By Max Crampton-Thomas
2 min read August 2019 — Development of commercial and residential facilities is reliant upon well-thought-out and deliberate architecture and design. In a region like Palm Beach County, where there is a flurry of development and redevelopment happening, architectural and design firms like REG Architects, Inc. are in increasingly higher demand. REG Architects specializes in architecture, historic preservation, interior design and community planning, and Invest: Palm Beach had the opportunity to speak with company President Rick Gonzalez. He spoke to Invest: about the firm’s growth, its approach to design work, services that are in the highest demand and emerging trends due to the influx of young professionals into Palm Beach County.
What were some highlights for REG Architects in the past year?
One of the highlights was the celebration of our 30th anniversary last spring. We have been awarded some nice projects, like the campus for the Seacoast Utility Authority in Palm Beach Gardens, and we have also been doing new residential work. Last year was probably the best year in a decade, when we had the big recession, and 2019 has started very well.
What are some unique qualities that set REG Architects apart from other firms in the area?
Besides our longevity, our approach to design work sets us apart. We do a lot of historic preservation in our office; we like to use historic context when designing to be inspired by a historical place. For example, we worked on Mar-a-Lago for President Trump. We used the design of the place as inspiration. We try to use that in all of our projects, whether it is commercial, residential, equestrian, historic or mixed use. Most companies today tend to focus on cutting-edge or modern architecture, and I think there’s a good place for modern architecture, but we like to have a tie to the community.
Which of the firm’s services are seeing the most demand today?
We have a healthy balance between commercial, residential and governmental projects. In terms of design services, we do all our work now in Revit, which is a robust architectural design and documentation software application with a 3D modeling system. Animation is now important for clients and it is seeing high demand. We are also known for our design preservation work, and we get a lot of requests in those areas as well.
Have you seen any emerging trends with more young professionals moving to the area?
People are picking the place first, and then they’re looking for the job. They want to come to exciting, invigorating places like downtown West Palm Beach or downtown Boca Raton — cities that are unique and well-positioned, where they can live, work, play and study in the same area. People also want to work in interconnected, open office spaces, and they want to live in smaller units with diverse community features, such as outdoor areas, swimming pools, decks, restaurants, shops and easy ways to get around town.
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