal and head of the team for their new development projects including the well-known The SOURCE project, a large scale mixed-use development, consisting of a hotel, offices, retails and residential units on 12.75 acres of prime location site in Orange County.

Over the years, Charles has designed urban hotels, resort hotels, country clubs and villas throughout Asia, the Pacific, and the United States for the major hotel brands including Sheraton, Hyatt, Westin, Marriott and Hilton. He draws from his knowledge of current market trends in hospitality design, which is complemented by his focus on efficiency of design. Charles has worked on both domestic and international projects, creating world class hotels and resorts for high profile hotel ownership companies including TARSADIA HOTELS in NEWPORT BEACH CA, IMPERIAL HOTELS in JAPAN, THE SHILLA and LOTTE HOTEL in KOREA.

Charles brings highly elegant, distinctly innovative architectural and interior design expertise and a refined aesthetic vision to his projects in national and international urban and resort hotels, entertainment and mixed-use properties. Charles strives to create projects that are unique and innovative, with a special interest in exotic and domestic markets, Charles has a proven track record of creating projects that are exciting and inviting for the most sophisticated user to the most demanding of clients to experience.

Charles collaborates with many internationally renowned architectural firms including WATG, KPFF, HOK, JERDE, PERKINS EASTMAN, KMD and NADEL. Charles has established himself as a true talent with a creative mind that understands client’s visions as well as project needs.

He has received numerous design awards including the Finalist Gold Key Awards by Hospitality Design Magazine, and was a Finalist for the Korea Interior Design Best Awards. In response to invitations from Universities in KOREA and CHINA, he lectured in BEIJING UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, YONSEI UNIVERSITY, JEONJU UNIVERSITY and WOOLSAN UNIVERSITY.

While he was serving as director of Asia and Sr. designer with the innovative design firm BARRY DESIGN ASSOCIATES in LOS ANGELES, he successfully led the design, development, programming and management of numerous renowned projects such as THE GRAND WAILEA RESORT & SPA in MAUI, HAWAII and IMPERIAL HOTELS in OSAKA and TOKYO.

In 1996 he became a Registered Architect in CALIFORNIA and founded his own design studio, INTERIOR INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATES, completing many internationally renowned projects, such as HOTEL SHILLA, SAMSUNG HEADQUARTERS, OAK VALLEY GOLF & SKI RESORT, OAKWOOD PREMIER COEX CENTER and SEVEN LUCK CASINO. In 2001, he sought to expand the scope of his practice in Architecture by revitalizing his firm, LBL ARCHITECTS & INTERIORS.