Sonoma County offers a wide variety of unique and contemporary homes, offices and businesses that carry a style and design that properly conform to their occupants’ needs—an important element, especially when businesses are looking to grow, make upgrades or create something new altogether. This is where Axia Architects comes in.
The firm was founded in 1939 and, over the years, has gone through several partner and name changes. In 1997, previous principal owner Peter Witter changed the name from Witter Jeffries to Axia. Then in 2003, principal architect and president Doug Hilberman stepped in and took the reins. Now in his 20th year at Axia, Hilberman says they’ve been “blessed” with a nine-person firm of exemplary team members, “who take on various roles and leadership.”
“We’re hoping to set the firm up for many years in the future,” says Hilberman.
Axia Architects specializes in corporate, education, residential, hospitality and housing development projects. Some of the firm’s clients include Francis Ford Coppola Winery, City of Santa Rosa, County of Napa, Hewlett-Packard, Exchange Bank, Healdsburg General Hospital, the Konocti Unified School District and 75-plus custom residential projects. Hilberman says that he and his colleagues have always prided themselves on being a general-practice firm. Although they specialize in certain industries, for them it’s more about the long-term relationships they have developed with their clients, as well as taking on challenging projects.
“We tend to migrate to projects that are challenging and that require a fair amount of thought process both in the design side and also from the standpoint of how the projects engage—in the community and how they engage from a regulatory standpoint,” says Hilberman. He says they’re particularly drawn to projects with technically challenging or problematically challenging facets to them.
“It’s a way of looking for opportunities to create something that is both very functional—that works incredibly for the end users—and something that we’d like to think has an elegance to it,” says Hilberman.
Axia Architects are “old hats” when it comes to receiving recognition for their work. This year marks the 12th year that the firm has been the recipient of NorthBay biz magazine’s Best Architectural Firm award. Axia’s controller and human resources director, Melissa Wadlow, says she feels incredibly grateful and humbled to have received the award, as well as truly surprised and excited. “It feels nice to be honored by the community and by the individuals that we work with.”
Hilberman adds that the award is special to them because with industry design awards, you’re recognized by the architectural profession—but what’s most important is the design of the buildings they create.
“With this award, we’d like to think this is really a recognition by the community for the work we’re doing in the community,” says Hilberman. “We certainly try our best to be good stewards in the community and in the regions we serve.”
Axiaarchitects.com
