by Charles Hendricks | Sep 26, 2024 | architecture, Charlottesville, team
Now Hiring: Architectural Designer
Location: In-Person, Harrisonburg and Charlottesville
About the Job:
We are seeking community-oriented team members to join our growing team. Whether you are preparing to graduate, have 5+ years of experience, or fall somewhere in-between, and you would enjoy a firm dedicated to design that builds stronger communities, please reach out to us. We have positions open in both our Harrisonburg and Charlottesville offices.
The Architectural Designer position will support the development of all types and styles of projects with a focus on healthy, energy-efficient, and durable design solutions. You will get experience in all phases of design, as well as client relationship building. Teamwork is central to our approach to every project, and our office strives to foster a collaborative environment. We are looking for someone dedicated to community service who loves all types and styles of architecture.
We also value professional development and growth and will help you along the way to learn and grow as a designer. A strong applicant will have a desire to understand building science and constructability of all project types. While technical skills are important, we are more interested in finding the right addition to our team than in a particular skill set.
Required Qualifications:
- Architectural or Interior Design degree from an accredited university
- Familiarity with AutoCAD, Revit, Adobe, and SketchUp
- Reliable, self-motivated, independent, adaptable, and versatile with an enthusiastic collaborative spirit.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), and Adobe Acrobat.
- Excellent critical thinking skills with exacting attention to detail
- An ability to manage multiple priorities and diverse responsibilities
- Strong verbal, written, and visual communication skills
- Strong interpersonal skills
Preferred Qualifications:
- Knowledge of construction documents and the design and construction processes.
Job Type:
Full-time: Monday – Friday
- Salary: Based on experience
- Range: $54,000 – $62,000
Benefits:
- Flexible schedule
- Health Insurance (including eye and dental)
- Paid time off
- Sick leave
- Professional development assistance
About Gaines Group Architects:
With 36 years of experience in Virginia, this award winning architecture firm works hard to deliver excellent service at an affordable price. With offices in Charlottesville and Harrisonburg, Gaines Group Architects can serve design needs anywhere in Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, or North Carolina. Constantly looking for the best answer, we work tirelessly to stay on top of the latest trends and best practices in the construction industry.
by Charles Hendricks | Sep 24, 2024 | architecture, Charlottesville, project update, Wintergreen Resort
Two exciting renovations are underway in Charlottesville and Wintergreen! Check out the in-progress photos below.
Renovation in Charlottesville
Photos courtesy of M3, Inc.
This older 1970s home in the Key West Subdivision in Charlottesville is being renovated to have a new primary bedroom suite and kitchen expansion. A new living room expansion is off of the rear as well. An exciting feature of this renovation project is the addition of an entertainment area below the primary suite, which will include a golf simulator. Stay tuned for updates on this space!
Renovation at Wintergreen
Our second project update is in Wintergreen Resort. Over the years, our client has enjoyed this home for family gatherings and ski trips, and they needed more space for their growing family. We helped to turn an existing open-air covered porch into two additional bedrooms and a bathroom. In addition to these bedrooms, there will be a large deck overlooking the mountains which will lead you to a new covered pavilion with a stone-covered fireplace. It’s easy to imagine those cozy, cold days sitting around the fire.
by Charles Hendricks | Aug 1, 2024 | architecture, Charlottesville, community
Our Charlottesville office has moved back downtown and we celebrated with a ribbon cutting. This Charlottesville Chamber of Commerce event was a great way to introduce our new space to our clients and celebrate moving back downtown. Our company was founded 35+ years ago in Albemarle County and soon moved to the downtown to better serve our clients. Getting back to the downtown neighborhood was a goal for us as we love being in the heart of the business district.
This space allows us easy access to meet our clients and friends on the downtown mall for lunch and to support other locally owned businesses. The little blue house has a great location at 910 E. High St and our sign along the road is already getting a lot of attention.
Our new space features a first floor accessible conference room.
It also has private office space and an open studio.
Ray brought in a vintage bookcase that fits perfectly in the space and has some beautiful details.
If you missed the ribbon cutting, please stop by to see us. While we will not have food out for every visit you can always check to fridge to see if James packed his lunch – just tell him Charles said it was ok for you to eat it. I am sure he will not mind.
by Charles Hendricks | Jun 20, 2024 | architecture, Charlottesville, community, team
Gaines Group Architects has a new home in Charlottesville at 910 East High St. We hope you will Celebrate with us in Charlottesville for a Chamber of Commerce Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting on Wednesday, July 10th from 9am – 11am. Stop by on your way to work and grab a bagel and some coffee, stick around until 10am for a ribbon cutting, then hang out for a bit to let us hear all the incredible things you are doing.
After spending a few years on Pantops Mountain, it was time for us to get back to our roots in downtown Charlottesville. Our former offices have been located on Water St. and Ridge St., just a few steps from the downtown walking mall, and now, as they say, “Guess who’s back, back again”! We are excited to be able to walk to downtown local restaurants, so reach out to us if you ever want to grab lunch.
This bright blue house is the first time in a few decades our office has been in a space we didn’t design, so stay tuned, we are scheming for a very cool future! Please feel free to stop in and visit with our team, hear what they are working on, and see our new space. We look forward to connecting or reconnecting with you soon.
Parking:
– Limited parking behind building and on nearby streets.
– Short walk from Market Street Garage. The first hour at the Market Street Garage parking is free.
by Charles Hendricks | Apr 18, 2024 | Charlottesville, team
By Architect, Adrienne Stronge.
Gaines Group Architects is very excited to be moving back to downtown Charlottesville! The firm has long roots in the downtown area. Ray started his career across the street from our new office while doing his professional externship with Sandy H. Lambert, III during his education at VA Tech. He then worked just off of the downtown mall during his time with Tom Wyant.
The first official Gaines Group office (then known as Raymond E. Gaines, Architect) was started off of West Main Street from 1989-1993. As the group expanded, they moved to East Market Street into a building that we designed – a place where current partners, Charles, Paul, and Adrienne started their careers with the firm. In 2011, the opportunity to move into a roof terrace space at Luxor office park (which the Gaines Group designed) was too good to pass up. The firm has been located on Pantops ever since.
Recently, we realized our space there didn’t match our current needs, so we decided to explore places closer to where we began. The opportunity arose to share some office space with a local civil engineering firm, Shimp Engineering, and his survey team, Foresight. We’ve worked closely with Justin’s team on many of our previous projects. This move puts us within walking distance of the downtown mall, and we’ve all been excited to explore the surrounding area as we move in.
The space we’re moving into is a house that was built in 1920, affectionately known by us as “The Blue House”. We are across from the old Martha Jefferson Hospital right at the corner of High and 9 ½ Street. We are still doing finishing touches, and some of us have more to unpack than others, but we would love to have visitors if anyone would like to stop by. We hope to more formally host guests in the future once we have finished our move.
by Charles Hendricks | Aug 8, 2023 | architecture, Charlottesville, team
We are thrilled to welcome Aliyah D. White to our team as one of our newest full-time Designers! Aliyah grew up in Virginia Beach, VA and after attending the University of Virginia School of Architecture, now calls Charlottesville home. As a 2023 graduate from the UVA School of Architecture with a B.S. in Architecture and a minor in English, she brings fresh design experience and skills to the team.
Now Aliyah offers her design eye, growing level of experience, and energy to our projects as a Designer (Architect in training) at our firm. In addition, Aliyah brings her writing talents to our team along with organizational and leadership traits that are important for a designer. She is most often working with Ray and Adrienne to develop our luxury living community projects doing unit design, elevation creation, and updating the construction documents needed for a successful project.
Aliyah offers her design eye, growing level of experience, and energy to our projects as a Designer (Architect in training) at our firm. In addition, Aliyah brings her writing talents to our team along with organizational and leadership traits that are important for a designer. She is most often working with Ray and Adrienne to develop our luxury living community projects doing unit design, elevation creation, and updating the construction documents needed for a successful project.
While in school, Aliyah was dedicated to equity both in and out of the classroom. Her contributions to the university centered on fairly and accurately narrating Black history at UVA in order to build a more equitable school for future students of color. Her extracurricular time was mainly spent serving on the Cavalier Daily student newspaper as a Social Issues Columnist, the School of Architecture Student Council, and as Social Awareness Chair for her residential college. Through these endeavors, she further developed her skills in leadership, programming, narrative story-telling, and advocacy, all of which are very important aspects to being an architect. Upon her graduation, she received the 2023 Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award in recognition of her excellence of character and service to humanity.
Outside of the office, she can be found reading, writing, or baking. She may also be found watching The Boondocks which she says is as wildly inappropriate as it is hilarious.
Two important qualities that Aliyah names are her determination and flexibility. She appreciates these qualities saying that they “allow me to succeed in anything I find interest in and put my hands on”. We’re excited about the addition of her talents and personality to our team and community.
