The Next House: USA competition Sustainability Award winners - Scott Andrew Dergance, Coleman Ernest Walsh and Alexander Dean Archer

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the Sustainability Award winners of our The Next House: USA competition – Scott Andrew Dergance, Coleman Ernest Walsh and Alexander Dean Archer from United States!

Scott Andrew Dergance, Coleman Ernest Walsh and Alexander Dean Archer from United States

Please tell us about your company (when it was founded, where it is based, how many employees, etc) Alternatively, if you do not have a company, please give us some insights on your own professional/academia background.

KGA Studio Architects (founded in 1977) is a Denver, Colorado based architecture firm with a team of 15 and a nearly 50-year legacy of designing residential environments that elevate everyday living. We believe everyone deserves great design: spaces that are thoughtful, functional, and deeply aligned with how people live. We design with purpose and care. Our work is not about ego or the latest trends; it is about creating homes and communities that live well for the people who inhabit them. From first conversation to final drawing set, we guide our clients through a clear, informed, and highly intentional process.

Brief information about the projects that you/your company have been involved with. For instance, what scale have you focused on/preferred, any significant projects where the company/ individuals have been Involved?

We design residential architecture across a wide spectrum—from attainable homes to refined custom residences, as well as community-focused projects that bring people together. For our builder clients we specialize in all types of housing, including single-family homes, townhomes, duplexes, cottages, active adult, build-to-rent, and affordable. Our expertise lies in understanding how space is used, how homes evolve over time, and how design decisions impact daily life. Every project is tailored to both the end user and the builder or developer, ensuring that great design is not only beautiful, but buildable, efficient, and enduring.

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society?

For us, architecture is about how people live and making it so that everyone has access to a great place to call home. The role of architects in modern digital society is changing. We aren’t just designers of space and place; we are systems thinkers that can play a critical role in bringing innovation to our built environment—and improving society in the process.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

Architecture competitions give us a chance to investigate new ideas and spend time thinking about what’s next. This intellectual space allows us to see the world differently and we soon find we are applying what we learned during a competition to our real-world projects.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture competitions?

Architecture competitions are a vital part of our company culture. We find our team loves thinking outside the box and take great pride in the end product of all our collective work. They are great for building team cohesion and for finding new ideas that you can immediately apply to your day-to-day work. Whether it’s a new way of designing a space, a new modeling technique, or developing new skills, we find the return on investment for our team and our firm always outweigh the costs.