Sam Edgens, LEED AP
Sam spent his early years in Rome, GA. He graduated from Darlington School and then Attended Georgia Institute of Technology where he received his Undergraduate degree in Architecture. Upon Graduation from Georgia Tech., Sam began work with the 2005 AIA firm of the year, Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback, and Associates in Atlanta, GA.
After several years with TVS, Sam left to pursue his Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Texas in Austin. After receiving his Master’s Degree, Sam returned to Atlanta and began work with another award winning firm, Cooper Carry and Associates. While at Cooper Carry, Sam had the opportunity to design a range of projects, including the new Girl’s dormitories at Darlington School.
In 2005, Sam joined the custom design firm Dungan Nequette Architects to lead their expansion to a new branch office in Highlands, NC. Sam joined Sarah Frances in private practice in 2008.
Sam has a diverse range of experience, from the New Student Learning Center at the University of Georgia to the Terminus High-rise project in Buckhead, GA. From the New Summit School in Cashiers, NC to a large number of custom residences and club facilities. Sam is LEED accredited and brings environmental awareness to all of his projects.
Sarah Frances Herzog AIA
Sarah Frances grew up in the Pacific Northwest and attended the Evergreen State College and the University of Oregon. She then went on to Graduate School at Syracuse University where she held Graduate Teaching Assistantships in the Undergraduate Drawing and Design Studios. She won numerous awards during her tenure, culminating with the Henry Adams AIA Medal of Excellence for Academic Achievement. In 1998 Sarah Frances graduated with highest academic honors from the Architecture Department with a Master’s degree in Architecture.
Upon graduation, Sarah Frances was employed by the prestigious Boston firm of Machado and Silvetti Associates where she worked on projects such as the renovation of the Getty Villa in Brentwood, CA; Atelier 505, the winning competition for, and design and construction of, a Restaurant/Theater/Commercial and Condominium mixed-use project in Boston’s Historic South End; and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts in Salt Lake City. Sarah Frances then joined the Atlanta based firm, Surber Barber Choate and Hertlein where she worked with Rusty Barber and James Choate on numerous custom homes and country club projects throughout the Southeast. She entered private practice in 2003.
Sarah Frances has comprehensive experience in a large variety of building types, including country clubs, mixed use, religious, education, custom residential and residential communities. She is deeply committed to environmental stewardship in all of her projects.
Ian Griffith RA
Ian is a North Carolina native who graduated with a B. Arch from Rice University in 2016.
After graduating, Ian worked on exhibition design in Houston, Texas before moving back to North Carolina to work on commercial office and higher-education projects.
Three years later, Ian would go on to work as a shop hand for a Raleigh-based sculptor, helping to build and install large-scale sculptures of steel and aluminum with integrated dynamic lighting components.
Ian’s experience as a shop hand has led him to pay special attention to constructability, craftsmanship, and detailing. The process of bringing designs from abstract concepts to real-world, concrete constructions that are both expressive and functional is of particular interest to Ian.
Today, Ian lives in Asheville, North Carolina with his girlfriend and two cats. Outside of architecture, Ian enjoys playing both guitar and bass, as well as weightlifting.
Kara Cannon
Kara grew up in West Virginia and obtained her undergraduate education at Fairmont State University. She then went on to receive her Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Kentucky.
Upon graduation, Kara traveled with her husband while continuing to explore her love for design through freelance projects and design competitions.
She has since made Highlands her home and continues to build on her knowledge and love of architecture.
Mike Racioppi
Mike was born and raised in Arizona, and graduated from The University of Arizona in 2022 with a Bachelors of Architecture.
Mike moved to Asheville in mid-2022 to pursue his licensure, as well as experience a new region of the country. Within architecture, Mike enjoys spending time in diving into the details of architecture. Outside of the office, you can find Mike on his bicycle or dirtbike. After a day of riding Mike likes exploring new breweries and restaurants around Asheville.
Sarah Sabiston RA
Sarah is an architect and historian who seeks to understand why and how buildings are built a certain way. Sarah has a particular interest in renovation and enjoys the craft of joining the old and the new finding inspiration in the vernacular structures of the region: farmhouses, brick warehouses, mill works, and barns. These buildings are timeless and their forms are adaptable to passing decades and uses. As an advocate of sustainability, she believes reuse is an important way of incorporating this practice into our everyday lives.
Sarah is a licensed architect and earned graduate degrees in architecture from N.C State School of Design and the College of Environmental Design, UC Berkeley.
She is an avid equestrian and barn rat spending as much time as possible with her horse Brise.