Our philosophy is to employ critical and creative thinking to use resources effectively to enhance the client, community, and built environment without compromising quality.
Design Philosophy
Children's Health System, Specialty Center South, Birmingham, Alabama
Children's Health System Data Center Parking Deck Skin, Birmingham, Alabama
George Washington Carver High School, Birmingham, Alabama
Our Commitment to Quality
The HOSKINS Architecture team has experience in all aspects of commercial design including healthcare, judicial, ecclesiastical, retail, educational, multi-unit housing, offices, sports facilities, data centers, facilities inventory and campus planning, master and urban planning, and interior design. Our understanding of diverse building typologies has created a well-rounded and knowledgeable team capable of undertaking most any commercial project, large or small. Our team of energetic and highly-motivated designers is committed to design excellence in every step of the process. Through years of project management, we have built relationships with acoustical, structural, mechanical, electrical, civil, landscape, and geotechnical engineers with a proven record of technical competence as well as a shared passion for design excellence. We believe every team member’s input is essential to providing the most value for our clients, and therefore look to develop lasting relationships with our consultants as well as owners, community organizers, fellow industry professionals, and local government officials. From pre-design to post-occupancy, this professional relationship rewards the project team with ease of task delegation, seamless communication, and better coordination.
Our Commitment to Sustainability
Since the creation of the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, many design professionals are rising to the industry-wide call for environmental responsibility. During Mr. Hoskins nearly 25 years of experience, however, environmental responsibility has always been a priority. In fact, as a member of the project team, Mr. Hoskins helped design Homewood Middle School, the nation’s first middle school to achieve a LEED Silver certification. Not only were 95% of the school’s spaces day-lit, promoting wellness and the optimum learning environment, but this design strategy amounts to 38% energy savings, when compared to a code-compliant school of its same size. Other sustainable design strategies were integrated as well, such as a state-of-the-art building automation system, the building’s orientation for optimal use of daylight, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and recycled, local, and low-VOC materials. In addition to its notoriety for sustainability, its clever design won Honor, Merit, and Best of Show Awards from the American Institute of Architects and has been published in Alabama Construction News, Portico Magazine, The Birmingham News, and Environmental Design + Construction.
Understanding the importance of building construction waste, energy consumption, materials’ embodied energy, and a building’s life cycle cost are basic skills every designer should incorporate in their projects. Many owners may think that environmental responsibility comes with a higher price tag and extends the project schedule, or find it difficult to see the benefits of integrating sustainable design. However, with Homewood Middle School, the 180,000sf project was under-budget and completed ahead of schedule. Plus, the school consumes less energy and water, and their operating costs will be lower, allowing more money to be used for education. In our decades of experience, we have proven that incorporating sustainable design practices can be cost-effective for our clients as well as friendly to the environment.
Recently, the LEED program has gained momentum, flooded the market with new design ideas, sustainable materials and construction methods, and influenced many wise choices throughout the design and construction process. The program’s mission is one that HOSKINS Architecture shares as well: to encourage the responsible use of resources in a sustainable fashion and to promote environmentally friendly designs in new construction. We have helped set a standard of sustainable design practices and have since certified other projects with LEED. HOSKINS Architecture is actively committed to furthering the architectural profession as well. Mr. Hoskins established an annual architecture scholarship at Mississippi State University for students in the impoverished Delta region in the northwestern part of the state. He has participated in the Birmingham City School’s Executive High School Internship Program since 2004 and has hosted "Step-Up STEM" engineering and mathematics summer camp at Lawson State Community College since 2003. The HOSKINS Architecture design team participates each year in the Eyebeam Festival at Magic City Art Connection, which encourages architectural exploration of space with hundreds of children.
Our Commitment to the Community
At HOSKINS Architecture, we believe in serving our community through volunteerism, as well as through the design profession. Our team members volunteer their time with a number of local non-profit organizations, tutoring children, collecting donations, feeding the hungry, and serving women’s and children’s shelters. Mr. Hoskins is the immediate past Vice-President of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) and the immediate past Southern Region and Birmingham Chapter President. Under his leadership, the Birmingham Chapter was selected to host the 2005 NOMA International Congress and Exposition where he served as chair. He currently serves on NOMA’s executive committees and is an active member of the local chapter. In addition, Mr. Hoskins currently serves on the Mississippi State University Architectural Advisory Council, Board of Directors of Girls Incorporated and Foundation Board of Children’s Aid Society.