design-build

Pedro Williams: New Barber Shop Opens In Downtown Durham, Designed by The Raleigh Architecture Co.

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A neon sign points the way to "Pedro Williams." (photo by Pedro Williams)
A neon sign points the way to “Pedro Williams.” (photo by Pedro Williams)

The Raleigh Architecture Company (RACo) has completed the design and build-out of the third Arrow Haircuts location – only this time in Durham and under the name “Pedro Williams.”

Owners and brothers Pete and Andy Phipps opened their newest location earlier this month in the old Wells Fargo building at 624 Ninth Street, following the success of his first two shops: one in Raleigh’s Cameron Village shopping center, the other on Hargett Street in downtown Raleigh.

Andy Phipps describes the concept for all three locations as “old-style neighborhood barber shops with great customer service” that also happen to serve free beer and display racks of locally made products for sale. He sees them as alternatives to national chains and expensive salons.

Their locations underscore that intent.

“Most hair salons want spaces in shopping centers or strip malls that they can up-fit in two weeks,” architect Robby Johnston, AIA, co-owner of The Raleigh Architecture Company, noted. “Andy and Pete want to be part of the urban fabric, to support local retail, so their shops end up in old buildings and odd spaces that require a lot of work but turn out to be really interesting and unique.”

The Cameron Village shop is located in a space that was occupied by a barbershop from 1966 until Arrow moved in. The Hargett Street location housed Capital City Barber Shop for 80 years starting in 1931.

The 900-square-foot Durham location proved the most challenging of the three, according to RACo co-owner Craig Kerins, AIA. “It was in very poor condition and hadn’t been maintained. The space was sort of a leftover section of the building and hadn’t been treated well over the years.”

Nonetheless, Pedro Williams features all the RACo-designed elements that define the Arrow brand, including the central bar; the use of raw, exposed finishes (plywood, concrete, and galvanized conduit); the stylists’ stations arranged down a long, continuous bar; red metal tool chests for the stylists’ tools; and the red, white, and blue color scheme inspired by vintage barber poles. The aim was friendly, familiar, and hip. Achieved.

So why the name “Pedro Williams” instead of Arrow? Pete Phipps describes it best here: http://guaranteedshorterhair.com.

For more information on The Raleigh Architecture Company, visit www.raleigh-architecture.com.

About The Raleigh Architecture Company:

The Raleigh Architecture Company is an award-winning design/build firm specializing in Modern sustainable architecture, and craftsman-quality construction. As licensed architects and general contractors, we consider designing and building to be one integrated process. This streamlined approach empowers us to meet our clients’ economic expectations and to seamlessly execute high quality details, both small and large. Our office and shop are located under one roof in downtown Raleigh’s Warehouse District at 502 S. West Street. For more information visit www.raleigh-architecture.com, call 919-831-2995, or email: info@raleigh-architecture.com.

The Raleigh Architecture Company To Address AIA Winston-Salem

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The young firm’s partners will represent an emerging and innovative design-build practice.

The Raleigh Architecture Co. partners
L-R: Robby Johnston, AIA, and Craig Kerins, AIA

Robby Johnston, AIA, and Craig Kerins, AIA, founders and partners of The Raleigh Architecture Company (RACo) in Raleigh, will discuss their design-build work during the American Institute of Architects’ Winston-Salem section meeting on Tuesday, May 19, beginning at 12 noon in the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts in downtown Winston-Salem.

According to section president Jason Miller, AIA Winston-Salem has developed a “dual-pronged approach to section meetings: one focused on policy issues…and another devoted to emerging and innovative practices from across the state.” The RACo partners will represent the Triangle area for the latter theme.

Miller said he’s particularly interested in RACo’s work since he teaches in and practices through the “design-build-centric” Building Science program in Appalachian State University’s Department of Technology and Environmental Design in Boone, NC.

Johnston and Kerins founded The Raleigh Architecture Company and The Raleigh Construction Company, in the Warehouse District of downtown Raleigh in 2012. Since then, the young firm has completed 15 Modern residential projects and 15 commercial projects, including retail up-fits within existing historic buildings from Raleigh to Asheville. Kerins also designs and hand crafts Modern furniture. For more information visit www.raleigh-architecture.com.

For more information on AIA Winston-Salem, visit www.aiawinstonsalem.org.

LOGOAbout The Raleigh Architecture Company:

The Raleigh Architecture Company is an award-winning design/build firm specializing in Modern sustainable architecture, and craftsman-quality construction. As licensed architects and general contractors, we consider designing and building to be one integrated process. This streamlined approach empowers us to meet our clients’ economic expectations and to seamlessly execute high quality details, both small and large. Our office and shop are located under one roof in downtown Raleigh’s Warehouse District at 502 S. West Street. For more information visit www.raleigh-architecture.com, call 919-831-2995, or email: info@raleigh-architecture.com.

The Raleigh Architecture Co. Hires A New Project Manager

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Matthew Fornaro joins the design-build team.

The Raleigh Architecture Co.
Matt Fornaro

Robby Johnston, AIA, and Craig Kerins, AIA, partners in The Raleigh Architecture Company in Raleigh, announce that Matthew Fornaro has joined their team as a project manager.

The Raleigh Architecture Company (RACo) is a full-service, design-build-fabrication firm known for modern architecture and craftsman quality construction. The firm maintains both its office and shop under one roof in Raleigh’s downtown warehouse district.

Matt Fornaro studied at North Carolina State University’s Prague Institute in the Czech Republic in 2005 before receiving a Bachelor of Environmental Design in Architect degree from NCSU in 2006, graduating cum laude. He received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from NC State’s College of Design in 2008, again graduating cum laude.

Prior to joining RACo, Fornaro worked as an intern at Tonic Design + Tonic Construction in Raleigh (2005-2007) and at Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture in Chicago and Beijing (2008-2009). From 2010 to 2015, he worked as a commercial landscaper with Enhance Scapes in Cary, a freelance carpenter, and a field carpenter for Alphin Design Build in Raleigh.

“Our paths all started with architectural training, but we each have distinctive skill sets we bring to the table,” said Johnston. “Matt is a builder and wants to be a builder. His focus, organization, and ability allow us the freedom as a company to consider new opportunities.”

In his spare time, Matt Fornaro is involved in his community, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity of Wake County and the Wake County Public Schools system. He also enjoys branding cattle at Big Creek Ranch in Wyoming and serving as an assistant coach for youth and adult programs through The Allez Fencing Club.

For more information on The Raleigh Architecture Company, visit www.raleigh-architecture.com.

LOGOAbout The Raleigh Architecture Company:

The Raleigh Architecture Company is an award-winning design/build firm specializing in Modern sustainable architecture, and craftsman-quality construction. As licensed architects and general contractors, we consider designing and building to be one integrated process. This streamlined approach empowers us to meet our clients’ economic expectations and to seamlessly execute high quality details, both small and large. Our office and shop are located under one roof in downtown Raleigh’s Warehouse District at 502 S. West Street. For more information visit www.raleigh-architecture.com, call 919-831-2995, or email: info@raleigh-architecture.com.

HIP ON HILLSBOROUGH: The Raleigh Architecture Co. completes two commercial projects side-by-side.

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State of Beer bar and bottling shop.
State of Beer bar and bottling shop.

The Raleigh Architecture Company (RACo), a young design-build firm with numerous projects in downtown Raleigh, has completed two more commercial up-fit projects that just happen to sit side-by-side in a multi-tenant building on the 400 block of Hillsborough Street: State of Beer, a beer bar and bottle shop, and Runologie, a specialty sporting goods store for serious runners.

While the projects’ proximity to each other was convenient, both projects posed the same serious challenge: how to complete the noisy, dusty demolition of the previous interiors and construction of the new interiors without disturbing Exploris Middle School adjacent to and above them. The solution: Heavy construction took place before 8 a.m., after 4 p.m., and on weekends.

“It was a very urban project,” said RACo partner Craig Kerins. “The whole property is a mix of spaces and different buildings that have been combined over time. The result is that there are some odd spaces and adjacency conditions you have to deal with which adds to the complexity of the project. Add to that the owner’s desire to be open in time for the holidays, and you end up with an intense pace of construction.”

David Meeker, Chris Powers, and Woody Lockhard own State of Beer at 401A Hillsborough Street. (The three men also own Busy Bee Café on Wilmington Street and Trophy Brewing on West Morgan Street.) Within the 1460-square-foot space, the RACo team designed and built a cozy bar for beer enthusiasts that recalls, without imitating, old European bars, along with a generous bottle shop/retail section, and food preparation space for gourmet sandwiches and salads.

RACo partners Robby Johnston and Craig Kerins incorporated the abundance of overhead ductwork into the clean, well-organized design. Custom steel lighting and shelving units define the visual vocabulary and create a textural contrast with the exposed trusses and old brick walls. The long, sleek bar is cleverly fashioned out of a reclaimed bowling alley lane the owners found.

Ruonologie sporting goods store for serious runners.
Ruonologie sporting goods store for serious runners.

At 401B Hillsborough Street, Kimberlie Fowler Meeker and Laura Berry – elite runners who win or finish at the top of their races – own Runologie, a 2050-square-foot retail space and hub for downtown Raleigh’s running community. The showroom includes display space for shoes, apparel and accessories, and nutritional items, as well as a front desk tucked into one of the storefront windows. A “shoe cloud” centerpieces the space, where wide-planked wood floors and custom-crafted wood benches add warm notes among the custom steel displays units.

For this project, RACo served as the design architect, Maurer Architects was the permit architect, and the Raleigh Construction Co. (the construction arm of The Raleigh Architecture Co.) was the general contractor.

RACo’s other commercial projects in the downtown Raleigh area include Arrow Haircuts, Nuvo Nivo children’s boutique, and several renovations of Videri Chocolate Factory.

For more information on The Raleigh Architecture Company’s design-build firm, visit www.raleigh-architecture.com.

LOGOAbout The Raleigh Architecture Company:

The Raleigh Architecture Company is an award-winning design-build firm specializing in Modern sustainable architecture and craftsman-quality construction. As licensed architects and general contractors, the firm considers designing and building to be one integrated process. This streamlined approach empowers RACo to meet our clients’ economic expectations and to seamlessly execute high quality details, both small and large. The office and shop are located under one roof in downtown Raleigh’s Warehouse District at 502 S. West Street. For more information visit www.raleigh-architecture.com, call 919-831-2995, or email: info@raleigh-architecture.com.

 

The Raleigh Architecture Co. Selects Blueplate PR as Agency of Record

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Boutique public relations agency to direct PR campaign for one of

Raleigh Architecture
The Raleigh Architecture Co. logo

Raleigh’s most sought-after design-build firms.

The Raleigh Architecture Company (RACo), one of the most sought-after design-build firms in the Triangle, has selected Blueplate PR, a boutique public relations agency, as its public relations agency of record.

Blueplate PR owner Kim Weiss will work with RACo owners Robby Johnston, AIA, and Craig Kerins, AIA, to increase awareness of the up-and-coming design-build firm on local, state, and national levels; to enhance the firm’s public image; and to build its brand through media relations, Internet presence, social media engagement, and community outreach.

“Robby and Craig are incredibly talented young architects,” said Weiss. “They consistently produce innovative, environmentally responsible, Modern designs rendered in craftsman-quality construction for clients who have nothing but praise for the process,” said Weiss. “Their stories, their work, and their exemplary client services deserve to be shared with the public and the profession. I’m honored and excited to work with Robby, Craig and their entire team at The Raleigh Architecture Company.”

Located in downtown Raleigh, Blueplate PR is the only public relations firm in the Southeast that specializes in architecture and architecture-related businesses, organizations, and non-profits. For more information, visit www.blueplatepr.net.

The Raleigh Architecture Company is also located in downtown Raleigh, in the Warehouse District, at 502 South West Street. For more information, visit www.raleigh-architecture.com.

About The Raleigh Architecture Company

The Raleigh Architecture Company is an award-winning design-build firm specializing in Modern sustainable architecture, and craftsman-quality construction. As licensed architects and general contractors, we consider designing and building to be one integrated process. This streamlined approach empowers us to meet our clients’ economic expectations and to seamlessly execute high quality details, both small and large. Our office and shop are located under one roof in downtown Raleigh’s Warehouse District at 502 S. West Street. For more information visit www.raleigh-architecture.com, call 919.831.2995, or email: info@raleigh-architecture.com.

The Raleigh Architecture Co. Raises Funds, Food For Urban Ministries of Wake Co.

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The Raleigh Architecture Co.
Sunday Supper in the city: RACo helps raise $1500 and 200 pounds of food. Photo © Juli Leonard.

The downtown Raleigh firm hosts Capital Club 16’s Sunday Supper On The Road.

The Raleigh Architecture Company (RACo), a design-build firm in the city’s downtown Warehouse District, helped raise $1500 and 200 pounds of food for Urban Ministries of Wake County when partners Craig Kerins, AIA, and Robby Johnson, AIA, hosted Capital Club 16’s “Sunday Supper On The Road” event in their offices on Sunday, November 9.

Shannon and Jake Wolf own and operate Capital Club 16, an American-German restaurant in downtown Raleigh. Several times annually they collaborate with other local businesses, artists, farmers, and friends to host “Sunday Suppers On The Road,” family-style dinners featuring all-local food and beverages. Open to the public but with limited seating, these suppers raise funds for various non-profit organizations. All proceeds are donated to the designated non-profit.

“We’re great friends with Shannon and Jake and we wanted to host an event that allowed us to celebrate the season, friendship, local purveyors, and to raise awareness for a community organization [Urban Ministries] that’s providing a critical service,” said Johnston. “Holding the November Sunday Supper in our office was an opportunity to give something back to the city that gives so much to us.”

Actually, the Sunday Supper took place in RACo’s workshop, which is under the same roof as the office on South West Street. Fifty-five people sat at white linen-draped tables to enjoy food and drink from Laurel Branch Gardens, Locals Seafood, Boulted Bread, and Trophy Brewing — all Raleigh-based businesses. Capital Club 16’s pastry chef Carrie Gephart prepared the desserts.

Besides purchasing tickets to the supper, which raised the $1500, attendees also donated food for Urban Ministries mission – 200 pounds of it.

Urban Ministries of Wake County is a private, non-profit organization that engages the community to serve and advocate on behalf of those affected by poverty by providing nutrition and promoting health and wellness. For more information: www.urbanmin.org.

For more information on Capital Club 16, go to www.capitalclub16.com.

For more information on The Raleigh Architecture Company, visit www.raleigh-architecture.com.

About The Raleigh Architecture Company:

The Raleigh Architecture Company is an award-winning design/build firm specializing in Modern sustainable architecture, and craftsman-quality construction. As licensed architects and general contractors, we consider designing and building to be one integrated process. This streamlined approach empowers us to meet our clients’ economic expectations and to seamlessly execute high quality details, both small and large. Our office and shop are located under one roof in downtown Raleigh’s Warehouse District at 502 S. West Street. For more information visit www.raleigh-architecture.com, call 919-831-2995, or email: info@raleigh-architecture.com.