Sanctuary Asheville

Helpmate Domestic Violence Shelter

Greenville Watershed Conference & Training Facility

Skyvue Townhomes

KL Training Impact Center

Thoughtful Community Design

Carleton Collins Architecture (CCA) works with a variety of public and private clients to explore how architecture enriches and sustains community life. We seek meaningful answers to essential questions beginning with how design should respond to People, Purpose, and Place. With expertise in master planning and building design, CCA uses these answers to provide inspired designs that benefit our clients and their surroundings which is an important foundation to Thoughtful Community Design.

“UNDERSTANDING A PROJECT’S PURPOSE STARTS WITH THE CLIENT’S GOALS AND VISION.”

About UsFour people stand on a rooftop with a scenic view of hills and a large, domed building in the background. They are smiling and casually dressed, enjoying a sunny day.
A simplified illustration of an atom with an orange nucleus, consisting of two concentric circles, and three white circular electrons orbiting around it.

People

Owners, users, residents, and the public—all of us are part of the community. Understanding what we value and how we work, live, play, and connect is foundational to successful design. CCA asks the right questions, obtains the correct answers, and authentically shapes them into the fabric of our context.

A simple vector illustration of an atom model with one orange and beige nucleus and three white electrons orbiting around it on distinct paths.

Purpose

Understanding a project’s purpose starts with the client’s goals and vision. The next step is meeting the basics of creating functional, thoughtful, sustainable, cost-effective environments. To take these to a deeper level, we work to link them to the project’s location creatively. Purposeful design takes an intentional approach, moving beyond the basics to something more aspirational, looking for opportunities to build successful and enriching environments.

A diagram featuring a green circle at the center, surrounded by a partial orange ring and three white circles connected by a thin line orbiting around it, resembling an atom model.

Place

Our understanding of a place, whether human-made or natural, is born from the impression it makes, positively or negatively. When seeking to create a place, thinking holistically about how the building and the spaces within commune with its setting is essential. What cues do the surroundings give us? How does the project fit, and more importantly, what kind of memorable experience does it support? CCA seeks to answer these questions.