We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joshua O. Hill, AIA, LEED AP, NCARB a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Joshua, appreciate you joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
At Hill & Hurtt Architects, we believe strongly that building relationships, thoughtfulness in everything we do, and collaboration at every level is the recipe for exceptional design. Architects (and many of the “starchitects” in our industry) have a reputation for being unrelenting in their design arrogance and personal design agenda. When we started our firm we wanted to change that narrative to one that is truly about listening to clients, building relationships with them, and using our talents to work together with them to provide something of exceptional quality that the entire team can be proud of. We’ve had countless clients over the years tell us that they were not listened to by their previous architects, or that their architect was determined to design the project in a way that did not work for the client. This past winter we were at a construction site meeting and the client wanted to make a change to the layout of the dining room to better accommodate a piece of furniture that they had just inherited. We sat down at the table with our trusted general contractor and client together to work through different options for the design, understanding in real-time the potential cost/time implications as well as how the clients would be using the space. The result was a design change that had minimal impact on cost and timeline, but that worked with the client’s needs and our shared vision for the project. This example is one of many that happen every day with our team, and we could not be more proud to bring this level of service to our clients.
Joshua, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
As a young kid I was obsessed with houses. I would site down every evening and draw plans, elevations, and perspectives of different houses that I saw in the neighborhood. I knew pretty early on that I wanted to be an architect. I went to the University of Maryland College Park for both my Bachelor of Science and Masters of Architecture, and have continued to teach there as an adjunct ever since. After graduating I worked for a larger firm doing commercial projects and knew that it wasn’t quite right for me. After a year I left that practice and started working at an award-winning custom residential firm, where I stayed for 15 years learning the fine details of residential design and construction. In 2016 Eric Hurtt and I started Hill & Hurtt, knowing that we wanted to start a custom residential firm that was truly thoughtful, approachable, and collaborative.
We are here to guide our clients through the renovation process from start to finish. We take the time to build relationships with our clients through the design process, discovering what they need in their project and learning what their style is. That relationship then gives us the information we need to create thoughtful design options for clients to provide feedback on. We can then match them with a general contractor that is a good fit for their project, and move into selecting the multitude of fixtures and fittings that are required for the building phase. During construction we manage the entire team, and represent our clients in their contract with the builder. Regular site visits allow us to keep the project moving forward while observing the built work to make sure it conforms with the vision that we all created together.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your co-founder?
Eric and I overlapped in graduate school by a semester. We did not get to know each other well until he interned at the firm where I was working. At some point we started sitting next to each other, and became great friends for 12 years while we worked side-by-side. Eric is an extremely talented partner and architect, and starting a firm with him has been one of the best decisions of my life. He’s an incredible architect and a wonderful person to know – and he also plays guitar in a local rockabilly band in Maryland.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
We focus heavily on our client relationships and provide our clients with exceptional design and an experience tailored to their specific project. We work hard to guide them through the renovation/new construction process from start to finish, while listening to them and others on the team to ultimately create an exceptional product and experience. We have a process for assisting our clients with the many selections that need to be made on a project, and manage that with them to make sure the contractors have what they need to stay on schedule. Nearly all of our new projects come from referrals from former clients, which says a lot about our process and results!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hillandhurtt.com
- Instagram: hillandhurtt
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hillandhurtt/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hillandhurtt
- Other: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/hill-and-hurtt-architects-pllc-pfvwus-pf~186840146
Image Credits
Stacy Zarin Goldberg & Joshua O. Hill