CULTURE

We Design Cities Where People Want to Live

At VIA, we weave common threads throughout our diverse project portfolio, connecting urban skyscrapers to community farms and transit infrastructure with shared ideas and ideals. We approach each project as building designers, community builders, planners, problem solvers, placemakers, collaborators, facilitators, visionaries and pragmatists.

Design from Context | We approach each project with fresh energy to find a unique solution that best fits the site, surroundings, budget, program and vision. Our primary role is that of placemaker — As planners, we define the context. As architects, we design buildings that grow from and respond to this context.

The Third Idea | Our collective creativity is greater than the sum of individual contributions. We generate rich and meaningful design collaboratively. By fostering imagination and innovation, and by engaging directly with our partners, we build teams that inspire a “Third Idea.” The “Third Idea” that can make the difference between projects that are ordinary, and those that are beloved by their community.

Places for Everyone | At VIA we strive to make equity, diversity and inclusion an intentional and explicit part of our culture; and create a safe space for all staff to learn, grow, and succeed. Together we are working to find ways to combat injustice – through more mindful interactions with one another, in our communities, and in our designs. As practitioners, we believe in the value of design to support community resilience. We design through the lenses of sustainability, accessibility, equity and inspiration.

Connected Communities | Transit and land use planning are interdependent players in the dynamic question of how to achieve urban livability. We have long been immersed in transit and mobility plans; urban and rural planning; and detailed design of pedestrian, transit, and bicycle facilities. To us, successful mobility systems are fully integrated and seamless — instead of an intervention.

Community Design | The Community Design Studio (CDS) is an initiative within VIA Architecture focused on community-based projects — both rural and urban. Our work seeks to restore and reinvigorate communities through thoughtful, practical and cooperative solutions around food, mobility and open space. The CDS builds on our expertise in integrated design and community planning with smaller-scale, yet equally visionary projects that have not been traditionally taken on by architecture firms. Learn more about our Community Design Studio projects with this brochure.

SERVICES WE PROVIDE

VIA Architecture is an architectural and urban planning firm focused on creating sustainable communities where people can live, work, play, move, and create.

Our market sectors include transit facilities; multi-family housing; mixed-use developments; social/ affordable housing including seniors’ living; mid to high-rise buildings; community spaces for education, worship, art, and congregation; and urban design.

Our planning work includes integration of land use and transportation; employment-based developments and innovation in place; residential and mixed-use communities; creation of rezoning applications and development agreements; and overlays of transit and parking strategies- all contributing directly to the livability of our urban communities.

We have provided architecture, design, planning, and consulting services on public and private projects for over 35 years with an emphasis on work that shapes our neighborhoods and regions.