Growing, Stretching + Moving Forward
by David Keith, FAIA, CEO
We often describe ourselves as a firm that knows how to stretch. This isn’t just about expanding our portfolio or capabilities. It's about continuously pushing the boundaries of what design can do for our clients, our communities, and our people.
With roots in higher education design and planning, we have learned the essential value of deep engagement, rigorous analysis, thoughtful strategy, and commitment to each project’s long-term resilience. We’ve worked side-by-side with our client partners to co-create iconic institutional landmarks, campus master plans and facility programs, learning together that spaces, and their success, are defined not only by function or by beauty, but by the people, culture, and aspirations that inhabit them. This recognition motivates us to understand first, before we draw a line on paper.
No two projects are the same. Each client, every site, every community has a unique personality, challenges, and goals. We look deeply and listen carefully to understand the story and ultimately design solutions that respond to those unique conditions. Our work balances boldness with pragmatism: forward-thinking, distinct, striking and engaging, yet technically sound, operationally efficient, and aligned with client objectives.
Since 1979, Hanbury has grown organically through people with strong relationships and exceptional talent. Participation and personal accountability have always been in our DNA, and today we’re 100% employee-owned with an ESOP program that offers every team member a stake in the firm’s success. We’ve always been motivated. Now each of us shares in the fruits of our labor, and the hard work we put in to deliver excellence and help the firm grow and flourish. We also share responsibility to deliver on each promise we make to our clients.
Our culture is deeply collaborative. We include a wide cross-section of experiences and voices. Planners, designers, architects, and strategists work together to solve complex problems. Curiosity and experimentation are encouraged, but never at the expense of rigor or feasibility. We push the boundaries of what’s possible while staying rooted in what’s indispensable.
Our mission is simple: to lift people, institutions, and communities up through design. Achieving that requires bold thinking, grounded execution, and an unwavering commitment to the people we serve. We believe the buildings, places, and ideas that are loved and that endure matter.
Going forward, we will continue to grow, stretch, and expand our people and our expertise while magnifying our impact across the sciences, campuses, civic spaces, and beyond. Our belief that design can transform lives remains at the heart of everything we do. Every day is an opportunity to learn, collaborate, and push ourselves further. Because for us, growing and stretching is the Hanbury way.
