GuernseyTingle Completes Major Office Expansion and Renovation in James City County

Williamsburg, Virginia – September 27, 2021 – GuernseyTingle announced it has substantially completed a major expansion and renovation of its main office in James City County. The company now occupies the entire first floor of The Design Center at New Town.

GuernseyTingle has grown to become one of the largest architectural firms on the Virginia Peninsula over the course of its 37-year history. The firm takes a highly cooperative approach to relationship building and creative visioning for clients across the U.S., providing full design services including architecture, interiors and planning.

That collaborative approach applies internally as well. While many companies chose to cancel construction or downsize office space during the COVID-19 pandemic, GuernseyTingle moved forward with cost-effective office expansion plans that add space to the work environment. The firm’s leadership believes that in-office interaction is necessary to reinforce the firm’s culture, promote collaboration and mentor staff.

“Technology and flexible work policies have worked well during the pandemic, but we continue to believe that our clients and our colleagues are best served when we come together and create in a well-designed office,” said Thomas G. Tingle, AIA, president of GuernseyTingle. “The expansion of our main office is a key part of our strategic growth, and we look forward to making the Williamsburg area our home base for many more years.”

The firm’s newly expanded office totals over 6,500 square feet of space. It builds on the existing office arrangement and work philosophy which emphasizes a collaborative studio environment. With larger open areas and double the number of break-out workspaces in the new arrangement, team members can more easily distance during group work sessions.

The team-build approach helped GuernseyTingle control its own construction costs and construction duration despite a volatile construction market. The firm contracted with Henderson Inc. months prior to the office build-out, locking down material prices and purchase agreements. This early contracting process also resulted in an onsite construction period of only six weeks, well ahead of the original anticipated schedule. The two companies also worked together on the ground-up construction of The Design Center office building in 2006.

GuernseyTingle currently employs 28 people across the region and expects to grow further over the coming year. It also has staff based in Charlottesville.