This past summer, we welcomed four new team members to our studio.
Please join us in welcoming René James, Jack Wathieu, Santiago Rivero, and Gina Giannotta to #teamhacin.

René James joins us as our newest co-op from Northeastern University. She is a fifth-year architecture student minoring in Creative Fabrication. She will work with us through the end of 2025. Originally from Bridgeport, Connecticut, she brings a passion for art and creativity. She loves combining design with expressive, hands-on making. Outside architecture, she explores illustration, model making, video editing, and music. She also founded Portraits By René, where she creates quick, stylized portraits for clients.

Jack Wathieu joined Hacin in 2025 after earning his Master of Architecture I from Harvard GSD. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Georgetown University. He previously contributed to institutional and residential projects at Herzog & de Meuron, Toshiko Mori Architect, and Studio Sean Canty.

For his thesis, Jack collaborated with the Living Observatory. He explored the archive as a civic building that shapes public understanding of changing landscapes. He sited the project on a former cranberry bog restored as wetland. The design linked the site’s memory, ecology, and ongoing scientific research. In addition to his work at Hacin, Jack teaches at the Boston Architectural College. He has also served as a teaching and research assistant at Harvard GSD. Outside the office, he photographs landscapes, plays soccer, and walks with his partner.

Santiago Rivero, RA is an architect who joined Hacin in 2025, bringing with him a diverse range of project experience and a particular interest in adaptive reuse design. He began his career at CannonDesign in Chicago, focusing primarily on large-scale healthcare projects. After relocating to Boston in 2023, he joined Touloukian Touloukian Inc., where his work shifted toward smaller-scale, detail-oriented design. He became a licensed architect in 2025.

Santiago earned his bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture in 2021. During his studies, he spent time abroad at ETSAB in Barcelona and the Steger Center in Switzerland. His thesis project, A Bridge Between Centuries, received a Thesis Book Award for its exploration of how architecture can act as a conduit between eras through the modernization of contextual design language. This academic foundation has deeply influenced his passion for context-driven design, which continues to inform his professional work. Outside the studio, Santiago enjoys going to the gym, experimenting with new recipes, and expanding his travel list—which includes visits to over 30 countries.

Gina Giannotta joined Hacin in the summer of 2025, bringing experience from prestigious, high-end residential interior design firms in Fairfield County, Connecticut. With involvement in every phase of the design process, Gina is known for a positive, collaborative spirit and thoughtful approach to each project. As a designer passionate about sustainability, Gina believes that creating a healthier world can begin in the home. Away from the studio, Gina enjoys staying active through playing tennis, taking long walks, and discovering new places to explore.

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