Dangerous Architects Brings Hands On Approach to Business

Rachel Rogers, Marketing Manager for Dangerous Architects, said the business started in 1994 after owner Scott McElrath decided to start his own business.

"I wanted to get as diverse a background as possible, I gained a lot of experience with a variety of different building types and many different construction types, and thought I would put all of that information together to start my own firm," McElrath said.

Rogers recently submitted information about her business through Patch's Business Shout Out. If you have a business and want to participate in Patch's Small Business Shout Out you can fill out the form here.

How did your business come to be?: Scott founded Dangerous Architects in 1994 after working for a variety of firms, including offices in Scotland, Kansas City, Greenwich and Traverse City. “I wanted to get as diverse a background as possible, I gained a lot of experience with a variety of different building types and many different construction types, and thought I would put all of that information together to start my own firm," McElrath said.

What kind of services do you offer?: Architectural design. Approximately 60 percent of the firm’s business is residential architecture, with commercial architecture and institutional projects making up the balance. We consult with an excellent group of civil, structural, mechanical, and electrical engineers, for projects that require such specialized knowledge. We hire the same engineers repeatedly and have great working relationships with them. With the aid of our consultants, we offer full architectural/engineering services for projects with construction costs of up to $10M.

What's a fact about your business that most customers probably don't know?: More requests are coming in for green architecture, such as highly insulated walls and thermal envelopes in addition to geothermal and solar heating products. Multigenerational housing is another trend on the uptick.

What do you want your business to be best known for?: We listen closely to what clients describe. On the residential side, some clients want an addition to appear as if it’s always been there, while others want it to look purposely different and make a contemporary statement. We really get into exploring the art of manipulating common materials to the best of their ability. We like to explore how natural materials like wood and stone can work together to complement projects. We try to shy away from stereotypical vinyl-sided boxes.

What's your most popular product or service?: We’re getting more and more projects where mom and dad are preparing for grandma or grandpa to move in, where we design for barrier-free, accessible accommodations. On the commercial side, adaptive reuse – taking an older building and renovating it for a new purpose – is a growing area of specialty. We did a two-phase project with Village Hope Church in Jackson, renovating a former bowling alley into a fairly large church.

When was the business founded?: Since 1994, we have guided our projects with a unique style of "hands on" leadership from start to finish.

Why did you choose to locate to Chelsea?: Hometown.

For more information visit www.dangerousarchitects.com