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.
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.
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.
Roger Bryant, who spent over half his life with The Gaines Group, passed away peacefully on May 25, 2024. Roger’s life embodied creativity, adventure, family, and faith, but not in that order.
Roger was a man of deep faith. When I first met and hired him, the list of hobbies on his employment application included Gospel singing with his family as item number one. The depth of his faith became apparent to me as I got to know him over the 33½ years that we worked together.
Roger was a family man, even though he remained single his entire life. He often spoke of his love of family when he would talk about his nieces and nephews and his relationships with his parents, grandparents, siblings, and aunts and uncles. Roger was always there for them as they navigated the good times as well as the illnesses and tragedies of life. He participated in at least three family reunions annually, and typically organized the Labor Day gathering at the family home. He also spoke fondly of the times he spent on the Cowpasture River and at Douthat State Park each year with his family.
Roger was a world traveler. When I first met him, he had just returned from Europe. He spoke of multiple trips to Europe and “the islands”, often traveling to sing with the family. He visited The UK, Germany, and Russia over the years that we worked together, and told many amusing stories arising from these trips. When he retired, he was following his brother-in-law, Bob, on his quest to run marathons in all fifty states, watching the races with his sister, Belva. I do not know if he ever completed that particular quest.
Finally, Roger was a talented designer and mentor. His hands-on knowledge of building materials and his ability to use them in aesthetically and stylistically pleasing ways is a talent that few possess. Roger was comfortable with any style, particularly with Virginia Vernacular. His body of work also includes Georgian, French Provincial, Prairie, Contemporary (whatever that is) and a touch of Art Deco. He would always share that with our younger staff. You have most likely touched Roger’s work from his years as an industrial designer prior to 1989.
Roger’s design talent was not limited to just the built world but he was a genius at floral arranging. He did the flowers for multiple weddings over the years, and would personally arrange sympathy flowers when they were called for.
He was a loyal friend and colleague from the day he started work in January 1989 until his retirement at the end of June 2022. He watched my three daughters grow up, and mentored one of them as an interior designer. He provided a living example to them, and all of us, of how to be a Christian in today’s world.
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.
This past Friday The Gaines Group team in Harrisonburg had the privilege of supporting the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) through some competitive mini-golf. It was a beautiful afternoon to get out into the sunshine to compete against each other in some (mostly) friendly competition.
This year our team split into two groups to compete for the lowest combined group score and a group lunch out. Team one, Par Vacation, was led by Interior Designer Jarod, with the dynamic marketing duo Charles and Asha. Team Two was led by Designer Mariya, Architect Deborah and Designer Aimee. Highlights include two hole-in-one’s by Mariya who backed up her smack talk, one hole-in-one by Asha which earned her a free dozen donuts from Krispy Kreme, an embarassing amount of 7-strokes on a hole, and two balls fished out from the water. In the end, though it was close, Team Par Vacation pulled out the win by 5 strokes.
