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Becca Cavell has a new gig. The former managing principal of Hacker has started her own architecture firm, MakeShift Architecture Inc., so she can handle more of what she loves: predesign and programming.

鈥淗acker is a fabulous firm, and when I moved into managing principal, I felt I was good at it, but it didn鈥檛 make my soul sing,鈥� she said.

By operating her own firm, Cavell said she can focus on closer relationships and more direct engagement with clients and the design process.

鈥淲hen you are busy managing a firm, there is never enough time,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 an architect and this is what I love doing.鈥�

But Cavell isn鈥檛 cutting ties altogether with her former employer. She will consult with Hacker on the renovation of Cruess Hall at the University of California, Davis, and on the Neuberger Hall renovation at Portland State University.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a nice way to start, but I want to expand my client base as soon as I can,鈥� she said.

MakeShift is currently headquartered at Cavell鈥檚 home, but she plans to expand to an office as the firm grows.

鈥淎ll I need is half of an employee and I want to pick a couple of good projects so I can justify that,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檇 like to have a young architect with strong graphic skills.鈥�

In the meantime, Cavell is working to create marketing materials and develop the MakeShift website at .

Cavell said she wants to work with consultant design teams 鈥渢o establish the scope and cost and scale of a project.鈥�

鈥淚 have a lot of experience working with complex renovations as well as new construction,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 love historic renovations and those projects bring complexity and (I want to) do that in a way that respects the architecture and makes it new and fresh and wonderful, a place where people want to work.鈥�

Cavell, a United Kingdom native, worked for architecture firms in Scotland and England before moving to the U.S. in 1994 to join SERA Architects. She started working at Hacker in 1998 and was a partner for the past 10 years. She has taught at the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts since 2006.

MakeShift has applied for registration with the state鈥檚 Office of Minority, Women and Emerging Small Businesses, Cavell said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an advantage to have that status and to other firms 鈥� if they want to include MakeShift as part of a team 鈥� they can then show that goodwill to the clients and gives me, I hope, the opportunity to work on large-scale projects.鈥�

Cavell said she particularly likes tackling institutional architecture in the public realm.

鈥淏y setting up my own firm I hope to work directly with institutions, with universities like PSU and the University of Oregon, but also regionally on the West Coast, to set up scopes of projects and get them funded,鈥� she said.