About
Joe Archibald
Narwhal Design | Build, PLLC started as a small woodworking business in an old chicken hen laying house just outside of Asheville. I graduated from UNC Charlotte with a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and have over 30 years of experience in the architecture & construction field ranging from production framing on the Outer Banks to custom woodworking for a Buddhist mediation center in Albuquerque, NM. I am a licensed architect in North Carolina and Maryland and have training in Sustainable Design, Materials and Construction, Residential Building Science, Deep Energy Retrofits and Affordable Green Housing.
I am a proud long-time member of the Green Built Alliance, previously served on Asheville’s Planning & Zoning Commission and Multi-Modal Transit Committee and volunteer with local housing advocacy & multi-modal transportation.
When not designing or making, my passion is riding a bike long distances on gravel roads, exploring life as a confused buddhist.
Articles:
Small-Scale Residential Housing: 2019-2020 Green Built Alliance Directory (page 62)
Is There Soy in Your Cabinet: 2017-18 Green Built Alliance Directory
Narwhal what…?
Growing up on the Outer Banks, engulfed in nature, the ocean and surfing, I wanted to give the business a name that evokes the spirit of play, adventure and honors the beauty and power of the natural world. This mysterious Arctic mammal, who’s tusk acts as their personal weather guide, provides that playful moniker while providing reflection that we all must care for and respect the natural environment around us.
Our Role
Is to take time and listen to the unique needs of each client for each individual project, working with them to find the most appropriate solution to their concerns and allay the fears associated with the daunting task of home building. This begins as a collaborative effort with the owner, architect and contractor all working together to find that unique balance between function and form, desire and budget, art and useful object. Projects of all sizes and types benefit from this process and we are grateful to work with clients on projects from a small front porch addition or kitchen cabinet renovation to a meditation center build-out or a new ‘dream home’ build.
Ethos
Our work is rooted in a spirit of creating functionally appropriate, aesthetically pleasing and environmentally conscious work that fulfills the needs of the user, showcases the work of craft, and honors the beauty of nature.
Efficient space planning, energy and materially efficient construction techniques, passive solar strategies and material re-use or ‘up-cycling’ are some of the many strategies employed in creating a sustainable built environment that contributes to the health, comfort and joy of its occupants.
1% Donation program
As a civic and socially-minded business owner it has been always been a goal to give back more to the community and organizations that are working to make our community, region, country and world a safer, healthier and stable place for all beings. Sometimes that means doing discounted work for non-profits, volunteering for advocacy groups or, serving on City Commissions. While these are great ways to give back it has been a larger endeavor to join the 1% for the Planet organization, a global community of businesses and individuals that commit to donating 1% of gross sales to environmental non-profits. (You can learn more here)
Enter Narwhal Design|Build’s modified 1% commitment - a direct donation to either a local or regional non-profit organization of the clients choosing, based on 1% of the architectural fee for that year for every client project. Donations are made at the end of the year during the traditional season of giving. It is one way in which I feel my business can give back to the community that provides so much to my friends, neighbors, colleagues and myself. I’d love to add you to the list of clients who I’ve partnered with in this endeavor.
“We had done a couple remodels and an addition with mixed results and more costs and frustration than necessary. So when our realtor suggested we build a small house for our aging parents we were less than thrilled. She suggested we work with an architect and that made all the difference. Joe listened to our, and our parents, needs and concerns, he explained building code restrictions and options for our lot. Then he designed the perfect 765 sq. ft. home for our parents that fits beautifully on our lot and compliments the neighborhood. Additionally, he helped us interview and select the builders which made the construction process a pleasure. The house was completed on time and under budget during the height of a global pandemic. Needless to say Joe was a pleasure to work with and we would be happy to work with him again.”