One Architecture

Shelby Navarro is the founder and owner of ONE Architecture in Tulsa, OK. Navarro has had his own firm for six years and unlike other companies in his industry, Navarro has been very successful in branching out into other areas to compensate for the lack of building in the present economic crisis.  

While focusing mainly on architectural design for residential and commercial buildings, he has set his company apart with his work in "sustainable" or environmentally sensitive design. While there are existing incentives for builders and owners of green homes, Navarro hopes that there will soon be more that actually benefit the developer as well. He confesses that interest in high energy conservative approaches has waned a bit since their price of fuel has decreased, but there still are many potential homeowners interested in decreasing their energy use and incorporating healthy and environmentally friendly techniques. 

Among environmentally friendly features for developers, he has used the "geothermal loop", a process using the natural stable temperature of the earth to heat and cool homes making it 50-70% more efficient. "The system will also provide free hot water." Navarro says that "although these projects are environmentally and financially beneficial in the long run, certain selections can be an expensive process in the short run and more tax credits would encourage more developers to take this route." He also has designed concepts for using solar and wind power by installing wind turbines in and near housing communities. 

While One Architecture has hit a few snags in terms of getting rid of housing inventory, their relationship with banks has continued to be healthy. At this point they have purchased five distressed properties which they are renting at such a successful rate that there are plans to purchase five more. They have explored constructing housing in other areas of the country, but are convinced the Tulsa area affords the best opportunities at this point and is far more stable than other areas in the USA.

As far as software is concerned, SitePlanner seems to be a real favorite. With SitePlanner, he can "use it intuitively" without much effort. SitePlanner has provided him with quick information about lot yield and metrics on right-of-way square footages that he can use in evaluating the feasibility of a proposed project. SitePlanner also provides him the ability to overlay graphics and include bodies of water and roads for his presentation material. Unlike AutoCAD which is tedious and difficult to use, he can rapidly put together various conceptual designs for a project and then import the plans from SitePlanner directly into AutoCAD saving him much time, grief and money!

The more entrepreneurs we connect with in the industry, the more we’re hearing about the good that’s coming from this crisis; people are entering new areas and finding great ideas that are untouched. In the midst of financial trials, they are stepping out and exploring new possibilities both professionally and personally.