PARABOLA’s architecture aspires to be timeless, calibrated to its site, and carefully attuned to human and ecological health. We are an intentionally small, principal-led studio, working at all scales. Our process uncovers opportunities within constraints to generate innovative architecture that melds the technical and the poetic.

PRINCIPALS


Carrie Meinberg Burke and Kevin Burke co-founded PARABOLA Architecture in 2011. PARABOLA is an ongoing collaborative exploration that leverages the binocular vision of its principals’ distinct experiences and modalities to create a selective, rigorous, and beautiful body of work.


CARRIE MEINBERG BURKE, AIA

Carrie received her MArch from Yale in 1991, and her BArch from Virginia Tech & The Architectural Association in 1981. Carrie led her own architectural practice since 1991, which became the foundation for PARABOLA. Among other projects, she was lead designer and contractor for Timepiece and design lead for the Northern California Residence.

An award-winning architect and industrial designer, honors for her work include the Yale Feldman Prize for “Design Solutions that Achieve the Practical and Poetic”; the Richard Kelly Grant for Innovative Lighting Design; the Yale Schimberg Award; Yale commencement marshal award; Yale Venice Biennale exhibit; and National Science Foundation EFRI-SEED grant for interdisciplinary engineering research for an innovative convective HVAC unit.  

Carrie’s work calibrates architecture to human experience through decades of honing expertise in the ethereal materials of light and perception.


KEVIN BURKE, AIA
Kevin received his undergraduate degree in International Relations from Stanford University, and a Masters in Architecture from the University of Virginia. Prior to co-founding PARABOLA, Kevin was managing partner at William McDonough + Partners. He directed the 50-person international practice, and opened studios in San Francisco and Amsterdam. Working closely with Bill McDonough, Kevin guided the firm’s implementation of the Cradle to Cradle sustainability protocol within the firm’s building and community designs.

His diverse design portfolio with WM+P includes NASA’s Sustainability Base, the Adam Joseph Lewis Environmental Studies Center at Oberlin College, the Fuller Theological Seminary Worship Center, VMWare’s corporate campus in Palo Alto, and Google’s initial Mountain View campus masterplan and sustainability guidelines.

Kevin’s award-winning designs have achieved the highest levels of environmental performance while creating inspiring places of community, connectivity and well-being.


PARABOLA
In 2010, Kevin and Carrie were selected for the Esherick Visiting Professorship at UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design, where they led a studio titled ‘Forces Evolve Form’ before starting PARABOLA the following year. 








AWARDS
GOOGLE AT 1212 BORDEAUX
2020
Architecture Honor Award, AIA Virginia
Acterra Business Environmental Award: Sustainable Built Environment

2019
Leading Edge Award for Architecture, Excellence in Design and Sustainability, AIA California
Design-Build National Award of Excellence, Commercial / Office Buildings, Design-Build Institute of America
Design-Build National Award of Merit, Commercial / Office Buildings, Design-Build Institute of America
Finalist, Design-Build National Project of the Year, Design-Build Institute of America
Award of Honor for Excellence in Architecture, AIA Virginia

2018
Good Design Is Good Business, Architectural Record
Western Pacific Regional Award, Design-Build Institute of America
Second Annual Stephen R. Kellert Biophilic Design Award, Honorable Mention
Silicon Valley Structures Award for Green Design
LEED Platinum


SAN FRANCISCO STARTUP OFFICE
2019
Award of Merit for Excellence in Interior Design, AIA Virginia


TIMEPIECE RESIDENCE + STUDIO
2004
Graham Foundation Grant

2003
Certificate of Merit for Excellence in Architecture, AIA Virginia

1996
Award of Honor for Site Analysis / Synthesis, AIA California

SELECT PRESS
Architect
Architectural Digest
Architectural Record
C-VILLE Abode
Dwell
Domain Home AU
Lotus International Quarterly Architectural Review
Metropolis
Plenty
USA Today


FEATURED IN
The Shape of Green by Lance Hosey
Women in Green
by Kira Gould and Lance Hosey
Sustainable Infrastructure
by Bry Sarte


CONTACT
PARABOLA Architecture
614 Park Street
Charlottesville, VA 22902

info@parabola-architecture.com