Washington, DC (July 2022)
KCCT announces that senior architectural and quality control manager Peter Sallee will retire from the firm. Sallee, a tireless advocate of the value of in-house accountability and review at every submission, developed KCCT’s comprehensive quality control program and imparted a culture of checking every detail…and then checking it again. Peter has been at the helm of some of KCCT’s most public-facing projects, including the Hart Senate Office Building, which was the first photovoltaic retrofit completed by the Architect of the Capitol and one of the largest of any federal building in the DC area, and the Australian Embassy Temporary Chancery, which utilizes five floors of the historic National Geographic Building.
“Peter has contributed greatly to the profession of architecture within KCCT and helped make every project he touched better,” said KCCT Principal Paul Phillips. “He gave all the project managers confidence in the quality of their work. He has filled such an important role that can only be achieved through vast experience and hands-on field involvement.”
Sallee discovered an aptitude for architecture in 1981. To select a university architectural program, he set a radius of 500 miles from home and let his compass make the decision for him to attend Clemson University. After his second year of school, he was hired by the prominent Washington design firm Abel and Weinstein, which designed many of the yellow brick apartment buildings on Connecticut and Massachusetts Avenues and the Bender Building, KCCT’s former office location. After earning his Master of Architecture from the University of Maryland, Sallee returned to Abel and Weinstein, where he quickly became both a registered architect and vice president of the firm.
Sallee subsequently opened his own firm, primarily performing building renovations and tenant work, where he quickly discovered that “the best marketing tool is your last project.” When he had trouble securing MEP subconsultants because the jobs were small, Sallee hired a registered engineer and became the smallest architectural/engineering firm in the area. While working on a lobby renovation, he met the prospective buyers of the building and walked away with a new long-term client. He also succeeded in the highly specialized field of medical facilities.
Sallee plans to divide his time in retirement between his cabin and downtown DC, where he can walk around and see the buildings he designed throughout the years. “This is a very unique field,” he said of architecture as a profession. “It requires a lot of work, a lot of dedication, and a lot of time. You must want to do it. You must love it.”
“Over his 40 -year career in Washington, DC, Peter worked with legendary local architectural firms that helped establish the modern character of the city,” KCCT Principal and President John W. Chapman said. “KCCT has benefited from Peter’s technical and construction experience, his attention to details, his generosity and willingness to share his knowledge with younger team members, and his insistence that our clients get what they pay for during construction. We wish him the best in retirement.”
Firm History
Washington, DC-based KCCT is a multidisciplinary design firm focused on planning, architecture, and interior design in urban environments. The firm’s unique practice features a regional portfolio ranging from historic preservation to institutional and commercial designs. With nearly 40 years of experience in international design, KCCT also brings a global perspective to our work with diplomatic, military, and transportation projects in over 170 cities abroad. KCCT’s values are innovative design, technical quality, and an unwavering dedication to service.