It's Silver and Spurs for the staff of MHAworks

Albi McLawhorn of MHAworks with Virginia Pou and Wilson Pou of Engineering Source of NC

MHAworks recently attended the Ronald McDonald House Silver and Spurs 25th Anniversary Gala. Held at the Hilton in Greenville, NC, staff from our Greenville and Durham office pulled on their cowboy boots and spent the evening enjoying the festivities. With a western flair, the event featured live music, guest speakers, cowboy-inspired fare, and a silent and live auction, with all proceedings going to the benefit of the Ronald McDonald House.

Albi McLawhorn, one of the partners of MHAworks and lead of our Greenville office, commented, “You could tell the Ronald McDonald House put in a lot of work to give us a great night, and it was definitely a success! We were very glad to contribute to such an essential organization in our community.”

George Hining and Bethany Houston of MHAworks pose with Ronald McDonald

MHAworks was a Silver Sponsor to the Ronald McDonald House Silver and Spurs 25th Anniversary Gala. The Ronald McDonald House has raised over $30,000 in donations from the event, far surpassing their goal of $25,000.

Click here to see pictures of the event (provided by www.reflector.com).

SEEDS Teams with MHAworks to Create their New Community Center

We at MHAworks are so honored and ecstatic to announce that we have the opportunity to design the fully sustainable future home for SEEDS, a local Durham non-profit educational community garden, used for gardening and growing food. At the SEEDS' 9th Annual Harvest Dinner, project lead designers Richard Barlow and Jared Martinson and their families were able to join the SEEDS staff, donors and community members for this exciting announcement.

Jared reflects, “We are so excited and honored to lend a hand in shaping the positive growth of this community institution through the enhancement of their existing gardening, gather and education spaces.”

SEEDS, MHAworks, and our team made of Coulter Jewell Thames and CT Wilson plan to renovate the existing building, add a new parking lot and update the walkway from the entry to the garden on the corner of Gilbert Street and N. Elizabeth Street. 

Richard, Director of Sustainability at MHA, and the entire design team plan to supplement the entire design with sustainable practices such as solar and thermal panels, vegetative sunscreens, state-of-the-art building systems, storm water management, and much more!

"We are thrilled to have MHAworks as a partner in transforming our space at SEEDS.  The team we have been working with truly embraces our goals of creating a flexible, welcoming learning space that is connected to our beautiful gardens and the community around us," says Emily Egge, Excutive Director of SEEDS.

This project will provide SEEDS with the ability to both expand its efforts in helping the community help each other, but also reinforce and aggrandize its original message: gardening and growing food to teach the community respect for life, for the earth and for each other. As passionate as we are about local Durham, our designers and staff are truly moved by this opportunity to use our expertise to give back to our community.

If you’d like to get involved in community gardening at SEEDS or contribute to their fundraising, you can learn more at their website: www.seedsnc.org

MHAworks Host Second Annual {Creative Food Drive} for Local Community

After a year of planning and anticipation, MHAworks held its second annual C.F.D. {Creative Food Drive}! Supporting the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina and Housing for New Hope, C.F.D.  hosted local vendors, companies and non-profit organizations in its festival and competition. The sculptures created from the food items were an array of architectural gems, including a bridge, a volcano (complete with a bubbling center), the Land of Oz, a periodic table, and the stamping out of hunger.     

Best Overall: Stewart Engineering

Most Food Raised: Quality Education Institute of Durham

Most Difficult to Build: RB Engineering

Most Creative: RDK Engineers

People's Choice: Semprius  

First and foremost, we'd like to thank our volunteers for coming out and helping run the event - you guys rock! Second, we'd like to thank the community for coming out, enjoying the event and bringing items from their own cupboards to help the Food Bank and Housing for New Hope.

Frank Stasio of NPR was CFD's emcee, and our featured live music was Rebekah Todd, Saints Apollo and TreeHouse!

Also, we couldn't have done any of this without our Event Sponsors: ReverbNation, University Ford Durham, and Isis IT!

You can find more pictures on the CFD website or CFD Facebook!

MHAworks' 25th Anniversary Kick-Off Party

25th Anniversary Kick-Off Party

MHAworks has reached a milestone in our firm’s history – we’re kicking off our 25th year of bringing commercial architecture to North Carolina. To celebrate this momentous occasion, we hosted our 25th Anniversary Kick-Off Party at our downtown Durham office across the street from the Durham Blues Festival.

With family, colleagues and clients, the blues festival serenaded our staff and guests while we enjoyed food, drink and good company. To see pictures of the event, check out our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/mhaworks

Meet MHAworks' newest team members

MHAworks is quite proud to be able to say we’ve hired fresh, new talent over the last quarter! As our company and work base continue to expand, so does our experienced and accomplished group of professionals.

James McWhorter, AIA, brings to MHAworks over seventeen years of experience in design and architecture. His versatility and sharp attention to form stems from his background in the fine arts as a commissioned sculptor.

Matthew Johnson, AIA, recently relocated from Milwaukee, WI, brings a passion for the blending of architecture and technology to our Greenville office. His experience ranges from project concept to completion in retail design and development.

Kerri Floyd is MHAworks’ front desk receptionist and the first face you see when visiting our Durham office. With over twelve years of experience working in the construction industry, she brings organization and clarity to our firm’s fast-paced environment.

Bethany Houston is our new Marketing Coordinator and assists in the business development and marketing department. From reinforcing MHAworks’ brand image to coordinating company charity events, she brings experience in content creation, marketing strategy and design.

We are very excited to have fresh faces and new ideas around our two offices!