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Company Profile
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Knight Architects, Inc. (KAI) is an Atlanta, Georgia-based architectural firm. KAI is a Small, Woman-Owned Business, with
five architects (3 registered architects). Our firm has been in business in DeKalb County, GA for twenty-four years. The
Company has completed projects in 15 US states, South Korea, Afghanistan, Europe and the Middle East. Company was
founded in 1996 by Lourdes and Joseph Knight. KAI is a full service design firm providing services for State and Federal
Government, the private and public sectors, with an emphasis on producing financially and aesthetically successful projects.
The majority of our design work has been completed under multi-year A-E contracts for the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the US Army Corps of Engineers, Grady Health Systems and Georgia Board of Regents.
MISSION AND CORE VALUES

Every project we design will receive the highest level of care we have to offer, will exhibit the pride we take in our work and
the high regard we have for the clients who make our practice possible.
Our Values:
• Respect - We respect and value our clients, co-workers and partners.
• Integrity - We are committed to doing the right things for the right reasons.
• Quality - We strive to do things right the first time. Rework is not profitable for the client or us.
• Continuous Improvement - We aspire to the consistent use of effective communication methods, problem solving abilities
and improvement of our design processes.
• Creativity - We encourage intellectual curiosity, honesty, and growth.
By keeping these values in sight as we conduct every aspect of our business, we can be sure to treat others as we would like
to be treated; pursue only those business opportunities that will supoort these values; and promote relationships and
partnerships that will withstand the highest public scrutiny and ethical review. These values serve as a touchstone for our
firm in our business endeavors.
KEY DIFFERENTIATORS

• Leadership with over 40 years of experience in architecture, concept design, visualization, master planning and interior
design.
• Qualified small business delivering best-in-industry solutions.
• Exceptional references and long track record of indefinite delivery contracts illustrating strong Quality Control standards.
• Best, tried and tested partnerships with leaders in engineering, planning and other industries, enabling KAI to offer a full
range of A-E, planning and urban design services.
• Deeply experienced resource pool including in-house staff and consultant experts.
BUSINESS STATUS
Knight Architects, Inc. is a Minority Business Enterprise (certified in DeKalb County, GA and Los Angeles, CA). In addition, KAI
is a Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB). Click on the links to view the following certification letters:
• Minority Business Enterprise (MBE)
• Woman Business Enterprice (WBE)
• Woman and/or Minority-Owned Business (WMBE)
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICIES
Knight Architects, Inc. follows strict non-discrimination policies, which are integrated into our Employee Handbook. Non-
discrimination policy is one of our company’s Core Values. No discrimination of any kind
relative to a person’s race, gender, national origin, or religious background is allowed in any area of decision-making or
policy. As far as Affirmative Action Policies, while we do not have an active system for promoting minorities within Knight
Architects, it should be noted that the president of KAI is a Cuban-American woman.
BUSINESS DATA
• Legal Structure: Subchapter S Corporation
• Year Established: 1996
• Business Type: Service (100%)
• DUNS: 957721822
• CAGE Code: 1YL49
• GSA Number: XXXX
• SBA: 8a, WOSB, SDB
• Professional Liability Insurance: Insurance Office of America # RDP0038326
• Business Liability Insurance: PointeNorth Insurance Group # 20 SBA NU1586
• Number of Personnel: 6 (Registered Architects: 3)
• State Registrations: AL, FL, MA, NC, OK, SC, TX, VA
NAICS CODES

• 236220 - Commercial and Institutional Building Construction

• 541310 - Architectural Services
• 541310 - Drafting Services
• 541320 - Urban Planning Services
• 541410 - Interior Design Services
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History
1980s-90s

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2021
In the 1980s and ‘90s, both Joe and Lourdes Knight had worked for a number of years at Rosser International, an Atlanta A-E
firm. Lourdes Knight was also the Design Architect for seven years at Marshall Erdman & Assoc., where she focused on
Health Care design.
Knight Architects, Inc. (KAI) was founded by Lourdes B. Knight, AIA, and Joseph C. Knight, AIA.

When we started KAI in 1996, the primary focus was on architectural illustration and design assistance to other A-E firms.
Joe Knight is an award-winning illustrator, and his hand sketches and renderings are immensely helpful in communicating
design concepts to project stakeholders throughout the design process. The firm began taking on small healthcare projects
that Marshall Erdman passed along to Lourdes and Joe.

The firm began taking on Federal military projects from the US Army Corps of Engineers. Eventually, KAI established their
niche market in the Federal marketplace, and have been awarded 14 Design Task Order Contracts totaling over $50 million
in fees.
The firm receives its first commision for a Military Standard Design from the US Army Corps of Engineers. KAI went on to
complete more than a dozen such Standard Designs to date.
The firm grows to 10 people in size.
The firm receives its first commision from the Georgia Board of Regents.

KAI completes their first international project in South Korea for the US Army Corps of Engineers. They completed several
projects in Afghanistan in 2013 for the Afghanistan MoD and Presidential Palace under the sponsorship of the US
Government.
The firm receives its first commision from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The firm receives its first commision from Grady Health Systems.
KAI emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic with a new business model and philosophy, operating largely from home and
maintaining a small office for Client meetings and essential personnel gatherings.
Opis sta staviti ovdje:

Slike oba vlasnika.

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Services & Competencies
SERVICES

The Knight Architects practice includes master planning, space planning and full service design for projects of all sizes. Main
project types include ambulatory surgery centers, medical office buildings, corporate office buildings, retail stores, football
practice facilities and federal projects, but our experience includes many other project types.
CORE COMPETENCIES

FULL DESIGN ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES - KAI has extensive experience in providing full scope of architectural design
services starting from pre-design services, programming, concept design, schematic design, to design development and
construction documents. We have completed more than two hundred design projects. We have mastered the art of
concept design providing numerous prototype designs to the U.S. military. KAI additionally provides construction phase
design support (RFIs).

CHARRETTES - KAI’s has broad experience in conducting and completing project design charrettes. We have conducted more
than forty Design Charrettes for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers throughout the US. Our methodology includes extensive
project research, development of a programming questionnaire prior to the
charrette, and focus on creative design and consensus-building during the course of the design charrette. Our visualization
and digital presentation abilities are key to our successful design charrette process.

INTERIOR DESIGN - KAI has extensive military Interior Design experience over the past 25 years. We have designed projects
in CONUS and abroad. KAI provided structural interior design and FFE for the flagship MoD
and PICC projects in Kabul for the Government of Afghanistan in support of the U.S. Government. The tasks
included extensive coordination to include requirements of multi-level organizations. KAI is also experienced in healthcare
and private sector work.

MASTER PLANNING - KAI has extensive military Master Planning experience over many years. We have designed major
barracks projects throughout CONUS, and have developed master plans totaling over $500 million in
construction value. Projects components include Requirements Analyses, Options Development, Area Development Plans,
Facility Design Development, Public Realm Design, Signage and Wayfinding.

VALUE ENGINEERING - Knight Architects has held two design services contracts to provide Value Engineering Services for
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. We have completed more than sixty VE Studies. These studies, on projects with
construction value totaling over $1.27 billion, resulted in $76.7 million in savings. The fees our team was paid to complete
these studies compared to the savings realized on the projects resulted in a 3600%
return on investment for the Client.

DESIGN REVIEW - Knight Architects has prepared Design/ Build RFPs for ten projects for the US Army Corps of Engineers. On
each of these projects, we were required to extensively review the designs submitted by proposers during the proposal
phase. In addition, each of our architects has significant experience with peer review for architectural projects completed by
other architects within the firm.
CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION - Knight Architects has completed Construction Contract Administration on
more than seventy multi-disciplined projects over the past twenty years. These projects
include:
• The University of Georgia: 1 project
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: 43 projects
• Grady Health Systems: Atlanta: 11 projects
• GA Tech Research Institute & GA Tech: 17 projects
• Private Sector & AT&T: 16 projects

VISUALIZATION - Joe Knight is an award-winning illustrator, and his hand sketches and renderings are
immensely helpful in communicating design concepts to project stakeholders throughout the design process. KAI can
provide visualization services in form of rendering and sketches to our Clients as a part of overall project service or as
separate service. Digital 3D visualization and modeling complete our visualization services offer.

SUSTAINABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES - Sustainable design is central to what we do, primarily because one of our major
clients requires minimum LEED Silver certifiable design on every new building we design. We have completed over 20
projects designed to meet LEED Silver certification.
OTHER COMPETENCIES

Project Management | Federal, State and Local Government Services | Military Design | Anti-Terrorism/Force
Protection | Medical Facilities Design | Sports Facilities Design | Educational Facilities Design | Space
Planning/Space Utilization Studies | Pre-design Services | Scope of Work Development | Programming, Conceptual
and Schematic Design | Existing Facility Analysis | New Projects and Renovations | Owner Support | Construction
Design Support Services (RFIs) | Office Design | Retail Design | Mixed-Use Design | Institutional Facilities Design |
Industrial Facilities Design | Requests for Proposal (RFP) Development and Contract/Bid Preparation | Value
Engineering | LEED and Sustainability Strategy | BIM Design Documents in Bentley Architecture V8i and Revit | Digital
3D Visualization and Modeling | Task Order Management | Cost Estimating | Commissioning and Commissioning
Support Services | Assistance with Permitting Process | Preparation of Permit Sets | Field Inspections and Reports
CAPABILITIES STATEMENT
Downoload Knight Architects'
Capabilities Statement here.
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Design Process
DESIGN PROCESS CHART

The design process we employ generally includes the following steps:

• Defining the design problem.
• Collecting required information.
• Brainstormin and analyzing ideas.
• Developing solutions.
• Presenting and receiving feedback.
• IMproving the design.
The last four steps can have several iterrations in a collaborative, multi-discipline process until the final design solution is
agreed upon and perfected.
Insert flow chart. -->
QUALITY

Everything that leaves our office is an example of the quality our firm delivers. KAI’s commitment to quality focuses on
continuous review, audit and process-improvement throughout the design process. This QC focus is the responsibility of all
design team members and is documented in the Design Quality Management Plan (DQMP), a proprietary and essential tool
in our history of success in developing the highest quality design product. The DQMP states how quality control will be
executed for the project, specifically listing the party responsible for the independent technical review of each disciplines'
work product, and is updated throughout the course of the project. While matters such as scope, team member information
and Design Checklists often remain the same, schedule, budget and design information are updated often.
PUBLIC SAFETY

Every project we design includes a comprehensive Code review, as well as a study concerning the health, safety and welfare
of the project’s occupants. While many of these items deal with life safety issues, our design team goes beyond the
standard protocols that are required by the majority of jurisdictions. We continually educate with focus on Health, Safety,
and Welfare. We always strive to create spaces that are not only safe physically, but also provide a psychological haven for
the users through the use of natural lighting and interior finishes.
ACCESSIBILITY

Over 90% of the projects we have designed and constructed have been for public institutions such as the GA Board of
Regents, the Department of Defense, the CDC and Grady Health Systems. Most of the DoD projects and all of our other
public projects require compliance with ADA Accessibility Guidelines. In Georgia, we have designed two ambulatory surgery
centers that are particularly critical with regard to accessibility requirements.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

One of the benefits of our experience with Department of Defense work is that the DoD has focused on
sustainability and energy efficient design for over twenty years. We have implemented sustainable principles into our
projects since the early 1990’s. Since 2008, when the USACE adopted requirements that all new facilities be designed to
achieve LEED Silver Certification, we have designed over 20 projects to these standards. Two of our Architects are LEED
Accredited Professionals, and they lead the design teams in creating and implementing a sustainable design strategy
throughout design and construction.
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People
Lourdes B. Knight, AIA - President
Email - lknight@knightarchs.com

Education:
Bachelor of Science 1983,
Masters of Architecture 1985,
Georgia Institute of Technology
Studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, 1982-83
Summer Master's program Cambridge England, 1985
Registered Architect: GA, NCARB
Professional Associations: AIA
Architectural/KAI Experience: 36/25 years

Ms. Knight has more than 36 years of architectural and interior design experience. She co-founded Knight Architects, Inc.
(KAI) with her husband and fellow architect Joe Knight in 1996. Prior to this Ms. Knight was a Design Architect for a
prestigious national healthcare Design-Build firm. She has built on the foundation in Health Care design with her extensive
work with Grady Health Systems of Atlanta. She has a hands-on design approach and a passion for working closely with her
clients to develop practical solutions to their needs while enhancing their built environment.

Ms. Knight is a gifted designer, space programmer and planner. As President of KAI, in addition to leading the firm, she
manages all of our Health Care and Interior Design Projects. Whether for a new design or a renovation, she excels at
accurately assessing a client's needs and developing aesthetically creative, budget-conscious design solutions.

Ms. Knight was born in Havana, Cuba and grew up in Miami, Florida where she graduated from High School. She moved to
Atlanta in 1979 to attend Georgia Tech where she received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees. Her time spent
studying architecture abroad in the Georgia Tech Paris Program gave her a keen appreciation for beauty, proportion and
aesthetics as well as a passion for travel. She and her husband Joe have two sons. Both are in college; one son is pursuing a
degree in architecture. The family enjoys traveling together in Europe and South America.
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People
Joseph C. Knight, AIA, AVS - Vice President
Email - jknight@knightarchs.com

Education:
Bachelor of Science in Architecture 1980,
Georgia Institute of Technology
Registered Architect: GA, MA, NC, OK, SC, VA, NCARB
Professional Associations: AIA
Associate Value Specialist (AVS)
Architectural/KAI Experience: 41/25 years

Mr. Knight has more than 40 years of architectural experience developing projects for clients in the private, public and
Federal government sectors. In 1996 he co-founded Knight Architects, Inc. (KAI) with Lourdes Knight. In the first year of the
company's formation, Mr. Knight used his exceptional skills as a designer and creator of hand drawings/sketches to provide
architectural illustrations and schematic design studies for clients throughout the United States. His expertise was nationally
recognized in 1997 when KAI won the Award for Excellence from the American Society of Architectural Perspectivists
(ASAP).

Mr. Knight has led in the design of projects for private sector medical facilities, the Georgia Board of Regents, and the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers. In 2002, the firm won the prestigious U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Architectural Excellence Award
for work performed for the South Atlantic Division of the U.S. Army Corps.

His career experiences coupled with his personal commitment to continous improvement, both technically and creatively,
have resulted in Mr. Knight's development of outstanding strengths in Project Quality Control and Management.
 FIRM
People
Jeff Whittemore, AIA, LEED AP
Email - jwhittemore@knightarchs.com

Education:
Bachelor of Architecture 1996, Southern Polytechnic State University
Registered Architect: GA, FL, NC, NCARB
Professional Associations: AIA
LEED AP
Architectural/KAI Experience: 25/14 years

Mr. Whittemore has more than 25 years of architectural experience developing projects for public and private sector clients.
He joined Knight Architects, Inc. (KAI) in 2002. Prior to this he served as the architectural studio director for a large national
firm.

Mr. Whittemore is extremely creative and is regarded as one of KAI's top designers. He is also a Senior Project Manager. His
project management and design experience includes: Multi-family Residential, Senior Living Facilties, Educational, and
Medical. In addition he has completed several U.S. Corps of Engineer projects, including the replacement of a public safety
facility, construction of a new dining facility, and renovation of a military entrance processing station.

Most recently Mr. Whittemore took on the responsibility of working with KAI's first international customer. He worked on a
communications center project at a U.S. Army Base in South Korea, working directly with a local Korean A-E team on the
design and construction documents for this facility. Mr. Whittemore is proficient in the following design programs: Bentley
Microstation and BIM, as well as AutoDesk AutoCAD and REVIT.
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People
Raqib Bismill - Urban Planner, CADD Technician
Email - rbismill@knightarchs.com

Education:
Bachelor of Science in Architecture 2008, Kabul Polytechnic University
Master of Urban Planning 2014, University of Birmingham, UK
Professional Associations: AIA
Architectural/KAI Experience: 13/4 years

Mr. Bismill has extensive experience supporting the U.S. Government in Afghanistan, where he provided master planning,
architectural and interior design services on a variety of high profile projects. His versatile talent and
high productivity have been key factors in Knight Architect’s success in the past 3 years.
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People
Nino Spahic - Urban Planner, Urban Designer
Email - nspahic@knightarchs.com

Education:
Bachelor of Architecture 2000, Southern Polytechnic State University,
Professional Associations: AIA
Architectural/KAI Experience: 21/9 years

Mr. Spahic has recently rejoined Knight Architects after an international stint with two multi‐national A‐E firms. He has
worked in Afghanistan supporting the U.S. Government and in Dubai, UAE where he engaged in public realm and active
mobility modes improvements. His creativity and eye for detail have laid the foundation for the success of projects with
international public and private sector clients and with Knight Architects. Mr. Spahic champions the use of digital
visualization media in company’s work.