Our firm is here to empower people and communities through design. We believe in design for all — and we think everyone deserves affordable, sustainable, and healthy spaces where they can live, work, and play.
ADS offers design services to community organizations, non-profit and for-profit developers, community design corporations, public housing authorities, healthcare, and other public or private service organizations. Together, we focus on the needs of low- and moderate-income members of our communities. They’re our clients, too — and we work to deliver buildings that improve their wellbeing and enhance their quality of life.
Good design is both beautiful and responsible. We care about people, communities, and the environment, so we incorporate the principles of net-zero energy design, occupants’ wellbeing, and resilient design into each and every project.
Design is a process. It’s a series of decisions that yield an outcome. Our approach ensures the right questions get asked, the right decisions become clear — and the right results get delivered.
Our design process provides a forum where stakeholders can identify shared values, define common goals, create efficiencies, optimize resources, and collaborate to solve problems — all of which can have a significant impact on the final product.
A designer is a unique kind of leader. Sometimes we take initiative and advocate. Other times we pivot and adapt. Either way, it’s about focusing on the solution — and doing what it takes to realize the client’s vision.
Architecture is the experience people have with the built environment. Our drive as designers is to facilitate and elevate those experiences. It’s a collaboration — between stakeholders, end users, contractors, and others. So, we place a high value on maintaining relationships that keep everyone aligned and moving in the same direction.
Colin Arnold believes in design for all. For more than 16 years, he managed CHP Design Studio — a wholly owned subsidiary of Community Housing Partners dedicated to providing affordable housing to low- or moderate-income individuals. In his career, Colin has contributed to the design of more than 50 affordable housing projects with a total of more than 3,200 units.
Colin is a former Frederick P. Rose Architectural Fellow. His commitment to service through design is reflected in his professional affiliations, accreditations, and accolades. He is a founding board member of the Southwest Virginia chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. He is a certified expert community design charrette facilitator and has training and experience in the principles of Universal Design.
Colin holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in Architecture from Virginia Tech.
• American Institute of Architects, Member
• NCARB
• LEED® 2.0 Accredited Professional
• Frederick P. Rose Architectural Fellow, Recipient
• 2006 Virginia Green Innovation Award, Virginia Sustainable Building Network
• Virginia Housing Coalition 2007 Housing Leadership Award Winner, “Designer/Architect”
• 2010 Energy Star® Award for Excellence in Energy-Efficient Affordable Housing
• AIA Blue Ridge 2010 Merit Award, Lincoln Mews, Richmond, VA
• 2014 National Housing & Rehabilitation Association “Timmy” Award for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation
• Virginia Housing Coalition 2015 Best Affordable Housing Energy Conservation Effort
• Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises (FAHE) 2015 Green Energy Efficiency Champion
• 2016 Viridiant (formerly EarthCraft™ Virginia) Top Performance Homes of the Year
Kristin Moye is a relationship choreographer. She sees architects as facilitators of the design process, and as orchestrators between stakeholders, end users, contractors, and other contributors. Kristin believes that collaboration is not only a designer’s obligation to the client, but also their duty in serving as a partner and advisor. As an AmeriCorps VISTA, Kristin went to work at CHP Design Studio, where she served five years with Colin Arnold. In 2018, she joined Colin when he founded Arnold Design Studio.
Kristin is a LEED® 2.0 Accredited Professional with a Building Design + Construction specialty. She earned both her Bachelor of Architecture degree in 2011 and her master’s of Architecture in 2012 from Virginia Tech.
• American Institute of Architects, Member
• Commonwealth of Virginia, Registered Architect
• LEED® 2.0 Accredited Professional
Maria Barrios sees design as communication. As a native of Guatemala, she has experienced the potential for architecture to act as a language — connecting people through a shared sense of place and belonging. Since joining Arnold Design Studio in 2019, she has seen the value placed on listening, thinking, and then responding with honesty and clarity.
Maria earned her Bachelor of Architecture degree in 2007 from Universidad Francisco Marroquin and was licensed to practice in Guatemala. Upon immigrating to the US, she paused her career in order to build a family, and then earned her master’s degree of Architecture from Virginia Tech in 2019.
