Inside the McKinney York studio, we share a belief in the transformational power of people united in a common purpose. Our goal is to create places that draw people together, serve, and inspire.

This belief manifests itself in collaboration. That means ongoing communication in the studio and with our design team, a lack of ego from the top down, and a collection of highly capable, enthusiastic design professionals. Our staff are all exceptional designers and, rare within the profession, the majority are registered architects. Collaboration extends beyond the studio to embrace our clients. With each commission we actively engage our clients and listen attentively to uncover the unique qualities of their project and site. The aim of this effort is to reveal not only the client’s top-of-mind goals, but also latent functional and aspirational goals, as these often determine the real success of a project.

Our portfolio is evidence of this empathetic focus, rarely repeating a style, strategy, or solution from one project to the next. Clients tell us they value our ability to create designs that reflect their unique needs and personality. From churches and chilling stations to branded workspaces and second homes, we have earned a reputation for timeless design and an expertise in tackling unusual projects. Our work has also appeared on or been published by Wired, The Wall Street Journal, HGTV, The Globe and Mail, NPR, Architectural Record, Architecture, Southern Living, and Texas Architect.

We believe that good design is for everyone. Our pro bono work dates back to a 1995 project for Children’s Advocacy Center and continues through our ongoing work with Community First! Village. Our first micro house at this community for people experiencing homelessness was recognized with design awards from AIA Austin and Texas Society of Architects.

In 2018, we started the McKinney York Architects scholarship. This scholarship is awarded annually to a female student at the University of Texas School of Architecture entering her third or fourth year of study, and who has demonstrated strong and original design capability.

These qualities and sustained design excellence earned McKinney York the 2007 AIA Austin Firm Achievement Award and the Texas Society of Architects 2013 Architecture Firm Award – the highest honor a Texas architecture firm can receive.