Founded by architect Thomas Schmidt, the philosophy of Sepia Design Consultants Limited revolves around retaining a small core team and tapping into a broad network of collaborators and/or other professional consultants on an as-need basis to provide specifically targeted services within the client’s budget.
Creative Director
Thomas Schmidt
AIA, ANZIA, NCARB, LEED® AP, WELL® AP, Cal-OES SAP Evaluator
Mr. Schmidt’s responsibilities extend to all aspects of the company, with a leadership role in the creative direction of all projects, new business development, and guidance of technical staff within the company. Mr. Schmidt is an NCARB Licensed Architect (USA & New Zealand), a LEED® Accredited Professional (AP), a WELL® Accredited Professional (AP), a Founding Member and past Executive Committee member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Hong Kong and a current member of the American Society of Architectural Illustrators (ASAI). In addition to his contributions in the design of award-winning projects, his varied international hospitality design experience on over 840 projects throughout the past 35 years has resulted in him living in the USA, People’s Republic of China and Taiwan — where he gained a level of proficiency in spoken Mandarin and intimate knowledge of local business and construction practices — Hong Kong SAR, in addition to New Zealand.
In 2024, Mr. Schmidt completed the Cal-OES Safety Assessment Program (SAP) Evaluator Training through the American Institute of Architects (AIA) to become a certified Building Evaluator for volunteer disaster response activities.
Prior to founding Sepia Design Consultants Limited, Mr. Schmidt was Vice President Technical Services for Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts, an internationally renowned luxury hotel group, at their regional corporate offices in Hong Kong SAR. In addition to private consulting work at various intervals throughout his career, Mr. Schmidt’s prior working experience includes full-time design leadership roles at the following companies:
- Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts (Hong Kong)
- Marriott International, Inc. (Hong Kong)
- Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) (Hong Kong)
- SCA Architects (Hawaii, USA)
- Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo (WATG) (Hawaii, USA)
- David Barrett & Associates (Colorado, USA)
Schmidt is also author and illustrator of the award-winning Bumbling Traveller Adventure Series which seeks to promote environmental and cultural awareness through entertaining mysteries and adventures. Schmidt was awarded a 2010 Chapter Citation by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in recognition of “significant achievement in promoting the values of cultural heritage, eco-tourism and vernacular architecture in the Chapter’s region, such as Borneo and Sumatra, through educational graphic novels in the Bumbling Traveller adventure series that are richly informed through dedicated research and vividly portrayed by exquisitely hand-drawn illustrations.”