History
1975
Niles Bolton establishes the firm as a sole proprietorship. The times are challenging—some 50 percent of Atlanta architects are without work—but Niles forges ahead anyway.
1976
Bill vonHedemann joins college roommate Niles Bolton at the firm. Despite the economy, business is making headway and we move into real offices on Mathieson Drive.
1979
NBA incorporates and hits double-digit number of employees. When NBA opened its doors, only 10 firms in Atlanta had more than 20 people. The growth confirms Niles’ belief that if you do a good job, clients will hear about it.
1983
NBA acquires CAD (computer-aided design) systems. Generating drawings more quickly and accurately is a boon for architects, designers and clients.
1985
We celebrate our 10th anniversary and establish the Landscape Architecture Group. The ability to integrate outdoor planning and design into a project provides clients with a bigger-picture view.
1986
NBA offers stock to senior associates. As the firm prospers, we want to share the good fortune with the people who are important to our success.
1987
We add an Interior Design Studio and an office in Alexandria, Virginia, to serve our Mid-Atlantic and Northeast clients. NBA can now offer a wider range of clients more comprehensive services.
1988
On the move again to our current offices in One Buckhead Plaza. We need more space since we experience a nearly 25 percent growth rate in the late ‘80s.
1996
NBA-designed Olympic Village opens on time for 1996 Summer Olympics. The success opens new doors for NBA and we’re able to branch out and develop business in university, military and other institutional housing.
1997
We expand our services by acquiring Diedrich Architects. The acquisition helps as we grow and further diversify into recreational facilities, transit and urban infill.
2001
Our first project in China begins and our third office opens in San Jose, California, to better serve the West Coast. Expanding our global reach, today NBA has clients and projects in 16 countries, including China, Egypt, Japan and Russia.
2003
We complete the nation’s first LEED certified apartment community in Silver Spring, Maryland. Since then, NBA has designed 5 million sustainable square feet more and 60 percent of our design professionals are LEED accredited.
2004
NBA is growing again—we expand in One Buckhead Plaza and break ground in China. Significantly, the China projects are a chance not just to grow but to learn and experiment.
2007
We’re voted one of the Best Places to Work by Georgia Trend magazine. The accolade affirms that doing work you love in a supportive atmosphere is a winning combination.
2008
NBA begins using advanced architectural software to implement detailed Building Information Modeling. We’re continually looking to serve clients efficiently and effectively by refining our systems and tools.
2011
NBA adds a 47th state—Montana—to our resume as we commence work on a new project. The last word on our success: fun.
2014
NBA was awarded the AIA-Atlanta Silver Medal for “excellent design, client service, internal and external education for the industry and the community, and staff engagement over a sustained period of time”.
2015
We celebrate another anniversary… our 40th.
2020
We acquire Dye Aviation Facilities Architecture. The newly created subsidiary, DYE | NBA Aviation, expands NBA’s transit studio to include design services for corporate flight departments, executive terminals for Fixed Based Operator’s, jet maintenance facilities and private hangars.