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Rush Dixon Architects

Modern design that pursues better spaces for living and doing business
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This blog is a collection of musings on our on-going research, design, inspiration, books and travel. As only Es Devlin can articulate, “The piece that one makes is the tip of the iceberg of the research that went into it. Allow your research to take you as far as you want; allow one thought to lead to another. Don’t be afraid to go down a rabbit hole of research. Find the patterns.” This is not to claim we are experts on anything included in the following entries, rather life-long learners enjoying the process.

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Forbes Best-In-State Residential Architects

October 1, 2025

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.

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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.

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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

In All, News, Projects Tags forbes magazine, forbes best in state residential architects, modern architecture, modern design, residential architecture, south carolina architect, north carolina architect, Rush Dixon Architects, wncmodern, residential architect, home design, luxury living
Comment

“Rush Dixon and Judy Dixon met at Virginia Tech in the 1990s—but it was the work of Clark + Menefee, a celebrated and beloved Virginia firm, that brought them together. Since hanging their own shingle in 2005, Rush and Judy have focused on residential and commercial projects in and around Charleston—handsome, contextual and crisp buildings that demonstrate the same clarity of concept and attention to craft that defined Clark + Menefee. Uniquely among most of the firms on this list, they also explicitly define Modern design to be “functional, empathetic, sustainable and edited,” freeing it from the idiom's well-entrenched baggage.” Richard Olsen, Forbes Senior Architecture Editor [Photo: Jimi Smith]

Forbes List: America's Top 200 Residential Architects

October 31, 2024

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.

In All, News, Projects Tags forbes, forbes magazine, forbes top 200 architects, america's top 200 residential architects, residential design, residential architecture, architecture, modern design, modern architecture, contemporary architecture, contemporary home design, charleston, charleston architecture, east coast modern architecture, modern architect, Rush Dixon Architects
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Rush Dixon Architects, LLC | Charleston, SC + Saluda, NC