About

Not your Typical Architecture Firm

DANKE’s curiosity in taking on challenges allows us to step outside the typical norms of the traditional architecture profession. DANKE was crafted to provide a more exclusive and immersive/hands-on approach to the development of projects than a traditional architecture firm provides in order to enhance the value of our clients’ investments. The firm owners, Dan + Kelly, have owned and developed their own properties in the District and Virginia; so we view things from a client’s perspective: focused on your design + investment goals - as well as the risks.

DANKE understands the value of assisting you throughout the development of your project; from concept design to post occupancy warranty review. We know it is better to bring in an architect as early as possible - even before you sign on the dotted line. DANKE can perform quick review of zoning, easements, or historical restrictions to identify potential development limitations.

Solving Your Design Challenge is Our Passion

Architecture is one of the coolest professions: we get to solve people’s challenges, which are nothing more than complicated puzzles, and make the world a better place by turning sketches of ideas into reality. We selected DANKE (German for ‘thank you’ or ‘much obliged’) as our firm name since it best expresses our gratitude for our clients + cool profession; who wouldn’t want to do this every day?

We are fascinated by the complexities that each project brings, we love solving your puzzle by imagining what’s possible, and we enjoy helping make it all come together. Completing a project can be a complicated rollercoaster, but having a team that provides good counsel + first-hand experience can make it fulfilling and may allow you to have a little fun during the process; this is our passion and why DANKE was founded.

Two men are engaged in a discussion in front of a wall with a large schematic diagram or floor plan taped to it. One man, with dark hair and dressed in a dark jacket, is pointing at the diagram with a pen. The other man, wearing glasses and a gray suit, is facing him with his back to the camera.
A detailed architectural drawing of a multi-story house with a pitched roof, multiple windows, a front porch with stairs, surrounded by trees and a fence.
Interior view of a kitchen with wooden cabinets, a double oven, a refrigerator, and a white countertop with a sink, adjacent to a living area with grey chairs and a coffee table.
Kitchen with white and blue cabinets, stainless steel double oven, and a marble countertop. A vase of yellow flowers and a coffee machine are on the counter, with a red patterned rug on the wooden floor.

Our Areas of Expertise

Horse stables with horses inside, natural light coming through skylights, wooden interior, and a brick aisle.
A view of a bedroom and hallway in a house with wooden floors and white walls, decorated with framed pictures and artwork, with twin beds visible in the bedroom and a small stack of books near the doorway.
Solar panels installed on a rooftop with a cityscape in the background, including trees, buildings, and parked cars.
A series of winery wine barrels on display inside a wine shop or tasting room with wooden ceiling and natural light from windows.
Equestrian
Residential
Sustainable
Non-Residential

What We Stand For

  • curiosity should be the foundation of the design process
    “why” is our favorite question: it guides us in resolving every custom design challenge that our clients bring

  • the design principal you meet, at the outset of the project should be the one to collaborate with you on your project
    DANKE provide clients exclusive access to the principal throughout the life of the project

  • client’s should have an opportunity to be engaged in their design
    DANKE removes the architectural profession’s ‘black box’ + allow clients to be engaged and collaborate with the design team throughout the design process

  • projects are executed efficiently when there is a team mentality
    we understand the outcomes of solving the design puzzle are better when performed as a team; so we want to solve it together with you - not for you

  • sustainability is not just about our future, it is an investment opportunity
    depending on the location + conditions, integrating sustainable systems can reduce long-term o+m costs, and take advantage of incentives available

  • an architectural project is one of the most complex financial + time commitments a client can take on
    having an experienced team in place that listens and understands your perspective helps protect the long-term performance of your investment

  • architecture should be accessible
    so during the design process we identify incentives + financial products that can help make our clients’ goals feasible + become a reality. Sometimes you have to invest in your future to make it a reality

A multi-story wooden house with large windows, a stone chimney, and warm interior lighting, situated among leafless trees in a natural landscape during dusk or early evening.
Boy watering plants in a garden with two girls watching
Close-up of a white horse with a gray mane, in front of a modern metal barn structure with trees in the background.
A digital dashboard displays solar power generation data, showing energy production in kilowatt-hours for various panels on a roof. It includes metrics like power production, today's energy, past 7 days, this month's energy, and lifetime energy, with a graph and timestamp.

Who You Will Collaborate With

A man with glasses and gray hair wearing a blue shirt and gray blazer outdoors among green trees.

Daniel Blair aia, ncarb

FOUNDER + CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Dan, the co-owner + founding principal of DANKE, integrates his background in healthcare, interest in behavioral economics, and enthusiasm for the ability of design to be a positive into the firm’s core values.

Dan has developed two properties for his family: renovated and modernized his DC Wardman Style home and in Arlington built from the ground up a Platinum level home that went through extensive regulation reviews. Both developments contained a income property, sustainable components, and on-site renewables.

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