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Monday 8am - 5pm Tuesday 8am - 5pm Wednesday 8am - 5pm Thursday 8am - 5pm Friday 8am - 12pm

RBA Architects

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RBA is an award-winning Architectural Design, Interiors, BIM, and Visualizations firm based in Chesa Design excellence. Financial feasibility.

RBA Architects is a leading architectural design studio based in Chesapeake, Virginia, specializing in residential, multifamily, mixed-use, and commercial projects across the Mid-Atlantic. With 25 years of experience and thousands of built designs, our team combines creativity, technical expertise, and cutting-edge tools—including BIM and AI-powered workflows—to deliver solutions that are both beautiful and efficient. We partner with homeowners, builders, and developers to provide full-service architectural design: custom homes, multifamily communities, affordable and workforce housing, storage and hospitality prototypes, and mixed-use urban infill. Genuine partnership. That’s the RBA difference

10/30/2026

Celebrating 5 Years with Angie! 🎉

Five years of dedication, growth, and making a difference at RBA!

From supporting the team and keeping things moving behind the scenes to building relationships and taking on new challenges, Angie has been an important part of RBA's journey.

Angie, thank you for the commitment, care, and energy you bring to your work and the people around you.

Please join us in congratulating Angie on five years with RBA! Here's to continued growth, success, and many more milestones ahead! 🥳

10/30/2026

Team Spotlight: Blake

As Blake approaches his third year with RBA, his curiosity, willingness to explore new ideas, and enthusiasm for technology continue to contribute to RBA's core value of Innovation. In his own words, here's what brought him to RBA, what keeps him here, and what excites him about the firm's future.

What initially drew me to RBA was the opportunity to grow professionally and get involved in a wide variety of projects. What keeps me here is the people, the freedom to explore new ideas, and the flexibility of our four-day work week and two weeks off at the end of the year. There's a lot of knowledge and experience within the office, but we're also willing to challenge how things have always been done. I appreciate being part of a team where my ideas are heard, where there's always an opportunity to learn something new, and where the work environment supports both professional growth and a healthy balance outside of work.

For me, it's seeing a project go from an initial conversation or rough sketch to something that becomes a reality. We spend so much time behind computer screens developing drawings, solving problems, and coordinating with everyone involved that it's easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. Then you see a project under construction or completed, and it reminds you that what we do has a real impact on people's lives. Whether it's someone's dream home or a space for a growing business, being part of that process is rewarding.

I think 25 years represents the relationships, trust, and reputation that RBA has built within the community. You don't reach that milestone without doing something right. Over the years, RBA has helped shape the places where people live, work, and gather. To me, it's not just about the number of projects completed, but the relationships built along the way and the fact that people continue to trust RBA with their ideas and investments.

Some of my favorite moments are honestly the everyday interactions around the office. Whether it's bouncing ideas off Tom and Chris, working through a challenging design, or getting everyone involved in trying out some new technology, there's always something going on. I

10/28/2026

Experience tells us what works. Innovation challenges us to discover what could work better.

At RBA, 25 years of architectural experience provides a strong foundation, but it doesn't mean doing things the same way we've always done them.

Innovation is one of our core values because we believe there's always an opportunity to learn, improve, and explore new possibilities.

That means encouraging fresh perspectives, sharing knowledge across our team, embracing emerging technologies, and finding better ways to approach design challenges.

The experience we've gained over the years helps us understand what it takes to deliver successful projects. Our willingness to evolve helps us continue meeting the changing needs of our clients and the industry.

We're proud of the experience that brought us here and excited about the ideas that will shape what comes next.

10/26/2026

What if you could explore your project's possibilities before construction ever begins?

At RBA, technology helps us do more than create designs. It helps our clients make informed decisions throughout the design process.

From Building Information Modeling (BIM) and 3D visualization to virtual reality and site planning tools, we use technology to explore options, identify potential challenges, and help clients better understand how their spaces will look and function.

Whether you're developing a commercial property, planning a multifamily community, or designing your dream home, having a clearer picture of what's possible can make a significant difference in the decisions you make.

For 25 years, RBA has combined architectural expertise with evolving technology to help turn our clients' visions into reality.

Have a project in mind? Let's explore the possibilities together.

10/23/2026

Great architecture is built on more than great design. It's built on great relationships.

At RBA, collaboration is more than a core value. It's how we approach our work, support one another, and build lasting partnerships with clients, builders, consultants, and the communities we serve.

Every conversation is an opportunity to exchange ideas, share expertise, strengthen relationships, and discover new possibilities.

For 25 years, those connections have been an essential part of our success, helping us navigate challenges and bring our clients' visions to life.

Because what we build together goes beyond buildings.

10/22/2026

We love to partner successfully!

10/21/2026

Who says you have to celebrate Boss's Day on Boss's Day? 🎉

Tom was out of the office for Boss's Day, but the RBA team wasn't about to let that stop the celebration!

When he returned on Tuesday, his office was waiting for him, complete with balloons, streamers, stars, and a few reminders of his #1 Boss status! ⭐

It's moments like these that remind us what makes RBA special. Beyond the projects, deadlines, and design challenges, there's a team that genuinely enjoys working together, appreciates one another, and finds reasons to celebrate.

After 25 years, the relationships we've built within our own walls are just as important as the ones we've built beyond them.

Happy Belated Boss's Day, Tom! Thanks for giving the team plenty of reasons to celebrate you! 🎉

10/19/2026

As RBA Architects continues to celebrate our 25th anniversary, Jaclyn Patterson and Tom Retnauer recently had lunch with Stephen and Alex Quick of Stephen Alexander Homes.

Our relationship with Stephen Alexander goes back many years, and it has been rewarding to see the success our two companies have enjoyed together. Over the years, we’ve had the opportunity to collaborate on countless homes and communities, combining thoughtful design with quality construction to create places people are proud to call home.

Long-term relationships like this are a big part of what has made the past 25 years so meaningful for RBA. We’re grateful for the trust, collaboration, and friendship we’ve shared with Stephen, Alex, and the entire Stephen Alexander team, and we look forward to many more successful projects together.

10/16/2026

What can an abandoned big-box retail site become?

At Gallery at Godwin Apartments, the answer was an opportunity to create an entirely new community.

The site had previously been home to a Lowe’s store. RBA worked with the developer to reimagine the grayfield property as a mixed-use development with market-rate apartments, commercial space, and amenities designed around how residents live and connect.

The challenge was balancing the desired number of residential units and retail space with a building scale that worked within the surrounding neighborhood. Using TestFit, RBA explored multiple development scenarios to help determine how the site could be used most effectively before moving the design forward.

Today, what was once an abandoned retail property is a residential community with gathering spaces, courtyards, recreation, and room for everyday life.

Sometimes the opportunity isn’t finding another site. It’s seeing more potential in the one you already have.

Have an underused or outdated property and wondering what it could become? Let’s talk.

10/16/2026

Happy Boss's Day Tom! 🎉

Behind every great team is someone who believes in its potential, and Retnauer has spent 25 years building more than an architecture firm. He's built relationships, encouraged growth, celebrated accomplishments, and supported the people who make RBA what it is today.

Tom, thank you for your leadership, your generosity, and for always wanting the best for your team, both inside and outside the office.

Happy Boss's Day from your RBA team!

Address

432 South Battlefield Boulevard #101
Chesapeake, VA
23322

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 12pm

Telephone

(757)5462471

Website

https://www.rbapc.com/

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