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Architects: Top Vote Getters

Cunningham Quill Architects, Northwest DC; 202-337-0090; cunninghamquill.com. This 13-year-old firm has won awards for ultramodern designs as well as historic preservation. Principals Ralph Cunningham and Lee Quill have a team of 20 architects who are currently working on two carbon-neutral houses.

David Jameson Architect, Alexandria; 703-739-3840; davidjamesonarchitect.com. David Jameson’s modern designs have won awards locally, nationally, and internationally. His small firm typically uses a mix of natural stone, glass, and steel to design spaces that are contemporary but inviting. One peer calls his work “exciting, innovative, and intellectually rigorous.”

David Jones Architect, Northwest DC; 202-332-1200; davidjonesarchitects.com. Thirty-year veteran David Jones and his firm of six architects lean toward traditional styles. Their high-end work incorporates eco-friendly materials and practices.

McInturff Architects, Bethesda; 301-229-3705; mcinturffarchitects.com. One of the area’s premier architects, Mark McInturff does modern, detailed design that embodies what one peer calls “classic calmness.” The eight-person firm includes two people accredited in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

Muse Architects, Bethesda; 301-718-8118; musearchitects.com. At this 26-year-old firm, Stephen Muse requires associates to have LEED accreditation. The 18-member team is best known for its work on older houses but can also work on modern projects.

Neumann Lewis Buchanan Architects, Northwest DC; 202-775-4881; also in Middleburg; nlbarchitects.com. The architects in this award-winning firm use materials such as brick, stone, slate, and tin to create new houses that “appear to have been in place for a very long time,” says David Neumann. Along with Andy Lewis and Mark Buchanan, he heads a team that also works on renovations and additions to older homes.

Richard Williams Architects, Northwest DC; 202-387-4500; richardwilliamsarchitects.com. Richard Williams specializes in restoration of historic houses but also designs modern, new homes in rural areas, which one fellow architect calls “fresh and original.” Says Williams: “We can do clean and contemporary plans and interiors, dealing sensitively with historic structures.”

Robert M. Gurney, Alexandria; 703-739-3843; robertgurneyarchitect.com. Winner of many American Institute of Architects awards, modernist Robert Gurney recently designed a house in Lake Anna, Virginia, that was recognized as one of the 30 best in the world. His staff of six architects is highly regarded by peers.

Wiedemann Architects, Bethesda; 301-652-4022; wiedemannarchitects.com. Long known for traditional work with older houses, Greg Wiedemann and his nine architects are taking on more modern projects—a recent design of a modern Bethesda house won several AIA awards.

More Good Architects

Ahmann Architects, University Park; 301-864-1334; ahmannarchitects.com. Most of Thomas Ahmann’s work is traditional renovations and additions, although his three-architect firm also designs new homes. He recently transformed an early-20th-century cabin into a four-bedroom bungalow.

Amestudio, Alexandria; 703-549-2948; amestudio.com. Ben Ames designs Zen-like homes, renovations, and additions and uses eco-friendly materials such as bamboo and recycled metals.

Barnes Vanze Architects, Northwest DC; 202-337-7255; also in Middleburg; barnesvanze.com. Entering their 21st year in business, Anthony Barnes and Stephen Vanze design new houses as well as additions and renovations in both traditional and modern styles. With five LEED-accredited architects, the firm has created a list of more than 100 ways that clients can go green.

Bennett Frank McCarthy, Silver Spring; 301-585-2222; bfmarch.com. In their 20th year of business, Ralph Bennett, Larry Frank, and Brian McCarthy do a wide range of projects, mostly in Montgomery County. “Our projects,” says Frank, “have traditional attributes with contemporary design and structure.”

Broadhurst Architects, Rockville; 301-309-8900; broadhurstarchitects.com. Jeffery Broadhurst says he learned how to create “thoughtful, respectful designs” while working under Stephen Muse and Gregory Wiedemann. On his own since 2001, Broadhurst “strives to make comfortable spaces” when he renovates and adds on to old homes.