Pod Architecture + Design

pod architecture + design (pod a+d) is a full service architectural and design firm recently relocated to The Station, an 1882 train depot and historic landmark in Carrboro, NC. (For those not familiar with the area, Carrboro is literally right across the street from Chapel Hill.) The firm is owned and operated by design principals Douglas V. Pierson, AIA, LEED AP, BD+C, and Youn Choi, who are partners in life as well as in business. An award-winning architect, Doug leads the Architectural Studio. Youn is an environmental/experiential graphics designer - among the many other areas of expertise she brings to the firm. Yet there’s much more to our alliance as a couple than two professionals with individual areas of expertise collaborating on projects. It’s what makes pod a+d a hybrid, non-traditional design firm. The “X” factor is what we call “co-dependency” -- but not in the dysfunctional sense! We work together, in mutual symbiosis, on every pod a+d project regardless of type. Youn’s influence and ideas add another layer to otherwise strictly architectural projects. Doug’s contributions to an environmental graphics project takes that project to a level it wouldn’t reach without him. We can depend on each other to be able to reach for design excellence because each of us provides something special to the other that adds a richness to our projects and to our clients’ experiences while they collaborate with us. So “co-dependency” for us – for the entire pod a+d team – means that we are more than just the cumulative talents, skills, and work of individuals. We are a cohesive team of designers with a distinct/hybrid firm culture. And the impact on our work and our clients is far greater than it would be if our talents and skills were not so strongly intertwined. We practice an innovative approach to the design process that involves both 3D and physical models in a wide variety of building types, including residential, commercial, hospitality, academic/institutional, environmental, retail, mixed use and adaptive re-use. By understanding form and space in this manner, we better understand how a project's form and space may, in the future, affect its inhabitants. As Winston Churchill once said, “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.”