Andy Goolsby, AIA

Andy Goolsby, AIA 

Goolsby is a partner at withArchitecutre, the Durham, North Carolina-based firm he joined in 2012. Over a decade, he rose from intern to firm leadership as he created environments for groups eager to combine efforts and resources to make inspiring shared spaces. In each project, he presents his clients with opportunities to enhance their built environments despite tight budgets, ambitious goals, and individual needs.

His prowess is evident in projects like the innovative shelter he created for the Girl Scouts’ Camp Graham in Henderson, North Carolina. Drawing inspiration from treehouses to evoke a sense of adventure and delight, Goolsby designed an elevated walkway that connects cabins and the troop house with a central gathering space that offers everyone an experience in the trees. The 36-person camp now provides an imaginative setting for the hundreds of scouts who visit each year while also advancing the Girl Scouts’ mission.

In Durham, Goolsby helped rally 23 households that pooled their resources to create a cohousing community on a 0.26-acre urban lot. The resulting Bull City Commons offers four affordable residencies, the cost of which is offset by the other 19 units. Last summer, 50 people toured the project through the Cohousing Association of America as a prime example of co-living accomplished with limited means.

Goolsby is an eager mentor in and outside his studio, working with young professionals and students being introduced to design for the first time. AIA Triangle’s Leadership Forum has tapped him as a knowledgeable resource for emerging professionals, inviting him to speak at several kick-off events in recent years. He also hosts a multiweek workplaces studio in which middle and high school students can explore design. In 2022, he co-developed a partnership that includes Student U, a nonprofit seeking to diversify the profession, in his studio.

Goolsby’s reach extends into the community through his role on Durham’s Historic Preservation Commission, including serving as its chair last year. In its monthly meetings, he strives to maintain the city’s sense of place, balancing its history with the needs spurred by rapid growth. His leadership has emphasized the city’s historic places, highlighting their importance both culturally and architecturally.

Over his career, Goolsby has taken the role of citizen architect seriously and drives his practice to support the neighborhoods and communities it operates in. For Goolsby, beautiful design is not the end goal. He endeavors to inspire the people who will engage with the spaces he shapes.