Friesz Architects

Friesz Architects is a highly collaborative design studio with deep roots in the Pacific Northwest’s warm modernist tradition. Our work is shaped by a strong connection to nature and a commitment to uncovering the unique story of each project to create personal one-of-a-kind places for our clients.

Founder, Jim Friesz, brings 30 years of experience with a diverse background in architecture, ranging from large-scale civic and cultural projects to intimate residential designs.

Jim Friesz on Aging in Place Design:  “One of the things I really enjoy is working on designs that improve old houses. The layers of old houses are soulful.  The clients and trades people I work with see it too: These houses have old growth wood, sculptural plaster work, intricate tile designs, etc.  But old houses can present some real challenges. Old houses are very often not the best for mobility, at any age. The stairs are too steep and narrow. Hallways and doors are too narrow. If we want to stay in our old house some of these issues become deal breakers as we age.  ADA (the Americans with Disability Act of 1996) immediately comes to mind.  This Act brought great changes for our publics spaces but didn’t influence residential codes  to nearly the same extent. Today, even a new house can meet current code and not be very accessible.   Since 1996, I’ve worked on more that 50 commercial designs, and all have incorporated ADA compliance.  One of the benefits of my commercial and residential crossover experience is that I can bring my years’ experience working with commercial accessibility codes into residential design as a reference for aging in place strategies.  For old homes, this does not mean implementing full ADA compliance, which is often impossible or way too expensive; rather, it means using the principles to creatively solve accessibility problems and achieve years of comfortable living instead of having to replace the house.”

Jim is a licensed architect in Washington (since 2006) and Montana (since 2022) and holds LEED BD+C and NCARB accreditations.