Seth McDowell began his architectural career building shacks in the woods of rural South Carolina. He has dabbled with trim carpentry, design+build, and professional practices in Charleston, SC and New York, NY. In 2012 McDowell partnered with Rychiee Espinosa and co-founded the experimental architectural practice mcdowellespinosa architects. In 2024 McDowell founded his solo venture Seth McDowell Architect, pllc. to refocus efforts toward regional projects of a design+build flavor.
Seth McDowell, Architect is a progressive architecture practice located Staunton, Virginia exploring design as an artifact of material and construction experimentation. McDowell’s work has been recognized regionally, nationally and internationally for design excellence and originality.
McDowell also serves as an Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Virginia and Director of the Master of Architecture Program. He received a Master of Architecture from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation and a Bachelor of Science in Design from Clemson University. At Columbia, he was awarded the American Institute of Architects Certificate of Merit, the Lucille Smyser Lowenfish Memorial Prize, and the Avery 6 Award for work that holds the most promise to advance the discipline of architecture.