35th Anniversary: Hospitality Projects Through the Years
2020 marks thirty-five years for our firm. Since our founding, we have worked on hundreds of projects of many types throughout the Southern Appalachian region. This summer, we are reviewing the evolution of our projects since opening our doors in 1985. Today we take a glimpse at a handful of our hospitality and educational projects, from the EcoDorm - the US’s first LEED Platinum certified dormitory building, to a luxe resort in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains.
Modern Cabin among the Red Spruces
Our client, an avid outdoorsman and environmentalist, came to us with a unique piece of land in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Our shared vision for this modern cabin design was to minimize the impact on this fragile ecosystem. The building site is within a dense red spruce forest at 5,700 feet elevation. The evergreen forest and high elevation create a micro climate and habitat that supports rare species of flora and fauna. The design concept began with concealing the visual impact of the cabin as much as possible. We placed the cabin downhill, away from the parking area and preserved a
Are you “BearWise?”
While we humans have been spending more time at home because of the pandemic, the wildlife in Western North Carolina has been venturing out more into our public spaces. Black bears roam our neighborhood streets and are even in the streets of downtown Asheville. Existing safely alongside black bears is part of living and working in our region and we must be thoughtful about maintaining our homes and job sites. The organization BearWise is dedicated to helping people live responsibly with black bears. Our client, Janet Winemiller, is an ambassador for the program and was recently interviewed about her involvement (you