Action leads to clarity & confidence
From the earliest ideas through open doors, you can incorporate Chris' varied skills, customizable materials, and track record of successfully designing and developing award-winning, mixed-use venues across the country and around the world.
Project Launch
Chris works inside your circle, side by side with you and your team, to organize, develop, and visualize your dream building project.
If you're looking for:
A Fractional CDO guide through the building development process.
A Brand Architect to help you expand your business.
Expertise and experience from ideation, programming, finding and vetting real estate, leases, FP&A, design, development, fundraising, construction, and opening facilities.
A trusted advisor with a long track record of success and testimonials.
A pedigree of education, experience, and award-winning projects.
Customizable tools, templates, and guides, to fill in the gaps and organize your project.
Guidance to organize and make decisions:
Planning and designing a world-class facility
"Right-sizing your project
Real Estate/ Leases
Fundraising
Building and hiring A/E teams
Handling GC's & Landlords
This way of working, works
This is a flexible, fast-moving program to connect the dots and chart a path forward.
First, we think "blue sky" but also practical, to organizing you vision and goals.
Then we create your "shopping list" for space planning and programming.
Then, we create several budget scenarios, based on different options identified.
These steps and information help direct what's next, for you to move forward.
*This program also becomes the path into future visualization packages.
Advising Offers
Project Launch Plan
eady to pull your ideas together?
Looking for clarity and confidence to help you move forward?
Regardless of if this is a new venture or a new concept for an existing business, this deep-dive interview is the first step working together, where we use Chris' decades of experience developing, designing, and opening world-class projects around the country and globally, to help you assess where you're at, what needs to be done to move forward, and what next steps can look like. We do this during one session that's turned into a written brief to document where you're at today and clarify the road ahead!
In one 90 minute session, we will focus on:
1:1 Deep-dive, 90-minute session, directly with Chris.
Discuss and analyze where you're at today, what you've been doing so far, and what's next.
Identify opportunities, along with what we should start (or stop) doing to move forward.
Organizing next steps in a Project Launch Brief, spelling out different paths forward and what's next.
Access to proprietary digital tools.
$997*
Includes:
90 min 1-1 session with Chris
Project Launch Brief: Outlining opportunities, concerns, and next steps to move your project forward.
45 min 1-1 follow up on the Project Launch Brief: Reviewing identified next steps, thoughts, and concerns.
Access to customizable digital tools ($500 value)
* Introductory Price, with a limited number of spaces available each month.
* Up to $997 to be deducted from future engagements.
About
Chris Ryan AIA, NCARB
Chris Ryan brings a rare combination of experiences to his work as an Architect, developer, builder, and educator—paired with a lifelong passion for climbing, surfing, skiing, and other emerging sports that have shaped his life. For over 20 years, he has been designing, developing, and building award-winning, activity-based projects that create meaningful Third Places where work, play, and community intersect.
After beginning his career in multidisciplinary architecture and design-build firms, Chris spent a decade leading the design, development, and construction of climbing gyms across the country. These experiences gave him the expertise to take truly visionary concepts and efficiently turn them into thriving, real-world facilities. Today, he applies those lessons to help clients develop bold, activity-driven Third Places centered on the passions that connect people and inspire communities.
Chris’s unique blend of professional skill and personal commitment to these sports fuels every project he takes on. His award-winning work has been featured in Fast Company and Forbes, his YouTube channel has more than 18,000 subscribers, and he has taught design, construction, and professional practice at Roger Williams University and Northeastern University. He earned his Master of Architecture degree from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design.
- Licensed Architect (AIA, NCARB)
- Registered Contractor (GC)
- Former VP Development (2012-2020)
- College & Graduate School Professor (2011-2021)
- Master of Architecture - Harvard GSD '09
- Nationally Ranked Climber (early 2000s)
- Climbing Wall Designer (2001-5005)
- Bachelor of Environmental Design - CU Boulder '02
- Eagle Scout
Turning good ideas into great projects.
Clients opened 12 new facilities in the last 4 years.
Current projects valued at over $90m.
Helped 4 businesses open first location in the last 3 years.
Helped 1 business franchise their model.
Helped 7 businesses raise funds to build in the last 3 years.
Opened 17 climbing and dedicated work/ play facilities.
Worked across 5 continents.
Designed 75+ climbing wall projects over last 20 years.
Over 100 climbing and mixed-use concepts, and test fits.
Testimonials
"There's a lot of benefit to being able to throw our ideas at the wall, then come out the other side with a cohesive idea and direction; a very strong understanding of the position we're in, and where we need to go.
When I first came to you, I had a napkin sketch, and now we have a full team ready to go."
Seung P.
Advising Client
"I feel like I wouldn't be in the process of opening and making it happen without Chris; and the guidance through the development world has been great.
Turning an idea into reality, I attribute a lot of that to your help."
Mark Messner
Founder - Rendezvous Climbing
"The only way through is with manageable bites, and to be coached by somebody who's done this so they know those pain points.
You've provided perfectly, guiding us right through all this... and I feel like it's going to work, if we can dial in everything that's necessary."
Jeremy & Annie K.
Advising Clients
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