What We Do
Custom Homes
From first sketch to the final finishing touch, we design homes that reflect your life, your context and your aspirations. Each home is a composition of place and craft where daylight, material richness and lived experience come together with clarity and purpose.
Additions and Remodels
Expanding what you have or imagining your space in a new way, we help you reveal the hidden potential of your home. Our work honors what already exists while allowing new form and new function to grow naturally into the future.
Interiors and Finish Selections
Interiors shape the rhythm of daily life. We collaborate with you to choose materials, lighting, cabinetry and details that bring comfort and character to every space. The goal is simple and timeless to elevate the everyday and let beauty live easily within reach.
Beyond Housing Design
We are often asked what we specialize in. The answer is always the same. Good design. While custom homes and residential work are at the heart of our practice, we are not limited to them. Our portfolio includes restaurants, professional offices, retail environments, wellness spaces and full gymnasiums. These projects ask for clarity of circulation, identity and experience just as a home does. We bring the same care for space, light and material to every scale and every building type.
Why Choose AKAR
We are a boutique residential architecture practice in Iowa City with a personal and thoughtful approach. We focus on the client not on volume, so every home receives careful attention.
Our team specializes in custom homes, additions and crafted interiors. This focus gives us depth and confidence to shape projects with clarity and experience.
Our design philosophy begins with site, light, material and place. We consider how a home feels across seasons and time of day, how a window frames the sky, and how material choices affect comfort, efficiency and longevity. Upfront costs and long term value are always weighed with care.
The process is open and collaborative, guided by your story. Your needs and your budget remain central from the first sketch through construction.
We have earned national recognition in Forbes Top One Hundred Residential Architects, and many clients return for second or third projects which speaks to trust built over time.
AKAR is for those who value craft, clarity and the quiet pleasure of living well in a place shaped around them.
Our Process
Discovery & Visioning
We begin with conversation — your goals, your story, how you live, how you want to live. We look at context, light, site, program and budget. Together we set the foundation.
Design Development
We translate ideas into drawings, models and conversations. We explore options, refine material selections, coordinate with consultants, and craft a design that feels right.
Construction Documentation & Administration
We prepare clear construction documents, guide bidding or negotiation, and work alongside your contractor during construction — managing details, protecting your interests, coordinating decisions, and maintaining the aesthetic vision.
Completion & Beyond
The day you move in is just the beginning. We support project close-out, walkthroughs, final selections and ensure that your home performs as intended. Our goal: You belong in your home.