Scott Specht, AIA

Founding Partner

Scott is the founding partner of Specht Novak with over 30 years of experience designing and managing institutional, commercial, and residential projects. Before founding Specht Novak (formerly known as Specht Architects), he worked as a senior designer for Studio Daniel Libeskind and collaborated with that office on its winning New York World Trade Center master planning proposal. He also worked for several years with Deborah Berke Architects, and Kohn Pedersen Fox and Associates Architects, and was the Designer on a number of tall building projects around the world. He is a licensed architect in Texas, New York, and many other states, and is a member of the American Institute of Architects.

Scott received his Master of Architecture degree from Yale University, where he received the George Nelson Scholarship and the Franklin W. Gregory Scholarship.

In addition to his work with Specht Novak, Scott was a featured speaker at TEDx, and was a co-author of the book “Coffee Lids” for Princeton Architectural Press. His independent design work has been exhibited in two SoHo gallery shows, at Yale University, the Van Alen Institute, the Municipal Art Society of New York, The University of Texas at Austin, and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.

Jakeb Novak, AIA

Partner

Jakeb Novak, partner, brings two decades of design and project management experience to the firm, and has contributed to numerous award-winning residential, institutional, and commercial projects. His work has been featured in numerous publications including Architectural Record, Dwell, and The Wall Street Journal, among others.

Jakeb is a licensed architect in Texas and Illinois, a LEED Accredited Professional, and NCARB certified. He received a Bachelor of Architecture from Kansas State University where he was the recipient of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Henry Adams Certificate. His prior experience ranges from working at several boutique firms in Chicago on commercial projects and urban housing to working on international multi-tower developments while at Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM).

Travis Power, AIA

Partner

Travis Power is a partner with over 15 years of professional experience. He is a licensed architect in Texas with a Bachelor of Architecture from The University of Texas at Austin. Prior to joining Specht Novak in 2015, he worked at several design-oriented offices including Lake Flato in San Antonio.

His design and project management experience is highlighted by his custom residential work, but also includes higher education, restaurant, and entertainment buildings. He has contributed to projects that have been recognized and published locally, nationally, and internationally. Beyond architecture, Travis also has experience in product design and marketing, and he has had a specialty product on the market for a decade.

Britny Nicole Hernandez

Architectural Designer

Britny received a Master of Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin where she was awarded the 2020 AIA Fort Worth Student Honor Award. Originally from Colorado, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Colorado at Denver where she graduated with honors. In her free time, she can be found searching for vinyl records and exploring graphic design.

Matt Lindsay, AIA

Project Architect

With over 14 years of professional experience across a broad spectrum of scales and typologies, Matt has been an influential leader and advocate for design. His designs have sought to take on complex problems that require uniquely refined and elegant solutions within modest means.

Before joining Specht Novak, Matt worked at an Austin based boutique residential architecture office, where he managed some of the firm’s largest and high-profile projects. These projects served as case studies that he developed into office-wide standards, procedures, and details, streamlining project deliveries for other teams.

Matt received his Bachelor of Architecture at Kent State University and his Master of Architecture at Ohio State University. Upon graduation, he joined Robert Maschke Architects (RMA) in Cleveland, Ohio. At RMA, he was responsible for the design and execution of many award-winning projects that have been widely published. Matt’s contributions guided the transition of RMA’s design dialogue from an analog to a digital studio. In 2015, Matt was the recipient of the Emerging Professional Award from the Cleveland Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Cleveland, Ohio) for recognition as an outstanding member of the next generation of leaders, contributing to the workplace and further developing the profession of Architecture.

Matthew Montry, AIA

Project Architect

Matthew received his Post-Professional Master of Architecture from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. He received his Bachelor of Architecture from The University of Texas at Austin, where he was awarded the Oglesby Traveling Fellowship (he traveled through Japan for a month), the university-wide George H. Mitchell Award for his work with Jason Sowell, and was published in Wallpaper* Magazine’s 2010 Graduate Directory for his work with Billie Faircloth.

Prior to joining Specht Novak, Matthew’s design experience spanned academic buildings with Tod Williams | Billie Tsien Architects in New York City, and award winning high-end custom residential and commercial projects with firms in Austin, TX.

John Vesel

Architectural Designer

John is an Eagle Scout and received his Master of Architecture degree at the Kansas State University College of Architecture, Planning, & Design. Upon graduation, he moved to Austin and co-founded his own design firm focusing on product design & artistic expression in a wide array of media.

Prior to joining Specht Novak, John focused on high-end residential projects as a Senior Project Designer at Clark | Richardson Architects in Austin, Texas.