By Joshua Burd
The award-winning architecture firm long known as Kitchen & Associates is now Thriven Design, under a rebrand unveiled Wednesday by the Collingswood-based practice.
According to the firm, a key player in affordable and student housing, the move is a nod to its legacy of creating places where people thrive and its commitment to serving others and enacting positive change. The rebrand comes alongside a new website that Thriven says was designed to bring the new identity to life, while showcasing its team and portfolio of projects making an impact across the country.
“For over 50 years, our firm has been guided by the idea that design changes the way people live, work and interact with their environment for the better,” said Matthew Bartner, managing principal at Thriven Design. “Our new look and feel represents an exciting new chapter of service and growth for the firm, and better reflects our longstanding multidisciplinary approach and focus on community impact.”
Founded by architect and urban planner Benjamin Kitchen, the firm has an experienced team of architects, engineers, community planners and interior designers serving a national client base, according to a news release. Its portfolio spans affordable, market-rate and student housing, adaptive reuse, asset preservation, large-scale site planning, commercial facilities and more.
As the practice noted, those projects are typically focused on what it describes as socially responsible and environmentally conscious work. And it recently announced that Bartner would take the helm as managing principal, succeeding Stephen L. Schoch, with the goal of further growing its housing practice and increasing the firm’s presence in other key markets.
“The firm recently entered a new phase of leadership and strategic expansion, creating the perfect opportunity to ensure our branding reflects who we are as a company,” said Richard Carbone, senior director of business strategy at Thriven Design. “With the launch of Thriven Design, our clients can expect the same commitment to excellence from the same talented team, with an expanded suite of services and opportunities across our portfolio.”
Cohere, an award-winning creative and design-forward branding agency based in Philadelphia, led the rebrand on Thriven’s behalf. Maven Communications, also of Philadelphia, spearheaded the communications strategy and rollout.
Kitchen & Associates names new managing principal after more than a decade