Fifty years of asking the question first

Most architecture firms begin when a project is already defined. ARC works on either side of that moment — before design, establishing what is genuinely needed and what it will cost, and after occupancy, measuring whether the building performs.

That pre- and post-design position is unusual, and it is the reason our work tends to survive contact with a legislature, a board, or a bond election. Much of what we produce exists to communicate a real need to the people who control the money.