EVOKE presents at NOMA national conference.
Edwin and Billy gave a lecture at the 2024 NOMA national conference. The lecture revolved around the vision and design principles used to design Murray-Massenburg Elementary. In the lecture an emphasis was placed on the impact of architecture on learning environments.
Teri Canada inducted into AIA College of Fellows.
In 2024, Teri Canada was inducted into the AIA College of Fellows, the highest honor awarded by the American Institute of Architects, recognizing her exceptional contributions to the field. Throughout her career, Teri has consistently pushed the boundaries of architectural excellence through innovative design, leadership, and a deep commitment to mentorship. Teri's work elevates under-served populations, celebrating them through purposeful, award-winning design. As a Fellow, she remains committed to inspiring the next generation of architects and leading transformative projects that address critical social and environmental challenges. Her induction highlights her leadership at EVOKE and her vision for the future of architecture, advancing the profession by advocating for women, people of color, and disenfranchised communities.
Edwin Harris served as the Keynote Speaker at AIA Charlotte’s first Diverse Design Excellence event. To kick things off, an emerging generation of ambitious architects from Charlotte shared their exciting work and creative practices. After, Edwin delivered a talk about EVOKE's award-winning, community-focused work. The discussion was framed through the lens of the firm’s mechanisms for Place Power.
Thank you to everyone who came out!
Thank you, AIA Triangle, for recognizing Durham Public Schools’s Murray-Massenburg Elementary School with a design award! The school is currently under construction, and we are excited to see it ready to welcome students in the Fall of 2024.
The jurors appreciated the care taken to preserve the natural environment in addition to celebrating that environment through education and architecture. They mentioned the strategic use of color and materiality that speaks to the youthfulness of these spaces.
Founders Edwin Harris and Billy Askey were invited to speak at AIA East Tennessee (ETN) in Knoxville, Tennessee. In the discussion at the Foundry on the Fair Site, they framed the idea of "Place Power" as the guiding light for their practice and describe the mechanisms they employ to create it.
Vershaé Hite, Senior Architect at EVOKE and NC NOMA President, was invited to share her professional experiences as an African American architect by NC State University’s NOMAS chapter. She spoke about “Reimagining Challenges as Opportunities” by presenting as series of life altering decisions and the impact of those decisions on her work in notable architecture firms lead by architects of color. The presentation led to a thought-provoking conversation during the Q&A with NOMAS Students, NCSU College of Design faculty and local practitioners. Thank you to all who were able to make it out!
Edwin Harris was recognized with the 2022 Young Architects Award. This national award honors individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the architecture profession early in their careers. Edwin continues to lead studios as Professional Faculty at the College of Design at NC State University. He guides and encourages his students by example and design dialogues to design to enhance the lives of those who occupy it.
Edwin is “deeply grateful for this honor,” and is excited to see what the future holds.
Teri Canada, EVOKE Founder and Principal was appointed to the 2022 jury for the American Institute of Architects and American Library Association / Library Leadership and Management Association Library Building Awards for the third time. These awards recognize excellent projects that demonstrate design achievement, including a sense of place and purpose, of ecology and environmental sustainability, and of history.
We are thrilled to see Teri’s talent for cultivating and elevating exceptional design get recognized and celebrated.
Congratulations Teri!
EVOKE has been selected to participate in the Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence program. We are excited to work with the selection committee and the Walton Family Foundation to shape and strengthen the community by helping create inclusive public spaces.
The Walton Family Foundation Design Excellence Program is guided by four principles: strengthening public life, elevating standards of sustainability and resiliency, celebrating local culture and place, and building regional capacity. The Design Excellence Program promotes design in the development of public buildings and spaces in Arkansas’ Benton and Washington counties.
We are thrilled to be a part of this program!
Teri Canada, Co-founder and Principal of EVOKE, was invited to give a lecture at the 2022 AIA Arkansas Convention. She shed light onto some early influences and what inspired her to pursue architecture, projects, and her firms work.
Teri advances the architectural profession by continually advocating for women and people of color in architectural practice. She ensures women and people of color continue their journey through architecture by helping them navigate academia and professional practice, and licensure. She has built a design culture at EVOKE that elevates and celebrates underserved communities through meaningful design.
EVOKE was featured in a symposium called “A South Forty: Contemporary Architecture and Design in the American South.” hosted by the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design.
Billy and Edwin went to Arkansas where the events took place. They were welcomed with a farm-to-table meal, tours of Marlon Blackwell’s office, the Fay Jones School, Thaden School, and other architectural landmarks.
EVOKE was selected as the AIA Triangle 2021 Firm of the Year! The award was announced at the annual membership meeting, held this year at Boxyard RTP. Prior to receiving the award, Teri provided a behind-the-scenes look at our design for Beyu Caffe. In presenting the award, AIA Triangle President Albert McDonald said, “I appreciate the work your firm is doing in all aspects of the profession. Keep it up.”
This award highlights firms for their commitment to the advancement of the profession of architecture through mentorship and education. Actively reaching out to and engaging aspiring designers and developing the profession are key practice priorities. We are involved in Diversify Architecture, a non-profit organization focused on improving minority representation in architecture. Teri serves on the board of AIA Triangle and the Durham Arts Council. Edwin and Billy serve as professors of practice in the College of Design at NC State University, and many of our other team members return to NC State to serve as mentors and critics for aspiring architects and designers’ reviews. As Teri said, “We believe that this strong connection to the future generations of designers and to the profession ultimately elevates the field of architecture and strengthens our communities. It is an honor to be recognized for doing what we love.”
Teri Canada and Edwin Harris (NCSU Professor of Practice), both Principals and Co-Founders of EVOKE, were featured in the NC State School of Architecture's “Freelon Lecture Series.” The Freelon lecture series is hosted by the NC State chapter of National Organization of Minority Architect Students (NOMAS) and the North Carolina chapter of National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). Teri and Edwin spoke on their personal connections to Phil Freelon and how his mentorship and support influenced their careers.
Billy, Edwin, and Teri were invited to Clemson University’s Fall Lecture Series titled, Change! Architectural Experiments in a Changing Society. The lecture was titled “Til It’s Done. "An essential edict of their design philosophy is PEOPLE MATTER. Billy, Edwin, and Teri believe that purely pragmatic and engineered solutions for the built environment ignore humanity and place and are unacceptable. They prioritize moving beyond preconceived solutions to craft unique responses which inspire, are wholly appropriate, and specific to each space.
Edwin Harris was selected to be the juror for the AIA South Atlantic Region Design Awards. The recognized projects were those with exceptional architectural achievements.
We are thrilled to announce the completion of “Ever Upward” and “Even Higher” along Trade Street and at Five Points Plaza. A collaboration between artist J. Stacy Utley and us, these sculptures commemorate the rich history of the Historic West End community in Charlotte, NC.
“Even Higher” and “Ever Upward” are the outcome of a sustained collaboration that began with listening to inspiring, meaningful, and heartfelt stories from the community. The sculptural designs represent the fusion of past and present, rooted in history while embracing technology as a means of production. Each perforated backlit panel has a custom design with images of Dorothy Count Scoggins, Biddle Hall, and an artistic interpretation celebrating the legacy of the nearby Excelsior Club.
Thank you for honoring the Lumbee Tribal Welcome Center with the 2021 Aspire Design Award by AIA South Atlantic!
The Lumbee Tribal Welcome Center, rooted in the Lumbee Tribe’s needs and the surrounding area, merges a restaurant, craft and farmers’ market, and a fueling station under one roof. The Center serves as a new gateway for the Lumbee Tribe and the town of Pembroke, North Carolina.
We were thrilled to see the North Carolina Central University Collaborative Research & Learning Center (CRLC) get published in the Architect Magazine! This new center is to be a gateway into the university and true beacon for innovation for its students. The new center will serve as a bridge for students living off campus, the CRLC will open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to offer students access to resources where their learning can soar. The Center includes “state of the art” technology empowering students to innovate, while also offering quiet spaces to study.
The Mary Potter Academy was founded in Oxford, North Carolina by Dr. George Shaw in 1888 as a boarding school for African American children. Historically, the school was the epicenter for the black community during the Jim Crow and segregation periods, providing a nurturing, communal environment, generating a strong black middle class, and serving as the incubator for many black leaders. Starting with desegregation in the 1970s, the campus gradually eroded and dwindled as resources, funding, faculty, and students were pulled to other schools. By the 21st century, only three buildings—each in various stages of disrepair—from the original campus remained.
This was an exhibition on Contemporary Architecture and Design in the American South, alongside the 2021 Venice Biennale. This exhibition was displayed in the Great Hall at Palazzo Mora facing the canal. A SOUTH FORTY was curated and organized by the Fay Jones School of Architecture + Design at the University of Arkansas and Modus Studio.
A SOUTH FORTY invited EVOKE to be highlighted in their exhibit to exemplify the vitality of contemporary architecture and design in the American South within the last generation (from 1990 forward). Included in this exhibit were boards with illustrations of our work and a statement framing our practice.
The exhibit stitched together the work of leading firms spanning the American South, ranging from North Carolina to Texas.
The new ArtsCenter in Carrboro, North Carolina got its Conditional Use Permit approved at a town council meeting this past March.
This celebrated milestone puts us one step closer to building their new home equipped with the program to serve the high demand and wide variety of classes they provide. The new ArtsCenter is designed to be a new home that broadcasts the ArtsCenter’s values of inclusivity, access, sustainability, and an embraces traditional and non-traditional arts.
We are honored that the National Mary Potter Club is getting the recognition of the 2021 Progressive Architecture Award (PA). The PA Awards honor projects across the globe that exemplify progress by using design to draw connections between individual users and the communities around them.
Teri Canada, EVOKE Co-founder and Principal was appointed to the 2021 jury for the American Institute of Architects and American Library Association /Library Leadership and Management Association Library Building Awards. These awards are highly competitive, as submissions are open to any architect licensed in the United States.
EVOKE Co-founder and Principal Edwin Harris is recognized by the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) for his integrated planning and design. Designing for higher education takes thorough planning and communication, continuous advancement of learning, and a tremendous amount of imagination to think to the future and envision what types of changes the building will be faced with and ultimately, how it will need to adapt. We are thrilled to see Edwin nominated to the Society for College and University Planning Excellence.
Teri Joins the Board of Directors of AIA Triangle for 2021. Teri is a fervent advocate for exceptional architectural design within each community she has served. For over 24 years, Teri has thoughtfully and efficiently guided award-winning projects from pre-design through construction administration. As a founding Principal and Project Manager at EVOKE, she carefully guides key stakeholders through the development of esteemed projects for their communities by crafting a unique design process for each of her clients. For Teri, coupling her ability to communicate design ideas with meaningful community engagement is essential to her role in the design process.
Edwin Harris, EVOKE Co-founder and Principal is awarded and recognized with the 40 Under 40 Award from the Triangle Business Journal. The award recognizes professional individuals who continually push the boundaries of their profession and challenge their methods by introducing new ways of thinking and doing.
Billy Askey and Edwin Harris were selected to be jurors for the AIA South Carolina Design and Chapter Awards. “It was nice to see work from another place, particularly during a pandemic when we are not traveling,” Billy said. Projects and teams were recognized for exceptional architectural achievements. The deliberations started off with each juror independently reviewing the submissions. After that, everyone remotely convened to discuss the projects and decided on who to recognize with awards.
EVOKE is honored to be recognized by the American Institute of Architects North Carolina with the 2020 Merit Award. This high honor acknowledges and recognizes exceptional design of AIA members in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area.
North Carolina Central University Broadcast Studio Renovation has been recognized by the National Organization of Minority Architects with a design award from the National Organization of Minority Architects. The design awards are named in honor of the late Phil Freelon, the architect who had tremendous influence on Teri, Billy, and Edwin’s architecture careers: all who worked with Phil at The Freelon Group.
Teri Canada, EVOKE Co-founder and Principal was recognized with the 2020 Leaders in Diversity Award. She was awarded for being a fervent advocate for exceptional architectural design within each community she has served. For over 20 years, Teri has thoughtfully and efficiently guided award-winning projects from pre-design through construction administration. As a founding Principal and Project Manager at EVOKE, she carefully guides key stakeholders through the development of esteemed projects for their communities by crafting a unique design process for each of her clients. For Teri, coupling her ability to communicate design ideas with meaningful community engagement is essential to her role in the design process.
Edwin Harris, EVOKE Co-founder and Principal was selected to be a juror for the 2020 AIA Detroit Building Awards.
“We saw some exciting work, which made for an engaging and inspiring process,” Edwin said. The deliberation process began with the individual jurors reviewing the submissions and concluded with all of the jurors meeting to discuss which projects should be recognized with awards. Through much thought and deliberation decided which projects in Detroit received design recognition for 2020.
EVOKE Co-founder and Principal Edwin Harris was interviewed by commARCH to discuss his passion for architecture, current work, and insights about the field and firm.
Pettigrew State Park Visitor Center has been recognized with the Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects South Atlantic Region. This highly-sought-after award recognizes a broad range of architecture activity that improves the quality of the built environment in the communities we serve. Specifically, the South Atlantic Region includes all the chapters in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
EVOKE Co-founders and Principals Teri Canada and Edwin Harris are selected to be interviewed by the Architect Magazine to discuss change in the architecture field to achieve an equitable profession. From the ways they practice, to the ways they engage the community and teach, Teri and Edwin actively partake in bringing about change to work towards a more equitable profession.
The RTP180 is a monthly event with different topics. This month Edwin Harris was featured to discuss the topic of architecture. Aside what many people think, this forum provided a multidimensional view of what architecture has the ability to do and different aspects it aims to impact. One of these intangible assets that architecture affects is opportunity. This might mean a community center that allows young students to write their college essays outside of school hours, or a library that holds a makerspace with 3D printers for people to test out their inventions. In Edwin’s words,” IF a space gives people an opportunity, then the space has done its job.”
The jury led by Todd Walker FAIA, of Archimania recognized the Rogallo Museum of Low-Speed Flight with an American Institute of Architects (AIA) Triangle Merit Award. AIA Triangle Design Awards encourage and recognize exceptional design in the field of architecture and executed by members of AIA Triangle.
EVOKE Co-founder and Principal Teri Canada was recognized with the 2020 Evolving Women in AEC Award for her exceptional ability to create and lead award-winning design projects. Teri has served as a fervent advocate for extraordinary architecture by thoughtfully and efficiently guiding award-winning projects for over 24 years. She is an insightful mentor to young ARCHITECTS AND continues to share her knowledge by giving tours and holding meetings with aspiring designers. Her ability to communicate design ideas and lead meaningful community engagement leads to thoughtful and successful design.
EVOKE Co-founder and Principal Billy Askey was recognized with the 2019 AIA North Carolina Emerging Professional Award at the state’s annual Design and Chapter Awards ceremony in Wilmington, NC. The recognition is awarded to an individual that demonstrates noteworthy achievements and contributions to architectural design, the profession, architectural education, betterment of the local community, and nurturing and mentoring the next generation of architects.
The newly renovated NCCU Broadcast TV Studio officially opened on April 23, 2019, with a ceremony that filled the lobby of the Farrison-Newton Communications Building. The occasion was marked with words from NCCU’s chancellor Dr. Johnson O. Akinleye and other faculty and staff involved with the project. The TV Studio was celebrated for its new state-of-the-art technology, dramatic impactful design, and positive effect on the University for future growth and leadership in this field.
Chancellor Akinleye, whose background includes a master’s in media technology making him particularly interested in the scope of this project, proudly noted that “NCCU’s new television studio signals a shift in the way we will prepare our students who seek to become trained, job-ready, award-winning journalists.”
EVOKE recently welcomed over forty girls from Farmville Middle School in Pitt County into our office for an introduction to architecture, design activities, and a local tour. All of the participants are members of a program called ‘OWLS’ [Occupations Women Likely Skip] created at the school. The OWLS program allows girls who otherwise might not be exposed to STEM concepts and career options to explore and consider whether these fields interest them. The students had selected architecture as one of the top careers they wanted to investigate, and we were happy to speak with them about what we do.
At the 2019 AIA Triangle Design Awards, EVOKE was thrilled to be recognized with a Merit Award for the Pettigrew State Park Visitor Center project! This unbuilt project —a modern presentation of the traditional Southern porch—has been in the works since mid-2018 and once complete will provide a new visitor center for Lake Phelps and Somerset Place in Creswell, NC. We look forward to continuing to work with the NC Division of Parks and Recreation to complete this project successfully!
EVOKE Co-founder and Principal Teri Canada used her platform to talk about her philosophy for inclusivity and inspirations early on in her life to the Creative Mornings RDU audience at Raleigh’s CAM. In her presentation, she described the people, projects, and other influences that contributed to her approach to design. Her mother, children, Architect Phil Freelon, father’s construction business, and numerous homes during her childhood shaped the way she views the power of space.
At the 2018 Fall Membership Meeting of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Triangle Chapter, Brittany Eaker-Kirkland received the chapter’s Volunteer of the Year Award “in recognition of [her] outstanding dedication and commitment to furthering the goals of AIA Triangle.” Brittany’s skill and passion for enhancing her community via exceptional service, leadership, and advocacy are consistently evident as she regularly and selflessly dedicates her time to several critical practice areas. Within the last year alone, Brittany has co-chaired the Women In Architecture Task Force, guided the next class of emerging design leaders by facilitating the AIAT Leadership Forum, and organized the Women in Architecture Summer Networking Brunch.
EVOKE Studio Architecture has been selected as the designer for the renovation of the Broadcast TV Studio at North Carolina Central University (NCCU).
NCCU’s TV Studio is a vital educational component of the Department of Mass Communication, helping to “to train students in the professional world of visual broadcast production.” To better fulfill its mission, the TV Studio renovation aims to create a more robust, flexible, and TECHNOLOGICALLY PROGRESSIVE studio environment.
Phil Freelon FAIA touts Edwin Harris and Evoke as emerging designers to watch.
In an interview with Architectural Digest's Nick Mafi, renowned architect Phil Freelon, FAIA specifically touted Edwin Harris and EVOKE as rising stars in the design world.
"AD: Are there any young black architects we should keep our eye on?
PF: Edwin Harris is an architect who used to work with me at my firm before venturing off into his own sphere. Keep your eye open for him and his colleagues because they are a supremely talented group who will be making some serious noise here in the not-so-distant future."
Read the article here.
“New architecture firm EVOKE Studio Architecture hosted its grand opening at 401 Foster St. in May. Formerly of Perkins+Will, EVOKE team members Teri Canada, Billy Askey, and Edwin Harris mingled with new neighbors and clients, shared various past and present projects, and gave remarks alongside Mayor Bill Bell.”
Durham Magazine June/July 2017 by Triangle Media Partners - Issuu
EVOKE Studio Architecture was recently selected as the architect for two projects through the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation. The firm will design the new Visitor Center at Pettigrew State Park and the renovations and addition to the Jockey’s Ridge State Park Visitor Center. “Our state parks exhibit the rich environmental diversity and natural wonder that make North Carolina such a desirable place to live and visit,” said Edwin Harris, Principal at EVOKE. “We are excited to work with the teams at each state park and apply our design expertise to create dynamic spaces worthy of their incredible surroundings.”
Ever mindful of the pivotal, career-shaping roles that several mentors played in lives of EVOKE's principals, the firm welcomed the next generation of designers into their studio to provide an in-depth look at the profession.
Members of the Koinonia Christian Center Church made the trip to EVOKE from Greenville, North Carolina. During their visit, Managing Principal Teri Canada explained the creative possibilities that the architecture profession presents. The youth toured the studio, looking at EVOKE's visual design process, including renderings, models, and a hands-on demonstration with the 3D-printer by Billy Askey.