Norman Smith Architecture (NSA)
We are a small firm with an office located near Sperryville, Virginia and an office in Washington DC in the Atlas District. The practice has deliberately remained small so that we are able to have direct interaction with every client, so that we can do the type of work that we want to do with a minimum of management overhead and so that client service and availability of the staff can be stressed from the initial client meeting to the final construction punch list. We are a design-oriented firm and are passionate about that but, unlike some architectural firms, we have a great deal of construction knowledge and experience and we apply that knowledge and experience to the design process to help insure that we are meeting budgets and time frames and that we are designing a space and experience that is actually build-able and that is also functional and maintainable over the life of the project.
At the same time, we are committed to providing imaginative design solutions that are well-grounded in construction technology and that are practical and efficient to build, as well as sensitive to and compatible with the aesthetics of the surrounding built environment. We do not see design skill and construction expertise as two unrelated traits but, instead, as traits that complement one another and benefit the project. We think good design and thoughtful analysis of the construction issues results in a final architectural design that meets our client’s aesthetic and functional needs within their budget . Each of our projects illustrates that design philosophy of combining a sensitive, modern aesthetic with practical construction knowledge within budget parameters. We are able to handle both small scale and large scale projects and we have established relationships with consulting engineers in Washington D.C., Virginia, Maryland and in other locations to assist us as part of the AE team.
