“as time moves forward, we’re catching up to the past…in a way” 

— John Crabill, Hillsborough, NC

As most things that last, we have adapted. We have been shaped by our place. We are not a traditional architecture practice; we probably would not survive, nor would we like it. Our approach to design expands the role of the architect. We focus on a few select projects, to realize our client’s vision and strive for authentic work. We lead as the architects, the contractors, the owners and, at times, the developers.  To make things more confusing, we could be all these roles, or just a couple or just one. If the project shares our values, we embrace whichever role to realize the work. We work backwards, thinking early in the process how we will realize the end-product. Construction is the filter and the generator. Designing methods of construction gives us a lens to establish a tectonic language particular to each design opportunity. The act of making and learning with our hands is fundamental to our design process. We are in pursuit of, searching for something, watchful in the moment, that turns a ‘normal step’ in the project process into architecture.

We practice in a small growing city tied to a larger region of universities, research, enlightened clients, and collaborators. We work with institutions, commercial clients, on private residences, and public art projects. We search for the pragmatic and focus on reinterpreting ideas and materials in a situation, versus inventing out of context.
We believe that good design can happen at any scale and budget. We believe it is essential to do work that has a larger impact on our place. Over the past few years, we have taken lessons learned and transitioned to focus on more public work. Our practice is led by partners in life and work, Katherine Hogan, AIA and Vincent Petrarca, AIA.