Jeff Kovel arrived in Portland, Oregon in 1996, drawn by a deep affection for the West. He founded Skylab Architecture three years later as a laboratory to explore a departure from an industry of mounting standardization. He holds an architecture degree from Cornell University.

Skylab Architecture’s work spans the industries of hospitality, retail branded environments, residential, and commercial. The firm’s renovation of the restaurant, bar, and living room for the W Hotel in Seattle is conceived around a Sonic Lodge, which seeks to illuminate juxtapositions found in the history and futuristic aspirations of Seattle and the Great Northwest. Their temporary exhibition space showcasing Nike innovation during the U.S. Olympic Trials track & field competition was named the 2012 Best of Year for exhibition/installation by Interior Design magazine. Their award-winning design of an engineering facility for the Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant is currently in construction.