Founded in 1986, Cooper Johnson Smith is an award-winning, design firm with a successful record designing a variety of building types. Our design philosophy is based upon traditional and classical principles while accommodating modern building technologies and the demands of a contemporary lifestyles. Our experience ranges from new construction to additions and renovations, as well as master planning and feasibility studies. Project types include civic, resort, commercial, custom residential, multi-family, mixed-use, religious, educational, and town planning. We maintain a staff of 15-20, an ideal size, large enough to produce any size project, yet small enough to maintain quality control and good communication. We have established a strong relationship with a select group of engineering consultants which has allowed us to simplify the design coordination process and provide our clients with the highest level of service.

Much of our firm’s design reputation was based on the early success of our residential work, and most of our clients come to us through word-of-mouth referrals. Our residential work includes over thirty houses in the internationally acclaimed Florida resort town of Seaside, and we have recently designed homes in Watercolor, Rosemary Beach, and Alys Beach. We were also selected to design Coastal Living magazine’s Idea House in 2005, and our work is often published in Southern Living, Florida Architecture, Florida Design Review, New Old House Journal, Period Homes, Custom Home and Coastal Living magazines. In addition, we have designed a large number of custom homes throughout the state of Florida for a select number of private clients. One residential estate that we are currently designing is in excess of 40,000 SF under roof.

Our experience with resort, mixed-use, commercial, multi-family and town-planning projects is very extensive. We are currently working on The Abaco Club resort in the Bahamas, for Ritz-Carlton. We provided the master plan for this 550 acre tropical resort and designed the buildings as well. These include a 60,000 SF Great House, a 27,000 SF Clubhouse, The Ritz Carlton Club (20 attached cottages), two 4-unit beach houses, as well as 36 individual cottages ranging from 2200-3700 sf.; and many of the recreational and civic amenities. To the opposite climatic extreme is our design for Marriott’s Summit Watch at Park City, Utah, a significant mixed-use project consisting of 135 resort units and 50,000 SF of mixed-use commercial space. Little Harbor, a resort village on Tampa Bay is a good example of a residential community offering all of the facilities commonly found at resorts. Bradenton Village is a HOPE VI-funded infill project for the Bradenton Housing Authority and Telesis Corporation and is a multi-phase project which utilizes our master plan as well as our designs for the 160 townhouses, community buildings and various amenities. We are currently working on our 3rd phase of this project. Many additional mixed-use, commercial building and planning projects help to round out our work in this category.

Our firm has extensive experience designing civic architectural projects as well. We have completed over $100 million in projects for Hillsborough County Public Schools, ranging from completely new campuses to renovations and additions. Our $15 million master plan for the Academy of the Holy Names in Tampa has won awards for planning and for historic sensitivity and preservation from the Hillsborough County Planning Commission and Tampa Preservation Inc. Our recent Fire Station and 911 Call Center for Reedy Creek Improvement District Currently is fine example of civic architecture. Additionally, our recent design for a large Catholic Church and Campus in Celebration, Florida, will soon be a community structure of note. Additional community centers, churches and school projects help to complete our portfolio of civic structures.

Cooper Johnson Smith has the capability to design all building types that make up the fabric of traditional towns. We believe the use of traditional and classical design principles can be applied to all building types and to planning projects, the result of which is a project of timeless character, enriching the lives of our clients and the public for many years to come.