Design Develop LLC

08/25/2026

We are so excited to see the progress has made on their newest school project we provided the architectural design work for through ! The crew has been working hard to blast through existing rock to lay out the buildings and begin pouring footings. Materials have also been arriving, including the rebar for the concrete footings, which had to be brought in by boat! This project will serve dozens of students across four grades with high-quality educational spaces and services that they need and deserve. We’re also looking forward to getting down to Guatemala to check in on the progress in-person, so stay tuned!

08/03/2026

VEG's new emergency veterinary clinic on Hydraulic Road had to clear one of Albemarle County's most detailed design reviews: the Entrance Corridor guidelines, overseen by the Architectural Review Board. The guidelines require strict rules on form, materials, and screening from the road. But the real challenge here was that the site constraints meant the building's rear had to face the corridor, and the backs of buildings aren't usually where we spend our design energy. Not to worry. The team reworked the façade proportions, added green screens to break up scale, revised walls to match the neighbors, layered in landscaping, and shifted the stud size with a limited material palette for texture and depth without adding cost. This clinic now checks every ARB box, and has turned its back side into one of its best views. You can read more about the design and approval process on our website:
https://www.designdevelopllc.com/post/facing-the-corridor-dda-s-arb-win-for-veg-charlottesville

07/29/2026

We were so excited to help celebrate the ground breaking of their new Aerie campus earlier this month! We’ve been working with stakeholders at the school for years to create a comprehensive design and educational building that will provide middle school boys with a hands-on, experience-driven education. The first phase of the new campus will feature a 17,000 square foot academic building with classrooms that open to the outdoors where students can explore the rolling site, trails, ropes courses, a pond and other spaces designed to make learning fun and meaningful.
was there to cover the event, and you can see more footage of the ceremony and learn more about the project at the link below:
https://www.29news.com/2026/07/16/field-school-has-groundbreaking-ceremony-new-location/

07/21/2026

Help us in congratulating TM Peterson on passing his final ARE exams and becoming a licensed architect earlier this year! TM joined the Design Develop team in May of 2025, and since then he’s played a critical role in many projects. Today he reflects on some of his favorites from the past year and how they’ve helped him grow professionally and creatively - all while studying for and passing his exams! We are so excited to have him on our team and are looking forward to his continued growth and input.

07/14/2026

Last month DD Principle, Khanh Uong, was able to participate in the Love to Life event at The Lot at The Urban Oasis. This project, which we’ve been collaborating on with UO for the last few years, is located in the Panway neighborhood of downtown Baltimore. During the event, the founder of Urban Oasis, Arica, talked about the project mission - to make the community a better place through interactive programs, events and volunteer activities. She also talked about their accomplishments so far, including a community clean-up led by Urban Oasis teens, a food drive by the team members, and community projects such as the Alley library, a redeveloped space for children to gather and read.

Khanh also had the opportunity to talk about the Urban Oasis long-term design vision, which offers the underdeveloped community a healthier, supportive environment by transforming a long-vacant rowhouse into a welcoming community hub. The building will include a ground-floor cafe featuring locally sourced food and local vendors, a maker space on the upper floor, and a green roof where the community can grow its own produce. The design is a combination of elegant and cozy vibes that welcome the neighborhood in and make people feel welcome and appreciated.

We’re looking forward to this project coming to life and offering a long-overlooked neighborhood the resources, beautification and inclusion it deserves.

06/25/2026

Last month, Design Develop Founder and Principal, Bob Pineo headed back to Guatemala with Building Goodness Foundation, this time as a volunteer team leader for a project called “La Puerta Abierta” (The Open Door) - a school, library and gathering space for children and families in the Atitlan region community. On our blog today he talks about the impact this type of work can have beyond the project or the volunteer time itself, both personally and globally.
Read about it and see more photos of the ongoing construction on our website: https://www.designdevelopllc.com/post/building-together-in-guatemala-honoring-a-legacy-through-service

06/09/2026

It’s so exciting to see the new MedKorner building at Camp Holiday Trails nearing completion!
For this project, we were brought in to help with a larger strategic design, and this building is the first step. Providing a more comfortable, modern, functional medical space is critical for the work that Camp Holiday Trails is doing for kids with serious medical diagnosis and their families.
Stay tuned to see more progress, and in the meantime, you can learn more about CHT on our website: https://www.designdevelopllc.com/post/designing-for-everyone-camp-holiday-trails-med-korner

05/13/2026

We recently completed another project with one of our legacy clients, Region Ten CSB, this time to help them build out a new Headquarters in downtown Charlottesville. This adaptive reuse project tackled a three-story building, customizing much of it for Region Ten, while keeping other areas flexible for tenant space. Learn how it all came together on our blog:

We recently completed another project with one of our legacy clients, Region Ten, this time to help them build out a new Headquarters in downtown Charlottesville. This adaptive reuse project tackled an existing three-story building with previous commercial build out to provide customized, multi-use....

04/17/2026

Recently celebrated their “launch day” for their newest school project, Siqajan School, based in Santa Cruz La Laguna, Guatemala. “Siqajan” in the Mayan language of Kachiquel means sunrise, new horizons and a hope for a new day.
We’ve had the pleasure of working on the design of this project through , and are so excited to see the work start to come to life! This school will serve dozens of students across four grades with high-quality teaching and facilities the community deserves.
The Design Develop team provided architectural design services in addition to on-site stakeholder meetings and will eventually provide hands-on assistance with the construction process. These trips are critical to understanding the environment in which our designs will be built, but perhaps even more importantly - they are critical in understanding and listening to community members’ and their needs. We can’t wait to share more as this project moves forward toward a new horizon!

Photos by:
If you'd like to donate to this project, you can do so on their website:
https://www.amigosdesantacruz.org/school-donation-page/