RBA Architects

RBA Architects RBA is an award-winning Architectural Design, Interiors, BIM, and Visualizations firm based in Chesa Design excellence. Financial feasibility.

RBA Architects is a leading architectural design studio based in Chesapeake, Virginia, specializing in residential, multifamily, mixed-use, and commercial projects across the Mid-Atlantic. With 25 years of experience and thousands of built designs, our team combines creativity, technical expertise, and cutting-edge tools—including BIM and AI-powered workflows—to deliver solutions that are both beautiful and efficient. We partner with homeowners, builders, and developers to provide full-service architectural design: custom homes, multifamily communities, affordable and workforce housing, storage and hospitality prototypes, and mixed-use urban infill. Genuine partnership. That’s the RBA difference

10/22/2026

We love to partner successfully!

Who says you have to celebrate Boss's Day on Boss's Day? 🎉Tom was out of the office for Boss's Day, but the RBA team was...
10/21/2026

Who says you have to celebrate Boss's Day on Boss's Day? 🎉

Tom was out of the office for Boss's Day, but the RBA team wasn't about to let that stop the celebration!

When he returned on Tuesday, his office was waiting for him, complete with balloons, streamers, stars, and a few reminders of his #1 Boss status! ⭐

It's moments like these that remind us what makes RBA special. Beyond the projects, deadlines, and design challenges, there's a team that genuinely enjoys working together, appreciates one another, and finds reasons to celebrate.

After 25 years, the relationships we've built within our own walls are just as important as the ones we've built beyond them.

Happy Belated Boss's Day, Tom! Thanks for giving the team plenty of reasons to celebrate you! 🎉

As RBA Architects continues to celebrate our 25th anniversary, Jaclyn Patterson and Tom Retnauer recently had lunch with...
10/19/2026

As RBA Architects continues to celebrate our 25th anniversary, Jaclyn Patterson and Tom Retnauer recently had lunch with Stephen and Alex Quick of Stephen Alexander Homes.

Our relationship with Stephen Alexander goes back many years, and it has been rewarding to see the success our two companies have enjoyed together. Over the years, we’ve had the opportunity to collaborate on countless homes and communities, combining thoughtful design with quality construction to create places people are proud to call home.

Long-term relationships like this are a big part of what has made the past 25 years so meaningful for RBA. We’re grateful for the trust, collaboration, and friendship we’ve shared with Stephen, Alex, and the entire Stephen Alexander team, and we look forward to many more successful projects together.

What can an abandoned big-box retail site become?At Gallery at Godwin Apartments, the answer was an opportunity to creat...
10/16/2026

What can an abandoned big-box retail site become?

At Gallery at Godwin Apartments, the answer was an opportunity to create an entirely new community.

The site had previously been home to a Lowe’s store. RBA worked with the developer to reimagine the grayfield property as a mixed-use development with market-rate apartments, commercial space, and amenities designed around how residents live and connect.

The challenge was balancing the desired number of residential units and retail space with a building scale that worked within the surrounding neighborhood. Using TestFit, RBA explored multiple development scenarios to help determine how the site could be used most effectively before moving the design forward.

Today, what was once an abandoned retail property is a residential community with gathering spaces, courtyards, recreation, and room for everyday life.

Sometimes the opportunity isn’t finding another site. It’s seeing more potential in the one you already have.

Have an underused or outdated property and wondering what it could become? Let’s talk.

Happy Boss's Day Tom! 🎉Behind every great team is someone who believes in its potential, and Retnauer has spent 25 year...
10/16/2026

Happy Boss's Day Tom! 🎉

Behind every great team is someone who believes in its potential, and Retnauer has spent 25 years building more than an architecture firm. He's built relationships, encouraged growth, celebrated accomplishments, and supported the people who make RBA what it is today.

Tom, thank you for your leadership, your generosity, and for always wanting the best for your team, both inside and outside the office.

Happy Boss's Day from your RBA team!

A small site doesn’t have to mean a small vision.Seaside Harbor Apartments began with just ¾ of an acre in Virginia Beac...
10/14/2026

A small site doesn’t have to mean a small vision.

Seaside Harbor Apartments began with just ¾ of an acre in Virginia Beach and a significant challenge: create a multifamily community within a tight footprint while meeting the requirements of the Beach Overlay District.

Working with Hope House and Lawson Homes, RBA used those constraints to help shape the solution. A podium design placed residential units above covered parking, maximizing the available site while creating a distinctive design inspired by the colors and forms of South Beach.

But the impact of Seaside Harbor goes beyond the architecture. The apartments provide housing for people who require rental assistance, with rents averaging approximately 60% of nearby units.

The result demonstrates that affordability, thoughtful design, and efficient use of land don’t have to be competing priorities. Seaside Harbor has also received both regional and national design recognition.

Good design starts with understanding what a project needs to accomplish and finding a way to make it work.

Multifamily development rarely starts with a perfect site and a simple set of requirements.A tight parcel. An abandoned ...
10/12/2026

Multifamily development rarely starts with a perfect site and a simple set of requirements.

A tight parcel. An abandoned retail site. A location governed by architectural review. Different projects bring different challenges, and the design has to respond to each one.

Across projects like 2508 Pacific Ave Flats, Seaside Harbor Apartments, and Gallery at Godwin, RBA has helped developers find opportunities within those constraints. That has meant navigating review requirements, maximizing challenging sites, exploring multiple development scenarios, integrating residential and commercial uses, and designing communities that respond to the people and neighborhoods they serve.

After 25 years of multifamily experience, we know the goal isn’t simply fitting units onto a site. It’s finding the right solution for that site, that market, and that development vision.

Considering a multifamily project? Bring us the site and the challenge. Let’s explore what’s possible.

Sometimes the biggest design opportunity is already standing.ICON at City Walk began as a 23-story office building in Do...
10/09/2026

Sometimes the biggest design opportunity is already standing.

ICON at City Walk began as a 23-story office building in Downtown Norfolk. The vision was considerably bigger: transform it into a premier multifamily community while working within the requirements of a historic structure.

RBA helped make that vision possible.

The existing facade was preserved, the building was converted for residential use, and an entirely new floor was added at the top to create indoor and outdoor resident amenities, including a rooftop pool overlooking the city and river.

Projects of this scale don't come with simple design challenges. They require experience, technical problem-solving, collaboration, and the ability to see possibilities in what already exists.

For 25 years, that has been part of RBA's work.

Have a property with potential but a complicated path forward? Let's talk about what it could become.

Before you decide you need a new home, consider what your current home could become.For this Virginia Beach residence, t...
10/07/2026

Before you decide you need a new home, consider what your current home could become.

For this Virginia Beach residence, the goal was to transform an outdated single-story home into a space designed for entertaining, everyday living, and taking full advantage of its waterfront setting.

RBA reimagined the home around the views and the way the owners wanted to live. Expanded living spaces, dramatic architectural details, a redesigned kitchen, and stronger connections to the outdoor and pool areas turned the existing residence into a private retreat.

A significant reonovation can be an opportunity to rethink much more than finishes. It can change how your entire home works for you.

If you love where you live but your home no longer fits how you want to live, you may not need a new address. You may need a new vision for the one you have.

We may be a few days late, but celebrating Lisa is right on time! 🎉🎂Lisa celebrated her birthday on October 1, and we co...
10/06/2026

We may be a few days late, but celebrating Lisa is right on time! 🎉🎂
Lisa celebrated her birthday on October 1, and we couldn’t let the occasion pass without showing her some RBA birthday love.

Thank you, Lisa, for all you bring to RBA and for the many ways you support the people around you. We hope this next trip around the sun brings you plenty of great moments, laughter, success, and reasons to celebrate.

Please join us in wishing Lisa a very Happy Belated Birthday! 🥳

Address

432 South Battlefield Boulevard #101
Chesapeake, VA
23322

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 12pm

Telephone

(757)5462471

Website

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