Dwell2025
A Brick House That Turns Its Back on the Street — Beautifully
“Verbeek & Asher make restraint feel generous. The North Loop Residence is a master class in trading frontage for light.”
Verbeek & Asher · Est. 2006 · MN Firm #AF-4471
Buildings drawn with restraint, built to last.
A Minneapolis studio for residential, commercial, and cultural architecture — shaped by light, structure, and material, and detailed as a complete set through construction.
20 years in practice180+ projects delivered4.2M sq ft designed24 design awards
Elevation · Residential4,200 sq ft20
Years in practice
180+
Projects delivered
4.2M
Sq ft designed
24
Design awards
38
LEED-certified projects
6
States built in
Licensed architects · MN Firm #AF-4471NCARB certified · Reciprocity in 6 statesAIA Minnesota · Members in good standingLEED Accredited · Sustainable design practiceProfessional liability · $2M E&O coverage
The archive
A small portfolio, kept on purpose.
Filter the archive by typology. Every project carries a principal’s hand from first sketch to final punch list.
ResidentialMinneapolis, MN · 4,200 sq ft
A brick-and-glass infill house that holds the street edge and opens to a private courtyard.
Completed
CulturalSaint Paul, MN · 46,000 sq ft
A riverfront arts center organized around a top-lit civic hall and a continuous public terrace.
Completed
CommercialMinneapolis, MN · 88,000 sq ft
A six-story timber office building anchoring a former flour-milling block.
In Construction
Adaptive ReuseMinneapolis, MN · 62,000 sq ft
A 1908 foundry rebuilt as 34 residences with the original structure left to speak.
Completed
ResidentialBrainerd Lakes, MN · 2,600 sq ft
A pair of cedar volumes on a wooded slope, framed entirely to the water.
Completed
CulturalRochester, MN · 28,000 sq ft
A neighborhood library under a single daylit roof, open to the street on all sides.
Completed
What we do
Five disciplines, one hand.
10ArchitectureFull-service architectural design, from first concept through construction administration.20Architectural InteriorsInteriors led by the same hand as the building — millwork, light, and material precision.30Master PlanningSites, campuses, and districts framed for phased, long-term growth.40Adaptive Reuse & PreservationNew life inside existing structures — preservation, reuse, and the lowest-carbon building of all.50Sustainability & Building PerformanceLEED, energy modeling, and embodied-carbon consulting — by LEED-accredited architects.
How we work
From first sketch to final punch list.
A complete drawing set is the cheapest insurance in construction. We draw it before you build it — across five phases.
PDPhase 1 / 5
Pre-Design
We listen first. Programming, site and zoning analysis, budget alignment, and a feasibility study establish what the project wants to be before a single line is drawn.
Program & space listSite & zoning analysisPreliminary budgetFeasibility study
SDPhase 2 / 5
Schematic Design
The big moves. We test plans, sections, and massing through sketches and study models until the parti is clear and the client can see the building.
Schematic plans & sectionsMassing studies & modelsPreliminary materialsOrder-of-magnitude cost
DDPhase 3 / 5
Design Development
We resolve it. Structure, systems, materials, and details are coordinated with our engineering partners and refined to a buildable level of clarity.
Developed drawingsMaterial & system selectionsEngineering coordinationUpdated cost estimate
CDPhase 4 / 5
Construction Documents
The complete set. Fully detailed and specified drawings for permit and construction — the document the building is actually built from.
Permit-ready drawing setSpecificationsDetails & schedulesBidding documents
CAPhase 5 / 5
Construction Administration
We stay to the end. Site visits, submittal review, RFIs, and a final punch list keep the building faithful to the drawings through to occupancy.
Site-observation reportsSubmittal & RFI reviewChange-order reviewFinal punch list
Awards & press
Quietly, well-regarded.
Selected awards
2025Honor Award · North Loop ResidenceAIA Minnesota
2024Merit Award · Riverside Cultural CenterAIA Upper Midwest
2024A+ Award, Cultural · Riverside Cultural CenterArchitizer
2024Honor Award · Branch Library & CommonsAIA Upper Midwest
2023Preservation Award · Foundry LoftsPreservation Alliance of MN
2022Honor Award · Lakeside CabinAIA Minnesota
Architectural Record2024
On the Bluff: A Cultural Center Returns the River to the City
“A folded-plate roof and a single great room give this arts center the civic weight of a much larger building.”
Clients
From the people we built for.
★★★★★
“Daan drew our house around the light, not the lot lines. Two years in we still find a new view at every hour. The drawings were so complete the build had almost no surprises.”
★★★★★
“They gave a small organization a building with civic presence — and a terrace the whole neighborhood uses. Nadia ran the community process with real patience.”
★★★★★
“We’ve worked with bigger firms; none stayed this engaged through CA. The mass-timber detailing alone leased the building.”
Off the wire
Reviews, notes & the studio at work.
Google reviews @verbeekasher on X Instagram
Margaret S. · May 2025
★★★★★
They drew our house around the light, not the lot lines. The set was so complete the build had almost no surprises.
Riverside Arts · Nov 2024
★★★★★
A small organization given a building with real civic presence — and a riverfront terrace the whole city uses.
Forge Dev. · Aug 2024
★★★★★
None of the bigger firms stayed this engaged through construction. The timber detailing leased the building.
Verbeek & Asher @verbeekasherPinned
A complete drawing set is the cheapest insurance in construction. Every question we answer on paper is one the contractor doesn’t answer with your budget. Draw it before you build it. ✏️
♥ 412⇄ 88May 12
Verbeek & Asher @verbeekasher
Topped out today: the Mill District Workplace. Six stories of cross-laminated timber, floors left exposed. Low-carbon, warm underfoot, and honest about how it stands up. 🌲
♥ 268⇄ 51Apr 28
Verbeek & Asher @verbeekasher
Reminder for owners starting a project: the least expensive change is the one made in schematic design. The most expensive is the one made in the field. Phases exist for a reason.
♥ 331⇄ 64Apr 9
Verbeek & Asher @verbeekasher
The greenest building is the one that already exists. The Foundry Lofts kept a 1908 frame and 2,000 tons of embodied carbon out of a landfill. Reuse is a design strategy, not a compromise.
♥ 205⇄ 39Mar 22
Illustrative social proof for this template. Project images and posts reflect the studio’s work; individual experiences and results vary.
Start a project
Every building begins as a conversation.
Tell us about your site, your program, and your ambitions. We’ll respond within two business days and, if it’s a fit, schedule a no-obligation conversation with a principal.