Hall Darling Design Studio

Thank you AIA Florida! Years of process went into this and we are grateful for the recognition.

We are pleased to announce Hall Darling Design Studio is a recipient of an Honor Award Object for Micro-Light Gallery. Congratulations!

🏆 The third of our three 2025 AIA Florida/Caribbean Honor Awards
Micro-Light Gallery

The Micro-Light Gallery explores the shifting interplay of form, shadow, and color through a layered panel system designed to respond to time, season, and sunlight. It is not stained glass. It is something more temporal. Always moving. Always different.

Created to test the spatial and visual potential of a future sanctuary for Cornerstone Church of Lakewood Ranch (currently under construction), the gallery quickly became a project in its own right. Through hands-on model building and full-scale construction, we proved both the concept’s beauty and its constructability.

The object was developed to probe and test concepts related to the design of a building, but it also took on a unique character of its own. It manifested as an intimate, human-scaled experience. An occupiable and portable micro-gallery quietly illustrating an ever-changing palette of shapes and colors. A place where one or two people can gather to experience fleeting moments of color and shifting light.

Project Team:

🏆 The second of our three 2025 AIA Florida/Caribbean Honor Awards!
Easterseals Southwest Florida Renovation

This renovation celebrates how thoughtful design can create safety, dignity, and delight. From a secure new entry to a tranquil garden space encircling a beloved existing tree, every element was shaped with care.

At Easterseals Southwest Florida, we transformed the building’s front façade with a new drop-off canopy, secure lobby, updated glazing, and accessible pathways. The design is grounded in universal design principles and shaped by the needs of the people it serves.

A trapezoid motif found in the original 1950s CMU façade became a guiding element. It reappears in the new perforated aluminum screen wall and throughout the site, connecting past and present with clarity and purpose.

The result is a bold yet sensitive transformation that supports the essential work Easterseals does every day.

Project Team:
Willis Smith Construction – Construction Manager
David W. Johnston Associates – Landscape Design
Stirling & Wilbur Engineering Group – Structural Design
Genesis Engineering Group – MEPF Design

🏆 One of Three 2025 AIA Florida/Caribbean Honor Awards!
St. Paul Lutheran Education Building Restoration

We’re proud to kick off our celebration of three Honor Awards with this meaningful project: the restoration of the 1962 Education Building by Sarasota School master Victor Lundy, FAIA.

This Sarasota landmark had aged, but its spirit endured. We approached the work with care, replacing several of the building’s sculptural glulam beams, structural T&G decking, and clerestory glazing and roof, all while preserving the design’s lightness, rhythm, and expressive geometry.

Victor Lundy passed away in 2024 at the age of 100. His legacy helped shape Sarasota’s architectural identity. We hope this restoration honors his vision—and that he would be proud.

🎉 We’re thrilled to share some big news: Hall Darling Design Studio has received three Honor Awards from AIA Florida/Caribbean for 2025! 🏆🏆🏆

The Honor Award is the highest level of recognition from AIA Florida/Caribbean, and this year, we’re honored to have three of our projects celebrated for excellence in design across multiple categories.

This recognition reflects the trust of our clients and the creativity, care, and rigor our team brings to every project. We can’t wait to spotlight each of these award-winning works in the coming days. Stay tuned!

Thank you to and to the incredible collaborators who helped bring these designs to life.

What a magical evening at Myakka River State Park. No better place to test our full-scale mockup as the sun sets. Proof of concept complete!

It is an absolute honor to be restoring a building by Sarasota School of Architecture legend Victor Lundy . The St. Paul Lutheran Education Building, built in 1958, is getting a new lease on life!

Replacing the glulam beams that are so emblematic of Victor Lundy's iconic and innovative buildings is certainly a challenge, but one we take great pride in tackling.

Contractor: Kimco Construction, Inc.
Structural Engineer: Stirling Wilbur Engineering Group

It is an absolute honor to be restoring a building by Sarasota School of Architecture legend Victor Lundy . The St. Paul Lutheran Education Building, built in 1958, is getting a new lease on life! Replacing the glulam beams that are so emblematic of Victor Lundy's iconic and innovative buildings is certainly a challenge, but one we take great pride in tackling. Contractor: Kimco Construction, Inc. Structural Engineer: Stirling Wilbur Engineering Group #sarasotaschoolofarchitecture #victorlundy #glulam #historicpreservation #historicpreservationmatters #midcentury #midcenturyarchitecture #preservation #sarasota #sarasotahistory #modernsthatmatter #architecturesarasota #victorlundyflorida #restoration @architecturesrq @theringling

Images from our continued experimentation with light, but this time with a full scale model!!! We are beyond excited for this project to start construction in the next few weeks.

Also, we are hiring! Please see the careers page on our website for more details.

Happy Holidays from our family to yours!
We hope you’re staying warm.
See you in 2023.

Early morning at Parrish United Methodist Church. We are loving the eye catching reflection at the front of the building. 👀

It’s the little details that make a project meaningful. Stained glass windows from the original church were incorporated into the design of the new sanctuary space at the Parrish United Methodist Church!

The Sarasota County District Cooling Plant. The building serves chilled water to several County facilities in the downtown area. We love how it glows in the evening!