Angie Lauer is the humble Owner and Principal Designer of ALB Design, a leading residential design firm in Charlotte specializing in historic renovation. Her work spans the city’s eight historic districts, earning her a trusted reputation within both the design and planning communities.

ALB Design is often sought out by architects navigating historic district approvals, thanks to Angie’s deep knowledge of local ordinances and her longstanding relationship with the Historic District Commission.

We sat down to discuss Charlotte’s evolving historic landscape, how ALB Design built its reputation, and how Angie continues to approach her craft with humility after more than 35 years of sustained success....

Branden Piks:

It’s refreshing to hear that, honestly. As someone just starting out, I’ve been learning that you can only do so many things really well — but for me, every project, big or small, deserves the same level of care. That’s how I want to grow cradle. — through consistency, quality, and treating people the right way. I think if you do that, everything else follows — the reputation, the repeat clients, the success.

Angie Lauer:

I completely agree. That mindset has carried me through my whole career. I’ve had some clients for decades — even second-generation ones now. One of my very first clients from the early 2000s, their son recently reached out about a renovation project of his own, and it just made me smile. That kind of long-term trust is what it’s all about.

I’ve never chased work; people come to us because they’ve seen what we do and how we treat people.

That’s what matters most to me — knowing that even without recognition, our work has shaped pieces of this city in a lasting, quiet way.

When I look at a map of Dilworth and see how many homes we’ve touched over the years, it’s overwhelming — in the best way. Each little dot tells a story of a family, a house, and a moment in time that we helped preserve or reimagine. That’s what keeps me going.

​Read the Full Conversation Here​

Plans for first mixed-use project at uptown Charlotte’s Iron District revealed

"A construction start date looks to be on the horizon for the Iron District, a new, mixed-use project on the former Charlotte Pipe & Foundry Company site in uptown and South End.

Several land development construction plans were filed for portions of the 55.5-acre site this month, including one by developer Trammell Crow Co."

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How does this impact our region?

For years, and most likely before my time living here in Charlotte (2017), conversations have been had about what will come of the 55+ acre site formerly owned by Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company. Beautifully positioned adjacent to the arena district, uptown, the interstate, and South End - the opportunity is endless for creating game changing development for Charlotte and the Southeast.

After reading the latest Charlotte Observer article it hit me that this isn’t just another infill project—it’s a once‑in‑a‑generation opportunity for Charlotte’s architecture and construction community. The development offers us a powerful platform to rethink how urban neighborhoods get built in the Southeast and how new districts can change the course of a city's trajectory.

What stands out is the scale and the vision. We’re talking about a full master‑planned development with hotel, apartments, office, retail, and generous public realm—all anchored on a single contiguous site. The fact that Trammell Crow Company was tapped as master developer for Phase 1 demonstrates the seriousness behind it.

From a design lens, this is the rare chance to shape holistic urban form beyond just isolated buildings. With such a large site, we can work on connectivity, walkability, green infrastructure, and mixed‑use vibrancy from day one. For a region like Charlotte that’s still growing its urban identity, Iron District is a test‑bed for how we do that well.

Equity and inclusion also show up. The site is zoned for flexibility, enabling mixed‑income housing, adaptive reuse of existing buildings (the former foundry structures), and infrastructure that serves more than just high‑end development. That aligns with what I’ve been talking about: design that doesn’t just build for the market—it builds for the community.

Of course, there are challenges. Infrastructure sequencing will be critical. A project of this magnitude requires the roads, utilities, transit links, and public space to come online in tandem with vertical construction—or risk losing momentum. Market volatility (office demand, retail evolution) could also test its resilience.

But to me, this feels less like a risk than a call‑to‑action. As someone embedded in Charlotte’s built environment ecosystem, I see Iron District as a statement about what our city can become. If we rise to the challenge, the project could set a new bar for urban design in the Southeast.

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Summary Thoughts...

• Position for the full neighborhood, not just one building: Think about parcels in sequence, infrastructure arcs, public realm first.
• Elevate design expectations: With a site this visible, everything from biophilic design to placemaking strategy matters.
• Embrace mixed‑income, mixed‑use formula: Community‑rich environments are programmed and designed, not built by accident.
• Collaborate across trades early: Landscape, civil, architecture, MEP, urban design—all will need to sync early for this to succeed.
• Stay engaged beyond delivery: Because this is phasing over years, there’s opportunity for firms to engage in multiple phases—not just “design‑and‑walk‑away”.

Our latest mixed-use commercial project in Tega Cay, SC has officially gone vertical — marking an exciting milestone for both the development team and the broader community. Once complete, the two-story building will feature 8,000 square feet of ground-floor shell retail and 8,000 square feet of second-floor owner-occupied office space.

Our goal with this project has been to bring new professional and retail energy to the corridor while maintaining a scale that complements Tega Cay’s growing market. From a design standpoint, we approached this building as an opportunity to create a flexible framework for local business growth — balancing material efficiency with thoughtful detailing to ensure longevity and adaptability for future tenants.

As the steel framing progresses, the structure is beginning to reveal the rhythm and proportion we envisioned early in concept design. It has been rewarding seeing the team at Hendricks Construction progress through construction and bring that vision to life with precision and care.

Tega Cay has seen incredible growth lately, and being part of shaping that story through design is something I’m really proud of. Once complete, this building will help activate the street, creating new opportunities for local businesses and professionals while adding to the fabric of a rapidly evolving community.

This project reflects our continued focus on thoughtful commercial design across the Carolinas — grounded in collaboration, constructability, and a forward-looking vision for how our built environment can evolve with growth.

"Limitation makes the creative mind inventive." | Walter Gropius