City Studios Architecture (CSA) runs on passion.
A fresh firm in Cincinnati’s vibrant architecture community, “we want to grow. And we want to be successful,” says CSA Principal, Chantelle Noble.
Over-the-Rhine based CSA only opened this January, but their planner is already chock-full of projects. And it’s understandable why.
CSA has a diverse team that started with three partners, and has since added three more employees. They share a variety of perspectives, gained through experiences in several metropolitan areas, across the US: Boston, Washington DC, San Francisco, New York.
“We’ve been busy,” Noble assures. She says they “saw that things were starting to happen down here,” specifically downtown, where they direct much of their talent and energy.
CSA is capable of a lot too. With their diverse team, they’re comfortable with handling the architectural designing of new projects, renovating old, sprucing places up through interior design, and the arcane vagaries of zoning, coding and tax laws.
Prior to banding together, its team members have worked individually with some big clients, such as 3CDC, Cincinnati Development Fund, City of Cincinnati, Key Bank and PNC Bank.
Alongside their impressive commercial portfolio, CSA also has extensive experience with residential projects, of which they are currently juggling several.
“We really like the idea of creating an urban neighborhood,” Noble says. “Cincinnati has a great building stock that already exists. I think the best that you can do is use the buildings you already have. Think about all the resources you’re saving.”
Alongside drawing on Cincinnati’s existing infrastructure, CSA is doing their part to make Cincinnati environmentally sustainable, taking on several green conscious projects, and always advising clients on how to make their buildings as eco-friendly as possible.
Ultimately, as they expand, CSA wants to maintain their close collaboration with clients and remain true to their vision of revitalizing Cincinnati’s urban core, which is where they excel.
“I don’t think it’s our goal to be the largest architecture firm in town,” Noble says. “We enjoy working with the clients in a hands-on way. We don’t want to lose that.”