Quinn Evans congratulates Charles Piper, AIA, LEED AP, on his retirement after nearly 40 years of architectural practice.
Charles joined Richmond, Virginia’s Bond Comet Westmoreland and Hiner (BCWH), which later merged with Quinn Evans, in 1998. An early project with BCWH was the renovation of the city’s historic Maggie L. Walker High School to serve as the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies. Charles went on to design many more K12 and higher education facilities, including five new elementary schools for Henrico County Public Schools (Twin Hickory, Greenwood, Harvie, Colonial Trail, and David A. Kaechele Elementary Schools) and several projects at the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University.
Charles’ higher education planning and design work focused on creating what he calls “collegiate community”—places for students to learn, gather, and collaborate. This philosophy is evident in his early work with the University of Richmond’s Modlin Center for the Arts as well as the more recent Academic Learning Commons and Humanities and Science Building at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Since joining Quinn Evans in 2018, Charles has helped shape our practice through his contributions as a regional Director and member of our BOD. Through this work, he has played a central role guiding our practice through a momentous time, including multiple transitions, a global pandemic, the honor of receiving the National AIA Firm Award, and more. Throughout, Charles’s steadfast commitment to the Quinn Evans team and its people-first values have been essential to our Richmond office’s ability to thrive and make its best contributions. A hearty thank you, Charles!
ALYSON STEELE, FAIA, LEED AP | QUINN EVANS PRESIDENT & CEO
Charles earned a Bachelor of Science in Design from Clemson University in 1986 and a Master of Architecture from the University of Maryland in 1989. He is active in the Richmond community, having served on the boards of the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community; Richmond Culture Works, for which he was a founding board member; Communities in Schools of Chesterfield, for which he served as board chair; Historic Richmond, where he a current trustee; and Grace Bible Church, where has served as a lay pastor since 1998.
Charles is looking forward to an active retirement filled with travel, reading, exercise, urban sketching, pastoral ministry, and spending time with his family—including his first grandchild, who is due in September.
