Case Study: Division1 Architects achieves award‑winning distinctive design with VectorWorks

Distinctive Design That Matters

Division1 Architects, founded in Washington, DC in 1994 by Ali Reza Honarkar, set out to challenge the city’s conservative, often predictable design culture. The firm needed to deliver bold, contemporary architecture across a wide range of project types—single- and multi-family housing, hospitality, retail and branding—while respecting neighborhood context, client goals and frequent site or sustainability constraints.

Division1 answers that challenge with a material-forward, experimental design process, tight collaboration and digital tools (Vectorworks) to produce fully detailed documents from concept to construction. Signature projects—like The Lacey, a 26‑unit condominium that helped revitalize U Street and won a 2012 RADA award, and the sustainably retrofitted Church Street home that secured DC’s first residential graywater permit and a challenging geothermal install—demonstrate the firm’s impact: award-winning, context-sensitive work, a diverse portfolio, and measurable sustainable outcomes.

Division1 Architects

Ali Reza Honarkar

Co-founder