Architecture firm LS3P, whose Wilmington office has designed many notable buildings in the Cape Fear region, has been named Southeast Design Firm of the Year by Engineering News Record (ENR), the firm announced in a news release.
 
In its award story, the industry publication specifically referenced LS3P’s design for elements of Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) near Greenville, South Carolina, demonstrating the firm’s “ability to meet the evolving design needs of regions like upstate South Carolina, which is transforming from a region dependent on textile mills to one fully integrated with the global economy.”

Two of the firm’s major local projects are having a similar transformational effect on Cape Fear Community College, said college spokesman David Hardin. LS3P’s designs for CFCC’s Union Station and Humanities as well as its Fine Arts Center – currently under construction – create attractive spaces that are highly functional and are useful to the community as well as CFCC students, he added.

"It's no surprise to hear LS3P has earned such a prestigious honor. In our experience, the firm has been a great partner in designing several campus facilities that are not only attractive, but serve the many educational needs of our students and the local community,” he said. “The firm is made up of a very professional group of people who have been very diligent in working with the college in our short-term and long-term campus planning goals."

LS3P’s Wilmington office, led by architect Chris Boney, was founded in 1922 by Boney’s grandfather Leslie Boney. Two of Leslie Boney’s other grandsons, Charles and Paul Boney, are actively involved in both design and leadership of the firm, the news release stated. Charleston, South Carolina-based LS3P and Boney Architects merged in 2005.
 
"We are honored to have been selected by Engineering News Record. This is a testament to our commitment to our communities across the Carolinas for many decades," Chris Boney said. "We are fortunate to have had great clients over the years, and grateful for their trust in us.
 
"We try to provide a physical context that matches our clients' vision. We have been lucky to have clients with incredible vision such as Live Oak Bank," he said, citing LS3P's recent design for the bank's Wilmington headquarters (below at left).

"Live Oak wanted everyone to have direct access to the outdoors. Unlike a typical office building in which there are peri-meter windows but many offices are interior, the Live Oak plan is divided down the middle. Every employee has a view of the courtyard. This creates an environment where people enjoy coming to work, which in turn boosts productivity, and hopefully help the bottom line of the company," Boney said.

"Our goal is to design places that are meaningful, will be here for many years, and ultimately leave our communities as better places for our effort."
 
Boney said that the firm's ethic has been handed down from "many great leaders" in its past, such as his father Charlie Boney.

"He and his brothers Leslie and Bill set an example by working hard, listening, hiring good people, and above all 'doing the right thing,'" Boney said. "Charlie set the bar high for us, and told us to never compromise on good design. His legacy is a gift to all of us at LS3P."

In addition to the bank headquarters, LS3P’s significant Wilmington area projects include designs for New Hanover High School, New Hanover Regional Medical Center, UNCW’s Kenan Auditorium, the Cameron Women’s and Children’s Hospital (in association with HDR) and the Wilmington Convention Center.

ENR’s Southeast division provides local, in-depth and comprehensive coverage on heavy, highway, building and industrial construction news in the four-state area of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, the release stated, adding that ENR editors reviewed information from 115 firms nominated for Design Firm of the Year. They evaluated those nominees’ recent projects along with the firms’ sustainability efforts and community outreach initiatives, among other measures.