OUR MISSION

To strengthen community through a collaborative design process.

OUR CORE VALUES

Collaborative

We are true collaborators within the WPA studio, with our clients, consultants, other architects, and the community. We’ve built out additional desks, meeting space, and gallery in order to make a physical space for these opportunities.

Community-Focused

We support our local community and believe in real public process where everyone has an equal voice and feels invested. We deliberately take on pro bono work to demonstrate our dedication to community projects.

Open & Transparent

We’ve built our business on true transparency. Finances are an open book, as we believe it provides for two-way accountability. By opening ourselves up for critique, we can grow and develop our practice more rapidly.

Generalists

We design for all types of projects and take on work on the condition that it allows us to learn something new. While we are developing expertise in sea level rise and coastal resiliency work, we will never specialize in any project type.

Process-Driven

We practice process-driven design. The same steps apply to all sizes and types of projects. This reinforces all of our other Core Values.

ABOUT/HISTORY

Work Program Architects was founded in 2010 by Mel Price and Thom White. Located in the newly renovated Assembly building at 400 Granby Street in Downtown Norfolk, originally an Ames and Brownley department store (ca. 1919). WPA has an open studio environment that encourages collaboration between staff, clients, consultants, and the community.

WPA is focused on educational and municipal work, civic landmarks, places of business, and any place where people gather. Our multi-disciplinary design process results in projects unique to their location. The relationships we build with our clients and the community create buildings, neighborhoods, and urban places that connect people in living, working, and social spaces.

WPA is comprised of professionals with a broad range of skills including architecture, industrial design, interior design, urban planning, graphic design, fabrication, modeling, and project management. WPA has an in-house licensed educator on our team to help program and design engaging learning environments. We value a healthy and collaborative environment in which we develop responsible professionals and effective leaders and foster the efforts of engaged citizens.