About Longhouse

Nate has been working with buildings for the last 28 years since graduating from Virginia Tech’s school of architecture. But for him, the architectural journey started long before that, at the age of seven, when he and his grandfather built a dog house out of scrap wood and tar paper. Over the years there were many DIY tree houses, pole forts, and Legos that eventually led to becoming an architect, designing and building furniture, and finally co-founding Longhouse Architects in 2019 with partners, Kevin and Laura.

Throughout his career he’s been putting his designs to the test by building them and studying the outcomes. This continuous feedback loop is still shaping him as an architect today through active investigation and involvement with the craftsmen, artisans, and engineers who bring Longhouse’s designs to fruition.

Nate has a fascination with bringing natural sculptural elements into his designs whenever the occasion allows. This started with the Loudoun Street Apartments renovation when a friend abandoned some 10 foot long cedar tree trunks in a burn pile. After a couple of years the bark started to peel off…. an Ah-Ha moment! Hidden beneath the rotting bark was a smooth, sculptural, and sinuous xylem (sapwood). These logs were fully stripped and placed at critical point loads where they are enjoyed everyday as exposed structure for the apartments.

Nate remembers, “My grandfather had this old chicken shack/tool shed that was dark and dingy inside, packed with tools, rodents, and spiders. One day, to brighten it up my grandad took the roof off and replaced it with transparent corrugated plexiglass roofing and the next time I walked in there I was astounded to find that it was bright white inside and I could see all the tools! There was an english ivy vine that had somehow started to grow up the wall and when I looked up I saw the bright blue sky and clouds through the plexiglass. I never forgot that moment of surprise when walking into the shed for the first time, taking in the transformation, and thinking about how a transparent roof had recast the gloomy rodent infested shed into a bright, light filled and delightful sanctuary for agrarian implements.”

Architecture is about creating spaces that are felt in supporting life’s activities. For Laura, that understanding lives in two contrasting memories. Upon entering the Pantheon in Rome, the palpable grand sphere of space stopped her in her tracks, despite the bustling of the crowds around her. On another scale, the circular oak kitchen table in her childhood home was squeezed into her home’s center and fostered a lively, warm connection as her family shared stories of the day to day. Both are emblematic of how spaces shape human experience. Whether designing a monumental structure or a deeply personal home, Laura’s goal is to make space impactful, functional, and uplifting.

She brings nearly three decades of design expertise to every project. After her study of Architecture at Virginia Tech, she spent a year of service broadening her perspective by teaching at an inner-city elementary school in Milwaukee. Her professional career includes 20 years of growth in the practice of architecture at a small, award-winning architecture firm. She co-founded Longhouse, a practice built on thoughtful, people-centered design.

Outside the studio, Laura and her husband are raising two (nearly grown!) children. She also enjoys a walk with her dog through the neighborhood or under Purcellville’s historic oak trees. She volunteers and serves on local boards, with many years on Purcellville’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, in supporting her commitment to give back to her community.

Kevin believes architecture is ultimately about people—and preferably, people who enjoy being around one another. He believes good design should respond to the people who experience it, celebrate its place in a sustainable way, and occasionally make us smile. He approaches design challenges with curiosity, an appreciation for the unexpected, and a sense of humor along the way.

Kevin spent 20 years working with Nathan and Laura at Reader & Swartz Architects and co-founded Longhouse with them in 2019. Throughout his practice, Kevin places a strong emphasis on historic preservation and sustainable design. He currently serves as an Executive Board Member and Treasurer for Preservation of Historic Winchester after serving more than eight years on the City of Winchester’s Board of Architectural Review. Kevin has been a Phius Certified Consultant since 2023, promoting passive house and green building values while fine-tuning his energy modeling chops.

Outside of architecture, Kevin finds plenty of joy in fatherhood, family, music, and the simple satisfaction of making, restoring, and learning. He enjoys caring for a 120-year-old home, giving new life to things that might otherwise be discarded, running through the woods in the dark, listening to an ever-growing collection of vinyl records, and attempting to learn the guitar. There’s usually a project somewhere in the mix—often one that wasn’t on the schedule.

Stephanie grew up just outside Washington, D.C., surrounded by a rich mix of architectural styles and constant new construction. At home, her father's love of tinkering kept the family house perpetually evolving, and working alongside him taught her a wide range of hands-on skills that still shape her work today.

Her path into architecture began in her sophomore year of high school, in her first CAD class. Inspired by her mother's example of always giving her best, she excelled quickly. Her instructor took notice and referred her to a small family firm, where she began working as an architectural draftsman.

Soon after, on a band trip to Europe, she experienced how deeply a building can move the people inside it. Standing in Notre Dame, she knew what she wanted to do with her life.

At the University of Tennessee, Stephanie focused on net zero carbon design and experiential architecture, and gained a new appreciation for the differences between southern and northern culture. She served as a graduate assistant in the Environmental Control course for two consecutive years, where passive and active strategies for managing building temperatures were put into practice. She also supported Mark DeKay's research and production of his latest book, Experiential Design Schemas. Outside the classroom, she spent her time in the wood shop, learning practical approaches to building construction.

After graduating, Stephanie devoted herself to the craft of building. She immersed herself in everything from kitchen design to large-scale window walls, custom glazing, custom millwork, and small-scale commercial architecture. That hands-on knowledge has been invaluable as she continues working toward licensure.

For Caleb, the pull toward the built environment began growing up around his father, a building official and drywaller, leading him to attend the School of Architecture at Virginia Tech and become an architect. He believes in active exploration and utilization of new materials to serve a purpose in the form of a project, and in a thoughtful balance of stillness and dynamism in how to organize space.

To Caleb, every project, no matter how small, is an opportunity for design, and none is ever truly finished: nature, the environment, and the people who use a space contribute to and utilize it over time that continually reveal something new. As he puts it, if it's finished, it isn't architecture.

Caleb has a passion for architectural photography, drawn to the interaction of light and form, and works in both physical and digital media. He is an avid cinephile and music lover, collects physical media, and plays alto saxophone. He is also a member of the Board of Architectural Review in Winchester, VA, helping guide the character of the town he calls home.