Dan Schmidt, Managing Principal, Planworx Architecture, PA

Invest: spoke with Dan Schmidt, managing principal at Planworx Architecture, PA, about how economic uncertainty is shaping multifamily development, the firm’s focus on service, and the role of architecture in quality of life. “Great design happens through great service,” Schmidt said.

What key changes over the past year have had the biggest impact on your firm?

The biggest impact has been from the economic outlook and uncertainty. From my perspective, our clients are thinking carefully about the economic outlook and how they feel about moving forward. They are not always as comfortable pulling the trigger on projects, or on the same number of projects.

Lending is a big factor, along with the overall economics of making a project work. There is more uncertainty around how to make a project pencil, how to fund it, and how to move forward.

What recent initiatives or projects are especially significant for the firm now?

We are seeing more growth, and that uncertainty has caused people to go back to the drawing board and work to figure things out. There is still demand. We primarily do multifamily work, including apartments and townhomes, and there is still great demand for that.

The question is how to make it work in the economic environment we are in right now. We are seeing a big push for greater efficiencies and streamlining, perhaps through smaller, more efficient units and consolidated amenities. It is not so much about cutting services as about asking how we can make what has been done before even more efficient.

How are changing demographic patterns influencing demand across the region?

What we are seeing is that growth is expanding beyond downtown proper and beyond the established suburbs. In North Carolina, we are seeing land acquisition happening in much more rural areas.

Historically small towns are also starting to pick up that growth. It is not just the typical suburb of one of the cities in the area anymore. Growth is reaching further out.

What trends are you seeing in client priorities today?

Looking at multifamily, because that is the majority of the work we do, several clients are looking at prototype work. That is one way to realize efficiency: having prototypes in place and making slight modifications depending on the site.

That approach requires design methodologies that allow you to easily, quickly, and efficiently modify a design and create different iterations rather than starting with a whole new redesign. Clients are looking for things that can be quickly iterated or modified.

Amenities are still important. They are what draw people into apartment and townhome developments. The key is right-sizing the amenity to the community and to what people are looking for. Some trends come and go, but the focus is on timeless offerings that can be efficient, set a community apart, and attract new residents.

How is the architecture industry adapting to rising costs, labor shortages, and other challenges?

It is similar to what we are seeing from clients. We are trying to be more efficient with the work we do and the time we spend, while finding creative ways to provide an excellent level of service.

One service we provide is conceptual land planning. We come alongside our clients and help them with concept site planning efforts. Typically, civil engineers are primarily involved with that, but we bring a different perspective to the table.

By being involved early, we can help identify things that a civil engineer might not initially consider. That can mitigate potential pain points from the beginning, rather than having issues cause more time, inefficiencies, or steps backward later in the process. Our expertise allows us to help with land planning efforts in a meaningful way.

What role does thoughtful architecture play in strengthening economic competitiveness and quality of life in growing regions?

Architecture is crucial and critical to that. The majority of people today spend most of their time in buildings, so the built environment affects many aspects of life.

It affects well-being, psychology, and mental health. If the built environment and the space around people are poorly designed, that can have numerous negative effects. We believe it is vitally important that design and planning evoke a positive response.

We are designing for people. We are not designing just to create beautiful-looking designs. We are designing for people’s needs and for how they are going to live, work, and play in a space, as well as how they feel in that space. Architecture affects wellness, and wellness awareness is more at the forefront today than it has been in the past. A lot of what architects do greatly affects our wellness as human beings.

How are evolving technologies changing the design and planning process?

We are definitely using AI. We recognize AI as a tool. For us, it does not replace us as architects, but it can be used to enhance our work.

It helps us focus on what really matters, including the design of things and the human side of the built environment. It is another tool in our toolbox to help with efficiencies.

That includes practical things like creating spreadsheets and meeting minutes, filtering through information, and allowing us to do those tasks more quickly. That frees us to focus on our service of design, communication, collaboration, and our clients’ needs. It allows us to drill down on those priorities.

What are your key goals and priorities for the firm, and what is your outlook for the industry in the region?

Our outlook right now is positive. We have seen a greater inquiry and demand for new work and new projects. 2025, and even a bit in the beginning of 2026, was slow for us, but we think clients are figuring out the current economic environment.

It does not appear that things are going to become incredibly different anytime soon, so there is a here-to-stay mentality. Clients want to do work, they want to do projects, and they want to be part of shaping our communities. We are pleased to see that, and we have a positive outlook for the remainder of 2026.

Our No. 1 priority is the service we provide to our clients. Ninety-eight percent of our clients are repeat clients, so developing relationships is our top priority. Our goal is continued growth, growing existing relationships, and building new long-term relationships.

We are also focused on continuing to grow internally the services we provide and strengthening what we currently offer. There are several architecture firms in the Raleigh area, so the differentiator for us is the service we provide. Great design happens through great service. We are proud that the overwhelming majority of our clients are repeat clients and continue to work with us.