history | philosophy...
“I like to imagine that inside every cathedral is a shed, and Inside every shed is a cathedral…”—Frank Harmon, FAIA
Frank Harmon Architect is a Raleigh, N.C.-based, award-winning design firm founded in 1985. Since then, we have completed over 200 architectural projects ranging in size from a tiny studio for an artist in Durham (which received four design awards) to the North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation’s 70,000-square-foot headquarters in Raleigh (another award-winner). Our firm is full-service and we utilize state-of-the-art technology, yet we are intentionally small. We have found that a few people working together in the same room can accomplish the work of many more in a larger organization. This also allows each member of the project team to work closely with our clients. And we make it a practice to assemble a team of the best possible consultants specific to each project.
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Fundamental to our design philosophy is our belief that every building and every site is as individual as its client. We are not compelled by any personal “style” or “signature.” Therefore, one of our most valuable design tools is our ability to listen to our clients—to hear, understand, and ultimately to interpret their tangible and intangible needs through the creation of a unique, innovative, well-crafted building and landscape. In so doing, we also fulfill another fundamental imperative: to create a “sense of place” specific to that building, that landscape, that client, and that region. We believe that buildings should exist in harmony with their natural environments -- that they should grow out of, rather than dominate, the site they inhabit.
At Frank Harmon Architect, we like to think that our work has both a soul and a conscience. The “soul” is found in the spirit of the design and the craft of construction. The “conscience” is represented by the manner in which our buildings embody a positive union between natural and built environment, and demonstrate a rigorous commitment to sustainable architecture. |
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Essential to our design ethic is a commitment to sustainable architecture and a belief that architecture should make a didactic as well as physical contribution to the community. We want to leave to future generations a better environment than we received. We are committed to ensuring that both exterior and interior building systems and materials are non-toxic to the environment. We go to great lengths to ensure that our buildings are energy-efficient and environmentally conservative, and that the materials and products used in their construction contribute to ecological restoration. Hand-in-hand with these environmental ideals, we believe in using materials responsive to particular climates and settings, creating a comfortable, tactile, and friendly sense of place.
As a firm, we measure our success by our client’s satisfaction and the degree to which our completed projects are well crafted, innovative, and aesthetically inspiring.
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