Last updated on May 20th, 2024 at 05:57 pm
As the third-largest urban area in North Carolina, Winston-Salem is a welcoming home for a lot of businesses. It was also named one of the Best Places to Live back in 2021 by U.S. News and World Report. The city has a large population and that comes with loads of opportunities for owners and young professionals alike. There’s always someone on the lookout for commercial architects to design their new ventures.
So we decided to list the best commercial architects operating in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This list was created based on the architects’ backgrounds, their experience in the business, and the quality and complexity of their work.
CJMW Architecture
119 Brookstown Avenue. Winston-Salem, NC 27101
CJMW Architecture is a premier architecture firm with extensive experience in designing for the senior living, performing arts, museums, and corporate design sectors. Apart from its skill honed by years in the business, the firm is also known for taking care of its clients. In fact, several of its clients are still clients to this day. In its 38 years of business, CJMW has worked with big-name clients such as PepsiCo, The Boeing Company, and Lowe’s Companies, Inc.
The firm is currently led by Tom Calloway, AIA, who has led a number of teams in designing award-winning small and large-scale corporate, mixed-use, and multi-family developments. Over the past 40 years, Tom has been an integral part of the development in Winston-Salem with his work on major downtown projects like the Center City West and the NCND Building. He is also an NCARB certified architect and is listed in both North and South Carolina.
With such strong leadership guiding the firm, it is no wonder that CJMW has remained atop its game over the years. Above is a former turbine hall that CJMW Architecture transformed into an efficient and modern coworking/flexible office space. The location used to be the Bailer Power Plant. It was built in 1947 to house massive turbines that were once found in this very office space. The 5,000-square-foot area was transformed by the team without sacrificing the beauty and history of the turbine hall by customizing parts to fit the structure, including the stackable container-like structures pictured above.
LAMBERT Architecture + Interiors
408 N Marshall Street, Suite #300 Winston-Salem, NC 27101
LAMBERT Architecture + Interiors designs spaces for the work, higher education, finance, healthcare, food service, and senior living sectors. Over the last 33 years, it’s built and refined a collaborative planning process that targets the client’s needs while staying on time and within budget.
Above is the firm’s work on Sentinel Commons, the redevelopment of the former Winston-Salem Journal property. Apart from being the overall designer of the redevelopment project, it also designed the office of the prominent business law firm, Blanco Tackabery, which is also a tenant in the new building slated to lease approximately 23,000 square feet of tenant space.
West & Stem Architects, PLLC
5455 Bethania Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27106
Founded in 2008, West & Stem Architects is a relatively young firm that provides a wide array of design services on all project styles and scales. During its 14 years in business, it has collaborated with household brands like Krispy Kreme, Volvo, and Lowes. While doing so, the firm has built lasting relationships with clients and professional associates alike.
The firm is headed by principals Michael West, AIA and James C. Stem, AIA. Both have a vast range of experience that spans over 35 years collectively. Under their leadership, West & Stem takes a more hands-on approach to design that focuses on servicing clients accordingly and establishing an environment that is conducive to creativity and growth.
West & Stem Architects’ eclectic style shines best in its work for Flywheel. For this project, the team gave the 8,800-square-foot space an interior uplift to create a unique office/tech shared space inside the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter Building 90.
Steele Group Architects
217 W. Sixth Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Steele Group Architects is a full-service architecture firm best known for its distinctive and sustainable design practices thanks to its AIA-accredited and LEED AP team. At the helm is Matthew Rodda who has extensive experience working in various states while developing his “Design for Life” practice. With a combination of experience in the fields of psychology and architecture, Matthew creates spaces that are truly conducive to its users’ needs, especially in senior living, affordable housing, and special needs housing projects.
Above is Steele Group Architects’ work for Atlantic Capital Advisors, the management company for Hatteras. For this project, the team provided a renovation of their new corporate offices in Winston-Salem’s Class A office building, 751 West 4th. With the new building’s modern exterior, the clients wanted offices that complemented their own contemporary design and reflected the company’s tradition and core values. To do that, the team used a careful blend of rich cherry wood, clear aluminum detailing, glass that opens up the spaces to daylight, and contemporary patterns, colors, and textures throughout to give the office a modern feel.
Triad Design Group
4807 Koger Boulevard, Suite C, Greensboro, NC 27407
Since its founding in 1994, Triad Design Group has been providing the community of Winston-Salem and the greater southeast region with premium architectural design, civil engineering, and structural engineering services. It owes its success largely to its personal approach to projects which facilitates easy communication and a deep understanding of the client’s needs.
The firm is dedicated to the enhancement of the quality of life of people and their community, which manifests in its affinity for creating dynamic, sustainable environments that bring together functionality and aesthetics. Some of its projects have been certified LEED Silver and the firm itself has been recognized by the AIA and the NCARB Chamber of Commerce.
Above is the firm’s work on Thomas Tire Automotive in Greensboro, NC. Triad Design Group designed this 15,890-square-foot service center, complete with service bays for commercial trucks and private vehicles, a mechanic’s locker room, a training room, and a customer waiting area. The result is a state-of-the-art service station that can accommodate a wide array of vehicles.
Owen Architecture, pllc
228 Knollwood Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27104
Founded in 1996, Owen Architecture is best known for being one of the leaders in rehabilitation in the state of North Carolina, having completed over 100 projects using the North Carolina Rehabilitation Code and the North Carolina Existing Building Code.
The firm is led by Kevin Owen and Bradley Bucker, both highly experienced architects backed by years of experience in the business. Kevin has been a licensed architect since 1992 and worked as an architect for the Forsyth County Historic Properties Commission before becoming its Vice Chair. He has also served as president and a board member of the AIA in Winston-Salem. He is joined by Brad who has been working as an architect since 2009 and currently serves on the board of the AIA Winston-Salem.
Above is Owen Architecture’s work on Quanto Basta Italian Restaurant — a transformation of an existing 6,550-square-foot office building. It was once a nondescript building from the mid-1970s—the team turned it into a modern and inviting new Italian restaurant and wine bar.
Peterson/Gordon Architects
3508-A Vest Mill Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27103
Peterson/Gordon Architects is a small architectural firm based in Winston-Salem that specializes in commercial and institutional projects like corporate offices, public schools, churches, and performing arts facilities. The firm is guided by knowledge and expertise generated by a combined experience that spans over 50 years.
Above is Peterson/Gordon Architects’ work on Piedmont Federal Bank. The building, done in a classic style with red bricks and large windows, reflects the company’s branding—it’s a clean, professional look, fit for a bank.
