ARCHITECTURAL COLLABORATIVE

ATHENS, Georgia, February 2, 2024 – Architectural Collaborative, an award-winning architecture firm noted for both its striking modern designs as well as a leader in historic preservation in the State, today announced that it has become the first architecture firm in the State of Georgia to become certified as a B Corporation®.

Since its founding, Architectural Collaborative, or “Arcollab,” has embraced a commitment to sustainable design best practices. While architecture firms can design certified buildings under programs such as LEED, EarthCraft, and PassivHaus, being certified as a B Corp is a public commitment to the way in which Arcollab operates their business as a whole. Architectural Collaborative is also registered in the State of Georgia as a benefit company, with formal commitments in its by-laws that incorporate positive social and environmental impact considerations into the charter of the business.

“As business owners, we think about how our business contributes to the well-being of our community,” commented Gabe Comstock, one of Arcollab’s three founding principals. “This recognition as a B Corporation is one additional way to publicly demonstrate our commitment to internalizing the ideals we value and seek to embody as a design firm.”

About B Corporations

Certified B Corporations meet the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability, and aspire to use the power of markets to address social and environmental concerns. Arcollab strives to create shared value with the communities and clients they serve, using design as a means to enhance community well-being and using business as a force for good.

Arcollab is proud to be the sixth certified B Corporation in Athens, one of the first 30 certified B Corporations in Georgia and joins a network of 2,176 B Corp companies in the US and Canada and 6,470 across 89 countries and 161 industries. Together, B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.

B Corp certification is conferred by the non-profit B Lab, which evaluates companies based on standards of transparency, accountability, and performance across five categories: governance, environment, customers, workers, and community.

Design Conventions at Arcollab

“In design, sustainability relates to energy use, water use, materials use, waste management, and other environmental footprint impacts. We also consider the safety, health, and well-being of those who live, work, play, study, recreate, meditate, and congregate in the spaces we design. We consider how the buildings themselves interact with the surrounding landscape and how the structures we design facilitate people interacting with light, shadow, and the natural environment,” said Arcollab Principal Lori Bork Newcomer. “We integrate these concepts into all our projects whether or not the project owners seek to pursue some sort of green building certification.

It’s simply best practice design.” Principal Joe Smith, Arcollab’s historic preservation expert, added “We also appreciate the importance of cultural heritage and sense of place that buildings have in shaping people’s relationships to the places where they live, and we are both humbly honored and proud to contribute award-winning design to projects which help to rehabilitate and preserve these places.”

Together, Arcollab’s principals have worked on over 80 historic rehabilitations across the State of Georgia, including Savannah’s City Hall, and have been involved in assessments, preservation planning, and rehabilitation design for a number of historic and culturally significant African American schools and buildings across the State. Their design work has won numerous awards from AIA Atlanta, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, Historic Athens, Historic Augusta, and the Madison Historic Preservation Commission.

About Arcollab

 Architectural Collaborative LLC is a multi-disciplinary firm, with practice areas including all types of new construction, interior design, historic preservation, existing building conditions evaluation, master planning, and preservation planning. The Arcollab leadership team brings more than 75 years of combined professional experience in project types ranging from single-family residential to large-scale commercial work. Arcollab’s design team is fluent in the architectural detailing of styles ranging from historic and neo-traditional to cutting-edge modern design. Arcollab’s principal architects lead the creative design process driven by the thoughtful articulation of light, form, and materials in order to create inspired spaces that reflect a sense of place of the communities in which they are located. From the overall massing of building forms to the careful assembly of construction details, Arcollab’s team combines a strong understanding of construction systems, attention to clients’ needs and budget, and an artistic sensibility.

For more information about Arcollab, email us at studio@arcollab.net or call 706.355.3010.

Athens, Ga., April 26, 2023 — On Saturday, April 22, 2023, our Oconee Schoolhouse project received the 2023 Excellence in Rehabilitation Award from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. This award recognizes projects that make compatible use of a building through repair, alterations, or additions while preserving features of the property that convey its historic value. This marks the fourth consecutive year that Arcollab’s work has been recognized by the Georgia Trust as some of the most outstanding preservation and rehabilitation design projects completed in the State of Georgia.

We commend Grahl Construction for their vision and commitment to the Athens community to invest in this project, and their extraordinary care to carry out the rehabilitation work on this building which now houses their main office.

Athens, Ga., February 15, 2023 — Arcollab has been given the 2023 Best of Houzz Design Award, an honor we’ve now received for four years running and for 9 of the past 11 years. We appreciate all of our residential clients who share their dreams with us and allow us to help translate those dreams into dream homes.

Athens, Ga., Nov. 18, 2022 — As the COP 27 climate talks continue in Egypt, Arcollab has been featured on America Is All In success stories. America Is All In champions a whole-of-society mobilization to deliver transformational change that will meet the challenge of the climate crisis and secure a healthy, prosperous, equitable, and sustainable future for everyone. America Is All In is an expansive coalition of leaders from US cities, states, tribal nations, businesses, schools, and institutions of faith, health, and culture.

Please find the article here. And please join us!

Macon, Ga., Oct. 11, 2021— The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation presented 20 awards recognizing the best of preservation in Georgia during its 44th annual Preservation Awards ceremony in Macon.

The East Annex and Hancock Branch Library in Milledgeville, Ga. received the Michael L. Starr Award, presented to a project that best exemplifies the highest standards of historic rehabilitation and has a significant impact on the downtown of the city in which it is located.

The Wayfarer Music Hall (which includes the Southern Brewing Company taproom) in Monroe was one of three Excellence in Sustainable Rehabilitation winners.

“This year’s winners represent a tremendous dedication to restoring and revitalizing Georgia’s historic buildings and communities,” said Mark C. McDonald, president of The Georgia Trust. “We are proud to honor such deserving projects and individuals.”

For more than 40 years, the Trust has recognized preservation projects and individuals throughout Georgia who have made significant contributions to the field of historic preservation. Awards are presented on the basis of the contributions of the person or project to the community and/or state and on compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

Founded in 1973, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation is one of the country’s leading statewide, nonprofit preservation organizations. The Trust works for the preservation and revitalization of Georgia’s diverse historic resources and advocates their appreciation, protection and use.

The Georgia Trust generates community revitalization by finding buyers for endangered properties acquired by its Revolving Fund and raises awareness of other endangered historic resources through an annual listing of Georgia’s “Places in Peril.” The Trust recognizes preservation projects and individuals with its annual Preservation Awards and awards students and young professionals with the Neel Reid Prize and Liz Lyon Fellowship. The Trust offers a variety of educational programs for adults and children, provides technical assistance to property owners and historic communities, advocates for funding, tax incentives and other laws aiding preservation efforts, and manages two house museums in Atlanta (Rhodes Hall) and Macon (Hay House).

Julia, Rich, and their two sons recently moved to Athens from a beautiful mid-century modern home in Michigan. They were interested in living near Athens’ vibrant downtown in a walkable community setting. When this house in Pulaski Heights became available, they found their new home (and we were blessed with more great neighbors). Thanks for contributing to our series, y’all!

“Some of the best elements of our house are the unique ‘cut outs’ on the ground floor in the staircase,” wrote Julia. “We were thrilled to find a perfect stand-alone bar that fits perfectly in one of the alcoves; I just love the way these spaces look.” Architect’s note: these nooks were originally designed specifically to fit the previous homeowner’s piano and an heirloom piece of antique furniture.

“Clearly a lot of thought also went into the window placement. The north side of the house has the most and biggest windows, allowing light and fabulous views of the neighboring trees. The other sides of the house have strategically-placed windows to allow views and light while still providing privacy and minimizing the summer heat.”

“In our urban neighborhood of Pulaski Heights, I’m amazed we get to enjoy this many sightlines to nature. We especially love our screen porch. We keep the sliding glass doors open as often as temperatures allow, so our cats can enjoy it as much as we do. The screen porch has even doubled as a home gym this past year in the time of COVID!”