Asheville Based Architect And Home Builder
Located in Asheville, ASSEMBLY ARCHITECTURE + BUILD is a small forward-thinking group of designers, architects, and builders advocating for and delivering on a smarter built environment. Our philosophy is simple: design and build beautiful and affordable green homes, keep the process simple and fun, and have clear communication with a high level of collaboration throughout the process.
Founded by Ross Smith, ASSEMBLY ARCHITECTURE + BUILD was created to streamline the project delivery process by combining architecture and construction into one office. This unique combination enables us to DESIGN homes based on values of energy-efficiency, site-specificity, and client needs, while BUILDING homes based on resource stewardship, quality, and affordability. Removing the conventional professional barrier between Owner-Architect-Contractor makes us a unique company with a fast response time and affordable rates.
We are constantly striving to create better homes, which keeps us at the cutting edge of technology and building techniques. It is our belief that with architecture and building comes great responsibility; it’s an opportunity to shape the built world around us in ways that are both ethical and elevating.
ROSS SMITH
Owner
Ross grew up between Washington DC and Guatemala City where his dad ran a renewable energy non-profit with a focus on wind and solar energy. Ross received his degree in architecture from Yale University where he graduated with an award in design excellence. He is both a licensed architect and contractor and founder of ASSEMBLY ARCHITECTURE + BUILD
Ross, principal in charge of project design and construction management
Leslie Harrison
Designer & Project Manager
Leslie grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, and attended Centre College in the state, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Art History. After graduation, she moved down to North Carolina, staying briefly in the mountains before moving on to Raleigh and North Carolina State University for her Master’s of Architecture — where she graduated with a certificate in City Design and concentration on History and Theory.
Josh Banks
Designer & Project Manager
Josh grew up in a small town in Alabama where he fostered a love for rural southern vernacular architecture. He attended Auburn University where he received degrees in architecture and interior architecture. His thesis project at Auburn’s Rural Studio studied affordable, eco-friendly, place-based housing for the South. Since moving to the Asheville area, he has fallen in love with the Blue Ridge Mountains and the plethora of history, culture, and adventure they have to offer.
BRETT WYATT
Construction Project Manager
Brett grew up on the shores of the Outer Banks making the trek to Western NC to attend Warren Wilson College where he graduated with a degree in the arts. He is project lead for carpentry with a large skill base and excellent communication. Brett is both an excellent framer and finish carpenter!
Brett is lead carpenter with the skills to bring a complex design to life effortlessly.
Stephen Waters
Construction Project Manager
Stephen grew up in Fayetteville, NC and moved up to Asheville the early 2000’s where he got started framing and siding houses. Before long, he started a house framing business and built over 30 homes in the Asheville area. Stephen is adamant about incorporating green building techniques into every house he works on and uses advanced framing and insulation details to create exceptionally solid and environmentally sensitive homes. Stephen works closely with the Architecture side of the business to figure out framing details early in the design process and find ways of value engineering the lumber package to keep costs low and sustainability high.
Martin Stebbins
Lead Carpenter
Martin grew up in the coastal mountains of Santa Cruz, California where, from an early age, he was exposed to a a wholistic approach to living; one that positions humans as an integral part of nature instead of separate from it. He brings this way of thinking into his carpentry, where he uses advanced framing techniques and air sealing systems as a way of reducing the home’s impact on natural resources and the environment. This focus combined with his decades of home building is a valuable source of knowledge and aligns perfectly with Assembly’s approach to design build.
