Alchemy Architects

About Alchemy Architects

MISSION
Alchemy makes stimulating, engaging, and efficient design accessible and affordable for a wide audience.
Geoffrey Warner’s FAIA submission illustrates the path he’s led Alchemy along to get to where it is today.

PHILOSOPHY
Alchemy’s distinct hands-on approach to architecture and design combines a playful design process, collaborative relationships with clients, and partnerships with builders and fabricators to create a harmonious blend of site, building, and community. With sustainable practices as a mainstay of our daily work, Alchemy utilizes recycling and reuse along with building strategies that reduce waste.

Our multidisciplinary team draws inspiration from art, literature, history, and leading creative thinkers to create alternative and atypical project solutions.

DESIGN
Alchemy has been using efficient building methods since its founding in 1992. We utilize updated building science principles and innovative materials whenever possible. Our innovative weeHouse® system and farm-tech projects have gained national + international recognition.

LUXURY OF LESS
Each Alchemy project exemplifies our dedication to limiting waste and maximizing the impact of our efforts. We leverage the intimacy of our (typically) smaller footprints with a modern aesthetic by efficiently using space, technology, and good environmental stewardship. By combining low-tech passive solar principals with the high-tech renewable energy technologies, we continue to develop work that is functional and efficient. Our goal is to make meaningful, engaging, and efficient design accessible.

Turning the mundane into gold—how can Alchemy deliver design to you?

HISTORY
Geoffrey C. Warner, AIA, established Alchemy in 1992 after working in traditional architectural design offices and spending time in on-site construction. In 2003, Alchemy designed (and built!) the first weeHouse as an inexpensive prefab cabin as a rural getaway for a family of two. The Arado weeHouse, set near Lake Pepin on the Mississippi River, gained international attention as a symbol of architectural optimism.

Alchemy developed the weeHouse into a system: prefabricated structures serving as cabins, houses, offices, rooftop studios, and multi-unit developments. To-date, there are over 5 dozen prefabricated and site-built weeHouses (and not-so-weeHouses) around the United States.

Other Alchemy projects include hybrid modular and panelized structures, BarnHouses (lofted interiors), LightHouses (accessory dwelling units), and custom homes. See our project portfolios to learn more.