volume 09 | january 21, 2026 collected by Branden Piks, Founder + Principal of cradle. design studio Welcome to [design shorts.] volume 09! I started off the new year by getting our firm's Core Values written down and shared instead of just using them internally. When I started cradle., I knew it wanted to be foundationally different but didn't really know what that meant until this past year. A lot of growth and change happened for us in '25 which has lead us to an exciting time as we embark...
14 days ago • 5 min read
volume 08 | december 18, 2025 collected by Branden Piks, Founder + Principal of cradle. design studio Welcome to [design shorts.] volume 08! Last night, we had our firm's holiday dinner party at Panko - our latest completed restaurant project that opened up in NoDa a few months ago. Eating, drinking, and celebrating the hard work from the past year in a space you designed is pretty cool...and rewarding. Killer food, too, as to be expected! As we've been engaged more and more for projects like...
14 days ago • 6 min read
volume 07 | november 25, 2025 collected by Branden Piks, Founder + Principal of cradle. design studio Welcome to [design shorts.] volume 07! November has been such a month of gratitude and an opportunity for me to acknowledge the efforts over the past two and half years since starting cradle. From the beginning, I made (and still do) the sometimes uncomfortable efforts to cold call/email, knock on doors, and send LinkedIn messages to complete strangers. The goal: to introduce myself from an...
14 days ago • 6 min read
volume 06 | october 29, 2025 collected by Branden Piks, Founder + Principal of cradle. design studio Welcome to [design shorts.] volume 06! Over the past few months, I’ve been re-engaging with several organizations I had stepped back from earlier this year due to the natural ebbs of life and a demanding schedule. In doing so, I’ve been re-energized by the network of professionals and community leaders that continue to push our firm—and me personally—to the next level. Connecting with local...
14 days ago • 6 min read
volume 05 | september 24, 2025 collected by Branden Piks, Founder + Principal of cradle. design studio Welcome to [design shorts.] volume 05! This past week I attended the Coffee & Conversations event at the Charlotte Urban Design Center where the discussion focused on affordable housing and the Faith in Housing initiatives advancing in our region. The TLDR - our city has the potential to be the model for this movement on the east coast if we continue to push education and the need for...
14 days ago • 5 min read
volume 04 | august 26, 2025 collected by Branden Piks, Founder + Principal of cradle. design studio Welcome to [design shorts.] — I'm the author, Branden Piks, an architect based in Charlotte, NC where I started my firm, cradle. design studio, in the summer of '23. My mission is for each volume of [design shorts.] to bring a curated collection of design inspiration, construction updates, and insightful conversations with local industry leaders. Follow along to use as motivation for your next...
14 days ago • 4 min read
volume 03 | july 22, 2025 collected by Branden Piks, Founder + Principal of cradle. design studio Welcome to [design shorts.] — I'm the author, Branden Piks, an architect based in Charlotte, NC where I started my firm, cradle. design studio, in the summer of '23. My mission is for each volume of [design shorts.] to bring a curated collection of design inspiration, construction updates, and insightful conversations with local industry leaders. Follow along to use as motivation for your next...
14 days ago • 4 min read
volume 02 | june 17, 2025 collected by Branden Piks, Founder + Principal of cradle. design studio Welcome to [design shorts.] — I'm the author, Branden Piks, an architect based in Charlotte, NC where I started my firm, cradle. design studio, in the summer of '23. My mission is for each volume of [design shorts.] to bring a curated collection of design inspiration, construction updates, and insightful conversations with local industry leaders. Follow along to use as motivation for your next...
14 days ago • 5 min read
volume 01 | may 13, 2025 collected by Branden Piks, Founder + Principal of cradle. design studio Welcome to [design shorts.] — I'm the author, Branden Piks, an architect based in Charlotte, NC where I started my firm, cradle. design studio, in the summer of '23. My mission is for each volume of [design shorts.] to bring a curated collection of design inspiration, construction updates, and insightful conversations with local industry leaders. Follow along to use as motivation for your next...
14 days ago • 4 min read