Inspired by the movement and structure found in nature at all scales, Carter is driven by the process of translating concept into form. He combines hands-on fabrication knowledge with a CAD-based drafting and 3-D modeling skillset to clearly communicate use, materiality and performance.

Over the past five years, Carter has worked professionally within the design/build, landscape and exhibit design fields as a designer and project manager. He holds a BFA in Wood/Furniture from the California College of the Arts and a Masters of Industrial Design degree from Rhode Island School of Design. He lives with his wife and daughter in Providence, Rhode Island.

Rustic canyon fence

Enclosure, privacy and site integration were the primary requirements for the design of this fence located in a wooded canyon close to the ocean. The fence winds through a small cluster of trees, before jumping up onto an existing stone wall, integrating itself into the landscape and infrastructure.

Completed at Nancy Goslee Power & Associates
Role: Project Designer and Manager
Location: Santa Monica, CA

Disney planters

Designed to formally relate to the assymetrical geometry of Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall, these mobile planters provide a versatility that can respond to the shifting programmatic needs of this interior terrace adjacent to the LA philharmonic conductor's office.

Fabricated in a lightweight synthetic concrete and fiberglass material called 'glascrete', with casters concealed underneath, the planters can be positioned together in a pod or independently throughout the terrace.

Completed at Nancy Goslee Power & Associates
Role: Project Designer
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Shadefins

The 'shadefin' was designed to reduce glare as well as solar heat gain within The Box Office, an office/studio complex constructed out of re-purposed shipping containers. The 'shadefin' is a fixed, exterior shading element, shaped and oriented in response to the sun's daily path and the occupant's demand for daylight modulation.

Client: Collaboration with Truthbox Architects and Distill Studio
Role: Project Designer
Location: Providence, RI

The Salon

For this new bar in a former downtown Providence hair salon, I used simple and durable materials to achieve a warmer atmosphere within an existing interior of colder, unfinished surfaces. Integrating the bars and shelving structures into constrained spaces demanded a careful assessment of utility and equipment locations as well as the ergonomics of the bartenders and clientele.

Role: Designer and builder of interior elements
Location: Providence, RI

Bodytectonics

An examination of Danish designer Thomas Bentzen's 'Pine Chair' was the launching point for this project. Further exploring his use of flat planes to create curves, the project studied the potential of a tectonic system based on the angles and proportions of the human body. The end result is a group of modular, plywood boxes that can be configured in a wide variety of modes, depending on the specific program of a space.

Rocksteady chair

This chair and table borrowed conceptually from reggae's capacity to build complexity through a layered control of simple elements, in this case straight, square pieces of wood, arranged solely in right angles. The staggered ends that extend outward from the panel's backbone provide compositional variation as well as the 'lock' between the seat and the back, enabling an upright posture for the listener that is both relaxed and alert.

RISD grad exhibition

The 'subway map' exhibition concept highlighted conceptual links between various ID graduate thesis projects in a direct, easy-to-install manner. Vinyl striping and lettering graphically referenced a subway map, establishing a visual language that informed the audience, while also defining and transforming the ID exhibit space within the cavernous convention center.

Zoo Miami - Florida: Mission Everglades

These two interactive exhibits are integrated into the architecture and landscape of Zoo Miami's new section, Florida: Mission Everglades. Together these exhibits celebrate the diversity of Florida's wildlife and ecosystems and highlight the challenges they face today. Florida's Water Journey (1,2) is a mixed media presentation of the vibrant intersections between people, water and nature throughout Florida's history. The Test (3) is a hands-on game of sustainable stewardship of Florida's vital water resources in the face of the competing demands of nature, agriculture and urbanization.

Exhibit: Zoo Maimi - Florida: Mission Everglades
Role: Exhibit designer at Main Street Design, Cambridge, MA
Location: Zoo Miami, Dade County, FL