Samsel Architects is now Altura Architects
It is with great excitement that we announce Samsel Architects is now Altura Architects. We chose the name Altura for several reasons. The word means height or altitude, and serves as a tribute to our mountain home. It symbolizes our desire to provide a high level of service and inspired design. It also signifies our studio’s commitment to a higher purpose of creating buildings that improve the lives of our clients, our community, and our planet.
Altura Architects is Hiring
Altura Architects is currently looking for a full-time Project Architect/Designer to join our collaborative studio. The ideal candidate should have a professional Architecture degree from an accredited college or university, two to five years of experience, and demonstrate a strong sense of design.
Year-Round Outdoor Living Spaces
What draws a lot of people to live in Western North Carolina are the beautiful mountain views at every turn. When designing a home in the mountains, creating a strong connection to the outdoors is a must. Whether it's a patio, a deck or a screened-in porch, these outdoor spaces extend the interior living spaces to the outside for year-round enjoyment. Below are six inviting outdoor living spaces.
Cooking Up Good Design: 6 Inspiring Kitchens
A kitchen needs to be not only a practical space for the family, but also a comfortable place to congregate. Here are six examples of our kitchen designs that are both functional and beautiful.
Three Samsel Projects Receive AIA Asheville Awards
We are excited to announce three Samsel Architects projects received a 2022 AIA Asheville Award during their annual Design Awards ceremony on the evening of May 12. We appreciate AIA Asheville for the awards as well as the project team for each winner.
Crafting the Art Experience in Downtown Asheville
Our team has been behind the creative rehabilitation of several of Asheville’s preeminent art galleries and here we look at what it took to rehabilitate some of Asheville’s most vivid art spaces. Art gallery design is a creative process that blends art and functionality.
A Bach in the Mountains
We have fallen in love with the “bach” - and so have our clients! While living in New Zealand, our clients discovered the bach (pronounced “batch”), a traditional and modest beachside home tucked among the cliffs. The name is thought to derive from “bachelor pad” or perhaps from the Welsh word for “small.”
Mountain Modern Architecture Inspired by the Past
At Samsel Architects, our custom mountain modern architecture takes great inspiration from WNC’s vernacular architecture that we translate into modern living.
Flights of Fancy: 6 Staircase Ideas
A staircase is a practical part of many homes and buildings - you need them to go up and back down. Because of their utilitarian nature and specific parameters about slope ratios and height requirements, stairs are often overlooked as an opportunity to get creative.
Our Values: Family
Our studio has a set of 12 values that are the foundation of our work. Continuing with our blog series that highlights each of the values, today we will focus on Family. “We work in a place where trust and communication create meaningful human relationships. We support each other, we laugh and cry together, we enjoy the challenges of our work together and we appreciate each other. We believe in supporting each other as we grow as humans and as architects.” Each member of our team brings unique strengths and personalities to our studio. It’s important to us that we take the