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DESIGN INITIATIVE Our award-winning firm is dedicated to creating innovative architecture tailored to our client's need

Drawing is fundamental to how architects think, explore, and communicate ideas. Putting pen to paper creates a direct co...
10/22/2026

Drawing is fundamental to how architects think, explore, and communicate ideas. Putting pen to paper creates a direct connection between thought and design, allowing concepts to evolve. From quick conceptual sketches to diagrams that reveal relationships between circulation, structure, and program, each drawing helps us ask questions and uncover new opportunities. As a project evolves, drawings become essential tools for communicating design intent, developing details, and coordinating construction. More than a means of representation, drawing is an integral part of how architecture is imagined and brought to life.

It is a rare privilege for an architect to work with a building that has stood for more than a century.Designed in 1895 ...
10/16/2026

It is a rare privilege for an architect to work with a building that has stood for more than a century.
Designed in 1895 and beginning service in 1896, the Powell Avenue Steam Plant is a testament to Birmingham's industrial history. Located alongside the railroad in downtown Birmingham, the plant supplied coal-powered electricity and steam to local businesses and the city's streetcar system. Over the decades, it underwent two major expansions and changes in ownership before ceasing operations on March 14, 2013.
Now in the hands of Kulture City, the Powell Avenue Steam Plant has the opportunity to begin a new chapter in Birmingham's story. Its next iteration honors the building's original purpose, not by powering the city's infrastructure, but by empowering its people and community around it.
For us, the opportunity to work with a structure so deeply rooted in Birmingham's history is a reminder that architecture is not just about preserving the past, but about giving it new purpose for generations to come.



10/14/2026

Fritz's Library Book of the Month: Antonio Gaudi - Master Architect by Juan Bassegoda Nonell

Learning doesn’t stop when you leave campus. As architects, we have a responsibility to continually seek out experiences...
10/09/2026

Learning doesn’t stop when you leave campus. As architects, we have a responsibility to continually seek out experiences that broaden our perspectives and deepen our design literacy.
This week, Design Initiative had the privilege of attending the 2026 Philip A. Morris Fund for the DesignArts Annual Lecture. Thomas Woltz, Principal of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, delivered an inspiring and thought-provoking presentation that reinforced an important reminder: “The land is full.”



Shoutout to our summer interns! They are on their way back to school, but we wanted to say a big thank you to them for a...
09/04/2026

Shoutout to our summer interns!

They are on their way back to school, but we wanted to say a big thank you to them for all their hard work. We are extremely proud and excited to see where they go.

Stay curious and be bold!

Two projects, one incredible client, and the opportunity to design with purpose! We are excited to share that Head Start...
09/02/2026

Two projects, one incredible client, and the opportunity to design with purpose! We are excited to share that Head Start will be building two new facilities in Childersburg and Sylacauga, Alabama.

It is the shared vision of TCR Child Care Corporation and Design Initiative to provide children and families with a safe and nurturing environments where they can access the resources and opportunities that all children deserve!

We are honored to be apart of these two projects! Stay tuned to see how they progress.

Fritz’s Library Book of the Month:This month we are getting Mia’s choice!Here of All Places by Osbert LancasterWritten i...
08/28/2026

Fritz’s Library Book of the Month:

This month we are getting Mia’s choice!

Here of All Places by Osbert Lancaster

Written in 1958, the book suggests that architecture does not always have to take itself to seriously. The brilliantly sarcastic British cartoonist and architectural historian, Osbeet Lancaster, portrayed this notion through witty writing and beautiful sketches.
Here, of All Places offers what Lancaster himself called a “brief and much-too-frivolous view of human habitation inside and out—from Stonehenge to Manhattan.”

Introducing younger generations to architecture not only encourages creativity and critical thinking, but also helps the...
08/12/2026

Introducing younger generations to architecture not only encourages creativity and critical thinking, but also helps them understand the built environment around them and recognize their ability to shape the spaces of the future.

Last week, Design Initiative partnered with Andrew C. Bryant to lead an Architecture summer camp at Space One Eleven, introducing students to the fundamentals of architecture through hands-on exploration. Students visited Auburn University’s Urban Studio and Chambless King Architects, learned model-making safety and craft, practiced sketching and one-point perspective, and created their first architectural renderings.

Beginning with the construction of a simple cardboard box, students explored form by developing iterations using three non-parallel planes. Students then selected their favorite iteration and inserted it into their box, using the planes to begin defining interior spaces. Finally, they transformed these spaces by creating openings in the box that act as windows and doors.

Thank you to and for taking time out of your day to show everyone around.

A special thank you to Andrew C. Bryant and for all the time and effort you put into making this program such a success!

Design Initiative means business!Big things are happening behind the scenes at Design Initiative! Check out the DI team'...
07/02/2026

Design Initiative means business!

Big things are happening behind the scenes at Design Initiative! Check out the DI team's new business cards, and keep your eyes peeled for the next DI business update.

06/30/2026

Fritz's Library Book of the Month: The Notebooks and Drawings of Louis I. Kahn

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2405 1st Avenue S, Ste 101
Birmingham, AL
35233

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Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 6pm

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