Founded in 2017 by Nina Murrell, AIA, LEED AP to build on more than 20 years of award-winning cultural and educational facility planning and design leadership, MODA partners with mission-driven organizations and businesses to create meaningful, transformative places for education, work, community and culture.
As sole practitioner, Nina Murrell ensures every client has personalized attention from start to finish and every design reflects her clients' unique goals and aspirations. Her clients rave about her ability to listen and truly understand their wishes - and her ability to translate those wishes into functional, beautiful, and inspiring places.
It is Nina's ability to truly hear what her clients are describing that sets her apart from other architects. This skill makes her an excellent partner for turning amorphous, hard-to-describe ideas into designs and beloved places for living, working, and learning.
MODA | Murrell Office for Development and Architecture LLC is located in Austin, Texas and is HUB / WBE Certified by the City of Austin and Texas Comptroller.
Let's turn air
into solid.
2025 CREW AUSTIN CRE RESEARCH
CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS
Leaps and Bounds:
The Now and Future Austin Metro
The 2025 CREW Austin CRE Research explores how Austin Metro leaders are tackling change, meeting challenges and opportunities, and innovating solutions in the face of incredible population growth and associated infrastructure and socioeconomic demands.
Through roundtables and surveys, the research seeks to clarify trends, forecasts, and innovative approaches that will shape how Austin Metro organizations steer growth and development to optimize positive outcomes in the coming decades.
Are you a leader in your industry?
Do you work or serve in one or more of the Austin Metro counties?
Would you relish an opportunity to have open-ended conversations with other top leaders on crucial topics of growth and development?
Would you like to contribute to improving growth and development outcomes in the Austin Metro?
WE'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU! Please complete the form and we will be in touch.
A Rice University graduate and Fulbright Scholar practicing architecture since 1996, Nina Murrell's roles prior to founding MODA include New England Market Sector Leader in Education+Culture for SMRT and Design Director / Southcentral Regional Education+Culture Leader for Gensler. In these and earlier roles with Lord Aeck & Sargent, Stanley Beaman & Sears, and Harrison Kornberg, Nina managed and designed large, complex projects for universities, museums, private schools, and independent school districts. The relationships she grew with clients and colleagues in those roles are cherished to this day - and she keeps in touch!
Her published research on audience engagement and the roles of cultural facilities in their communities combined with her involvement in several cultural / educational facility associations to give her the pulse on trends in programs, space use, visitor experience design. The insight she provides her clients is additionally influenced by her leadership roles in commercial real estate associations, empowering her clients to fine tune organizational market positioning while planning for corresponding program and facilities growth.
Nina is a certified facilitator, recognized for her success in shepherding diverse+divergent groups to consensus and shared vision. While catalyzing stakeholder contributions, she leads with a collaborative 'what if' approach that helps her clients try on opportunities for mission-advancing program and spatial synergies that delight visitors, support staff satisfaction and productivity, and optimize construction budgets.
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Offers
SCORE Austin's Bricks and Mortar for your Business
Business and non-profit leaders, join us for this rare deep dive into how to make the most of your upcoming design and construction project. Our teachers bring detailed guidance on expanding your business / strategic plan, securing funding and a location, and what to expect from the design and construction process. Hosted by SCORE Austin, this series helps you plan ahead and position your project for success. Contact Nina Murrell for details and registration.
Design Your Dream Home
This exclusive workshop is your first step to building the home of your dreams. Learn how to clarify and share your vision, what to prepare for the design and construction process, and how to choose and work with the right teammates for you. Kick off your project with greater confidence and resources to make the most of your investment in your dreams of home. Contact Nina Murrell for details and to RSVP.
The Total Project Cost Spreadsheet
This spreadsheet includes typical soft and hard project costs and can be a useful tool for preparing for conversations with your banker or other funding agencies. Contact Nina Murrell to request this Total Project Cost Spreadsheet and the BONUS Budget Strategies Worksheet.