A small firm,
on purpose.
Peterson/Gordon Architects is a small architectural practice in Winston-Salem, concentrated on commercial and institutional work: corporate offices, public schools, churches, performing arts facilities and healthcare. The firm has two partners, both registered architects, and they perform all aspects of the work on every project.
Winston-Salem, NC
Est. as Perry Peterson Architects — renamed 2003
Piedmont Federal Savings Bank — LEED Silver
History
Founding partner Perry Peterson previously served as partner at Newman & Jones, PA, Newman-Peterson, PA and Troxell-Peterson until 2000. He founded the practice as Perry Peterson Architects; the name changed to Peterson/Gordon Architects in 2003.
The firm's reputation rests on long-standing relationships — Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, Piedmont Federal, Piedmont Players Theatrical Company, city and county government, and a list of restaurants, banks and congregations served for decades.
There is no layer of project managers between the client and the drawings. The partner you meet at the first conversation is the partner who stamps the drawings and walks the site through closeout.
The partner sign-off below appears on every set of drawings this firm issues.
P.P. / J.G.
The partners
Perry Peterson
P.P.President
Founding partner. Previously a partner at Newman & Jones, Newman-Peterson and Troxell-Peterson until 2000, Perry founded the firm as Perry Peterson Architects. The practice was renamed Peterson/Gordon Architects in 2003.
James Gordon
J.G.Vice-President, LEED AP
Partner and LEED Accredited Professional. James leads the firm's conservation and sustainability work, including the LEED Silver Piedmont Federal Savings Bank and design under LEED guidelines for The Norvell.
Conservation & sustainability
The firm is a member of the USGBC and partner James Gordon is a LEED Accredited Professional. We aim to implement conservation measures in every project and design under LEED criteria when requested. LEED projects include The Norvell, designed under LEED Silver guidelines, and Piedmont Federal Savings Bank, a LEED Silver corporate facility.
01
Site design
Orientation, drainage and access decided before anything else.
02
Efficient resource use
Materials chosen for service life, repairability and local availability.
03
Energy use
Envelope-first design, then systems — the cheapest energy is the energy you don't use.
04
Building environment
Low-VOC finishes and ventilation that protects the people inside.
Five reasons to partner with us.
In the firm's own words, unchanged.
Knowledge
More than fifty years of collective experience in institutional work, from The Hermitage at Cedarfield in Richmond to Salemtowne in Winston-Salem.
Value
Lower fees, lower construction cost, and buildings that are cheaper to operate and maintain. Value is a design decision, not a discount.
Attention
Both partners are registered architects and perform all phases of the work themselves — initial meeting, design, construction administration and closeout.
Design
Work that is creative, appropriate and representative of the organisations it serves, rather than a signature applied to a client.
Relationship
Most of our work comes from clients we have served for decades. That is the only marketing that has ever mattered to us.
Recognition
2014
LEED Silver certification
USGBC
Piedmont Federal Savings Bank, Winston-Salem, NC — recognised for site selection, low energy consumption, low water use, a low-VOC environment, low-maintenance materials and long life cycle.
2010
Rated 8 out of 10
GreatSchools.org
Caleb's Creek Elementary School, Kernersville, NC — among the few public elementary schools in North Carolina to receive a distinguished GreatSchools rating, with a 4-out-of-5 community rating.
2006
The Forsyth Formula
John Locke Foundation / Carolina Journal
Report No. 282 — Winston-Salem/Forsyth County's new middle schools cost $10–$15 per square foot less than comparable schools in Union, Hickory and Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
Relationships, not accounts.
Most of this work came from clients the firm has served for decades, across eight sectors in central North Carolina.
Corporate & Office
- Piedmont Federal Savings Bank
- Highwoods Properties
- Freeman Commercial Properties
- Lincoln Financial
City & County Government
- City of Winston-Salem
- Forsyth County Government
- Tanglewood Park
- Stokes County Government
- Town of Clemmons
Public & Private Schools
- Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
- Stokes County Schools
- Surry County Schools
- Tri-City Christian Academy
- Mudpies Child Care Center
- Guilford Day School (Noble Academy)
Performing Arts
- Piedmont Players Theatrical Company
- Meroney Theater, Salisbury
- Odell Auditorium, Greensboro College
- Norvell Theater, Salisbury
Restaurants
- Umi Japanese Steakhouse
- K&W Cafeteria
- Dairio
- Mayflower Restaurant
- Mama Zoes
- Little Italy
- The Olive Tree
Commercial
- Bob King Automotive
- Collins Chevrolet & Subaru
- Liberty Lincoln
- Plaza Ford
Healthcare
- Salemtown Retirement Community
- Stokes County Health
- Louisburg Nursing Center
- Yadkin Nursing Center
- Bell Dentistry
Institutional Non-Profit
- Experiment in Self Reliance
- Masonic Center, Winston-Salem
- ABC Triad Municipal
Tell us what you are planning.
A new facility, an addition, a building that has stopped working for you. The first conversation is with a partner, and it costs nothing.