Forbes Best-In-State Residential Architects

We are honored to be recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of the Best-in-State Residential Architects for 2025. Selected from firms nationwide, this recognition reflects careful consideration of design quality, contextual sensitivity, material use, and the ability to create homes that are both beautiful and livable. Our work in modern residential architecture focuses on clarity, warmth, and thoughtful responsiveness to place. We are grateful to our clients, collaborators, and community for supporting our work and for the Forbes team and jury for the inclusion.

The List

“The team at Forbes engaged in 10 months of rigorous research to produce the following: our second national top-firms list, America’s Best-in-State Residential Architects, encompassing a total of 400 architecture practices from all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. An expansion of the research-and-evaluations processes created to produce Forbes’ Top Residential Architects 2025 list, our methodology for this list drilled even deeper into the unique circumstances—cultural, social, economic, political, lifestyle, and beyond—that shape the markets for the custom single-family house in each individual state. To that end, we also looked at state-specific architects’ licensure numbers, comparing those totals to that of the national total to determine the percentages that each state represents in the whole. This metric was used as a guide to determine state-by-state representation of the 400 firms in the custom single-family house segment. And the result follows, below: A collection of U.S. architects setting the high-bar mark of excellence—and the ones you can turn to for your residential design-and-construction needs, no matter where in the country you call home.

METHODOLOGY:

Tier 1: General Professional Evaluation: Integrity of online presence (quality of photography; professionalism of display; informational value; awards; publication history; etc.); Educational background of the firm’s principals; Work histories and mentorships

Tier 2: Evaluation of a single “Exemplary House”: The measuring of Stability; Utility; and Beauty

Tier 3: Evaluation Relative to Forbes Architecture’s Residential Guiding Principles & Best Practices, the seven categories of which are as follows:

1. Siting and Local Context: Respects and aims whenever possible to preserve natural landscape contours, while minimizing excavation overall; Respects the solar envelope over its own site and, consequently, over that of the neighboring houses; Strategic incorporation of existing land forms (berms, slopes, etc) and landscape to climatic advantage (for wind shielding, storm protection, etc.); Rooms planned according to the ideal solar orientation per function of the specific spaces; Adapted to sea-level-rise and flood-risk projections

2. Architectural Form and Detailing: Balanced expression of form and massing, conscious of climatic response in approach, while honoring the fundamentals of any origins that might be the basis of the design; Honors cultural and environmental contexts; Structural principles elegantly and honestly expressed

3. Building Materials and Craft: A curated approach to selection and application primarily guided by the impositions of the local climate zone and the cardinal directions; Meticulous attention to expression of architectural detailing—at the smallest levels, materials and geometry in alignment; thematic consistency, inclusive of variations; with emphasis on the relationship of parts to the whole; Use of indigenous and locally sourced, or repurposed, materials and employment of local artisans; Use of Forest Stewardship Council-Certified wood and wood products

4. Spatial Configuration: Entry is prioritized, treated as an experience; Adventurous, stimulating plan circulation, with movement decidedly choreographed, ideally with appropriate/effective moments of compression and expansion; Integrative of any outdoor rooms and garden spaces—programmatic relationships between indoors and exterior context; Strategic mechanical-, electrical- and plumbing-integration consideration; Accommodation for flexibility and change in use

5. HVAC and Tech: Electric radiant floors; Electric-dominant, remotely controllable whole-house systems; Use of architectural shading devices; Inclusive of “smart home” lighting automation systems; Thorough provisions for natural ventilation

6. Physical and Psychological Effects: Emphasis on space perception; Integration of sound-reduction strategies to control the interior environments; Immersive, transformative, soothing environments; Natural light harnessed as an instrument for mood creation

7. Environmental | Appropriateness to Region and Local Climate Zone: Material circularity factor; Green infrastructure; Meets or exceeds green residential-building codes; Raises bar of “responsibility” within its community for its example; Designed and built to withstand extreme climate conditions

Barkitecture 2025

It’s that time of year again when we get to mix some of our favorite things - architecture, product design, branding, and dogs - into a design competition entry. The annual Charleston Animal Society “Barkitecture” Doghouse Design Competition aims to blend innovation and design with the comfort and well-being of our furry friends, creating spaces that are both functional and stylish. The entries are currently up for auction and will be displayed at the “Emerald City Gala - Applause for Paws” fundraising event scheduled for Saturday 10/4 at the Gaillard Center in Charleston, SC.

Our 2025 doghouse design, “Dot” is an edited, refined version of last year’s design, “The Dottie”.  This collection is intended to offer dual-function, furniture-quality designs to enhance and declutter your shared space.  With a quartz top and solid wood construction,  this piece can serve family pets and their loving families for generations. See the gallery below for renderings and production progress photos and note our amazing partners below that made it all happen:

Palmetto Surfacing

Robert Thomas Iron Design

Harbor Contracting

Lowcountry Case and Millwork

Rush David Dixon IV Photography

Dave Dixon: Millwork / Assembly

Mr. Tibbits the Whippet: Model + Muse

The auction for “Barkitecture” doghouses is now live with proceeds going to The Charleston Animal Society.  Click HERE to see all of the entries. Consider taking a look, bidding, or just donating if you can.

Camp Hall Ranked #1 Industrial Park + Maker Space

We’re thrilled to see Camp Hall named the #1 Industrial Park/Maker Space in the U.S. by Business Facilities—a recognition that affirms the bold, human-centered vision behind this transformative project. Since its inception, Camp Hall has redefined what an industrial park can be, blending advanced manufacturing potential with an unprecedented focus on quality of life, community, and natural preservation. At Rush Dixon Architects, we’re proud to have been part of Camp Hall’s journey from the very beginning. Since 2019, our team has collaborated on the master planning and conceptual architecture, shaping a place that is not only functional for global industry but also forward-thinking in its integration of people and place.

One of the most distinctive contributions we made was the “Nature + Machine” design concept for Avian Commons, Camp Hall’s central amenity village. This concept explores the dynamic tension between high-performance industry and the organic beauty of the Lowcountry landscape - of specific note is the function, lightness and feathering of a bird’s wings. Through materiality, form, and spatial organization, the architecture honors both the precision of manufacturing and the fluid, evolving patterns found in nature.

Avian Commons serves as a hub for daily life within the industrial park—offering dining, fitness, trails, and community gathering spaces. The “Nature + Machine” approach grounds these experiences in a language of contrast and balance: sleek steel forms set against organic wood textures, hard geometries softened by light, landscape, and movement. It’s a place where people can shift gears—from work to wellness, from efficiency to reflection. Unlike traditional industrial campuses, Camp Hall breaks the mold by integrating preserved natural areas, multi-use trails, and thoughtful amenities—deliberately designed to attract and retain talent by supporting both productivity and well-being.

Our architectural vision was guided by a deep respect for the land, a commitment to environmental stewardship, and a belief that great design can foster connection—even in an industrial context. We’re honored that our early conceptual work helped set the tone for what Camp Hall has become: an award-winning model for the future of industry and innovation.

Conceptual design for a training center at Avian Commons

Rush Dixon Architects provided the schematic design for Refuel, Avian Commons’ first building. [Architect of Record: RRMM]

SCNOMA's Project Pipeline

Building the Future: Supporting the South Carolina NOMA Project Pipeline Camp

In a world where the built environment shapes lives, the architecture profession must reflect the diversity of the communities it serves. That’s why Rush Dixon Architects is proud to sponsor the 2025 South Carolina NOMA Project Pipeline Camp—a transformative program organized by the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) that introduces middle and high school students from underrepresented backgrounds to the world of architecture and design.

What Is the Project Pipeline Camp? Founded by NOMA, the Project Pipeline Camp is a national initiative designed to empower underrepresented youth through immersive, hands-on experiences in architecture, urban planning, and design thinking. The South Carolina chapter of NOMA (SCNOMA) brings this mission to life locally through a dynamic camp that gives students tools to envision themselves as future architects and change-makers. Over the course of the multi-day camp, students are introduced to architectural fundamentals, engage in collaborative design challenges, visit professional architecture firms, and work alongside practicing architects and designers. The curriculum promotes creativity, critical thinking, and teamwork—skills that extend far beyond design and into every corner of life.

Why It Matters. The architecture profession has historically struggled with diversity. While people of color represent a growing share of the U.S. population, they remain significantly underrepresented in architecture. NOMA and its Project Pipeline initiative are working to change that, ensuring that the future of design is inclusive, representative, and equitable. Supporting initiatives like Project Pipeline isn’t just about education—it’s about equity. It’s about giving young people the opportunity to see themselves in spaces where they’ve traditionally been excluded. It’s about creating a stronger, more empathetic profession that designs with every voice in mind. At Rush Dixon Architects, we believe in the power of design to shape lives—and the power of opportunity to shape futures. As a sponsor of the 2025 SCNOMA Project Pipeline Camp, we are honored to support the next generation of architects and community leaders. Our sponsorship reflects more than financial support; it reflects our commitment to cultivating diversity in architecture, uplifting the voices of future leaders, and helping create a more inclusive built environment.

How You Can Help. If you’re inspired by the mission of NOMA and the Project Pipeline program, consider getting involved:

• Sponsor or donate to your local NOMA chapter.

• Volunteer as a mentor or guest speaker at Project Pipeline Camps.

• Advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion within your own firm or institution.

• Spread the word to students, educators, and community organizations.

Camp Hall Avian Pavilion

Santee Cooper’s Camp Hall is a next generation of commerce park where people, nature and productivity connect, juxtaposing state-of-the-art manufacturing in a setting of vast natural beauty. The design concept of “Nature + The Machine” permeates the built environment; like the vehicles and machines produced, the architecture is intended to embody precision, sleekness and innovation. The building forms are envisioned to be abstract interpretations of the patterns, colors, and figures found in native species. The first structure built acts as a civic-scaled front porch. It was created not only as the embodiment of the ‘Nature + Machine’ design concept but as a generous offering to the commerce park’s workforce. Inspired by a bird’s outstretched wings with feathered patterning, this pavilion is the front step of the development offering a place to gather, a classroom for environmental lessons, a perch to birdwatch, or a quiet place of respite. This public porch allows the workforce and community at large to engage with each other and nature, perhaps a reminder of what really matters.

Client: Santee Cooper / Camp Hall

Site Design: Seamon Whiteside

Architect: Rush Dixon Architects

Structural Engineer: ADC Engineering

Electrical Engineer: DWG Engineering

General Contractor: Choate Construction

Photo by @Rush Dixon IV Photography

Saluda Cabin

When architects become their own client - a glimpse at a modernist cabin in Western North Carolina. Simple, edited, welcoming, our goal was to create a retreat for ourselves, family, and friends that felt grounding yet aspirational — a place where you could exhale, recharge, and also have big thoughts and dreams.

Architect: Rush Dixon Architects
Builder: Green River Builders
Interior Colorist: Jill Howard Design Studio
Photography: Keith Isaacs Photo

Thank you to Carolina Home + Garden Magazine for the feature excerpted below:

“Like a breeze peeling off sweet Lake Sheila, a fresh design movement is on the rise. “We have certainly done our share of white-on-white color schemes, but lately we are seeing a shift toward warmer palettes,” says architect Judy Dixon, partner with husband Rush Dixon III in Rush Dixon Architects, their boutique firm based in Charleston, South Carolina. “For our Saluda house in particular, bright whites just wouldn’t have achieved the same vibe as the darker, saturated tones,” says Judy.

The Dixons fell hard for Saluda, NC — its preserved historic main street, its dramatic perch on the Blue Ridge escarpment just over the border from upcountry South Carolina — on various trips to the area. During the initial phase of the COVID-19 lockdown, they began to plot their getaway. “While Rush and I were already imagining a scenario where we could enjoy a quiet sanctuary to rest and recharge outside of Charleston, the pandemic offered clarity in a hurry — the future is unknown, enjoy your life now — which added oxygen to our dream of a mountain retreat,” she recalls. The couple are empty nesters whose grown kids are rising creatives immersed in the film and fashion industries. After a downsize, the Dixons’ architecture firm now numbers just the two of them, with emotional fortification provided by their “equally adventurous and lazy” five-year-old whippet, Mr. Tibbits.

An early professional inspiration was the Inn at Middleton Place on Charleston’s Ashley River. Built in 1987 to complement the country’s oldest landscaped gardens (ca. 1741), the hotel’s wraparound floor-to-ceiling windows, cypress shutters and paneling, made-on-site natural bath products, and European-style spa tubs were a prophetic example of the “outside in” revival that would geyser up in the 2010s. The Dixons’ mountain-cabin interpretation is another example of far-sighted organic design grounded in what Judy calls “modernist tenets” — that is, “clean lines, minimal ornamentation, and a strong connection to the outdoors.” Snuggled on its site with a single-story footprint and topped with a mono-slope roof, the structure faces a copse of firs, young poplars, and private Lake Sheila, where no motorboats are allowed. “Capturing the best views” was paramount, and these Low Country architects “were fortunate to have a great builder in Geoff Rose [of local Green River Builders], who was a knowledgable resource” for mountain construction, says Judy.

While the couple leans minimalist, Judy also acknowledges that contemporary design can feel “cold or too sterile.” There’s no chance of that here, thanks to a tongue-and-groove cypress ceiling, porch floors of bluestone, and an interior palette guided by interior designer Jill Howard, a colorist who fine-tuned the Dixons’ pursuit of rich surfaces beyond the neutral safety zone. “The North Carolina mountains envelop you like a blanket, and we crave that same feeling inside the home,” comments Howard. “That’s why warm colors, cozy textures, and lots of wood feel right [here].” The Dixons took photos of the property in all four seasons, and the bedroom-wall hues favor fall. Even the paint names echo the serene natural surrounds: e.g. Sherwin-Williams’ historic shade “Rookwood Dark Green” and sleepy-dark “Still Water” blue.

The open-concept great room, however, is all about “Iron Ore,” a tone that mimics the monochromatic exterior. The off-black shade is moody but authoritative, reverberating with Scandinavian intellectual chic. It’s contrasted not with decorative “pops of color” but more naturally, via rows of bright books displayed on hand-built, black-painted shelves.  Judy’s own figure-ground maps — renderings that delineate the lines between a plot’s built and unbuilt environments — line the walls above the shelving, showing Charleston, Saluda, and Blacksburg, Virginia (where the couple met at architecture school). 

“Our goal was to create a place for ourselves, family, and friends that felt grounding yet aspirational — a place where you could exhale, recharge, and also have big thoughts and dreams,” states Judy. She further quotes a tenet by author/activist Glennon Doyle, whose ideal for emotional wellness is the sense of being at once “held and free.”

Barkitecture

In case you are wondering how to get our attention, find a way to mix four of our favorite things - architecture, product design, branding, and dogs - into a design competition. That is exactly what the Charleston Animal Society did with their “Barkitecture Competition.” In partnership with AIA Charleston (American Institute of Architects), this contest aims to blend innovation and design with the comfort and well-being of our furry friends, creating spaces that are both functional and stylish. The entries are currently up for auction and will be displayed at the “Paws in the Park” event scheduled for Saturday 11/23 at Brittlebank Park. Our design process (moderately supervised by our whippet, Mr. Tibbits) covered many iterations for both interior and exterior shelters, color studies, nods to mid-century modern architecture, etc. and was ultimately memorialized into a catalogue “Mod Pods - Luxury Indoor Digs + Accessories for Pets.” “The Dottie” was chosen to be fabricated for auction with the expertise of our friends at Low Country Case + Millwork. (Special shout out to David Stasiukaitis and Ken Hibner!)

Scroll to the end for a video of the finished product and click HERE for a sneak peak and to start your bidding.

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Forbes List: America's Top 200 Residential Architects

Forbes Magazine just released their inaugural list of “America’s Top 200 Residential Architects” and we are beyond excited to share that Rush Dixon Architects is included this esteemed group of designers. As Forbes’ Senior Architecture Editor, Richard Olsen, describes “Our intention was to cultivate a list that extended far beyond just those who reside in the nation’s top markets. And to help ensure that geographic inclusiveness, as well as the most equitable process of evaluation possible, we assembled a regionally diverse advisory board of leading experts on the American house.”

SELECTION METHODOLOGY

We were first contacted in February 2024 to submit photos and design intent for our Stono River Residence located in Charleston, SC. “Out of the more than 18,000 firms evaluated for the list, more than 750 were invited to submit up to three houses, each completed in 2019 or later, for formal consideration. The submitted projects were then evaluated conditionally, and according to Tiers 2 and 3, respectively, with each house receiving a numerical score according to merit. The highest scoring projects were advanced to the semifinalist stage, before being evaluated again, by both the Forbes Architecture editorial team and the Forbes Architecture Advisory Board, using the same system. The final 200 projects were collectively deemed to most closely meet the evaluating criteria.”

Tier 1: General Professional Evaluation:

• Integrity of online presence (quality of photography; professionalism of display; informational value; awards; publication history; etc.)

• Educational background of the firm’s principals

• Work histories and mentorships

Tier 2: Evaluation of a single “Exemplary House” [Stability, Utility, and Beauty]

Tier 3: Evaluation Relative to Forbes Architecture’s Residential Guiding Principles & Best Practices

• Siting and Local Context

• Architectural Form and Detailing

• Building Materials and Craft

• Spatial Configuration

• HVAC and Tech

• Physical and Psychological Effects

• Environmental | Appropriateness to Region and Local Climate Zone

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

• Georgia Bizios

• Ken Breisch

• Danelle Briscoe

• Virginia Cartwright

• Timothy Gray

• Carlos Jimenez

• Joanna Lombard

• William Morgan

• Kevin D. Murphy

• Lisa D. Schrenk

• David Sellers

• Ekaterini (Kat) Vlahos

A sincere thank you to our wonderful client, Forbes Magazine, Richard Olsen and the editing team and the Advisory Members for considering and including our firm on this special list. Click here for the full article published on October 30, 2024 including expanded methodology and Advisory Board members’ backgrounds.