SPIRE Architecture was created in 2013 from the collaboration of the previous firms of the two partners.... 'KCS Studios' and 'the Martin Architecture Guild'... to create an Award-Winning full service Architecture firm for the Annapolis and greater Anne Arundel County area.  Both principals have spent time as adjunct faculty at Anne Arundel Community College, and enjoy sharing their experience and training with the next generation of Architects.

Named 'Best of Annapolis' three years in a row, SPIRE continues to serve a wide variety of design needs... designing accessory structures, residential renovations, new homes, waterfront projects in the Critical Area, municipal and community commercial projects, restaurants, and church additions and renovations.

SPIRE projects have been featured in Annapolis Home Magazine, in 'Home of the Week' features in the Capital, and in publications with the Annapolis Design District... and we would love to bring our team and our talent to help in the design, planning, and construction of your project.

As a co-owner of Spire, Kurt is the driving force behind organization, construction methods, and documentation.  With nearly 30 years of experience, he has worked with several companies in the Architecture and Design-Build industries leading design teams, overseeing construction document preparation, and reviewing construction work on-site.  He has worked on more than 600 residential design projects ranging from small single room additions to multi-family neighborhoods and mixed-use residential buildings.  As a longtime resident of Anne Arundel County, he has extensive experience with the unique challenges of building on the waterfront and critical area properties that are common in the region.  He has personally renovated several homes.

As an adjunct professor at Anne Arundel Community College, he teaches the next generation to use the design and documentation software essential to the profession of Architecture.  His time at the college has led to chaperoning travel study to Greece where he and his students visited and studied the great works of the ancient world and how they informed the architecture of today.

Kurt is a devoted husband and father of three children.  He and his family spent their time together doing outdoors activities such as kayaking, fishing, hiking, and golfing.  He has made it a core value to have family be first in the lives of all Spire Architecture employees. 

Craig serves as one of two Principals at SPIRE Architecture, typically working with coordinating client services, creating client proposals, and working through Schematic Design and Development with project teams.  He is a licensed Architect, American Institute of Architects (AIA) member, LEED Accredited Professional, and NCARB member.

Craig started his design studies at Annapolis Senior High in the Architectural program...  He continued his education at Virginia Tech graduating first in his program with a B.S. in Building Construction in 1994.  After teaching High School at Arundel Senior High in the TechEd program, he returned to complete more design education at Anne Arundel Community College, receiving an Associates Degree 2004, where his CapStone project in LEED Design principles with fellow student Bill Brust won first prize and is on display at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources headquarters in Annapolis.

Craig returned to Graduate School at The Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. and graduated with his M.Arch degree in 2007, being awarded the Henry Adams Medal and Certificate of Merit as the top Graduate Student, and a Thesis award for his Urban Design Thesis on the redesign of Old Town Baltimore.

Professionally, Craig has interned with Fourth Street Design Studio in Annapolis and with InFORMation Design in Catonsville.  He also interned at Marks Thomas + Associates during Graduate School, and joined Hord|Coplan|Macht in Baltimore after graduation. Craig also served as an Assistant Site Superintendent with HAMEL Builders in 2010-2012, and helped supervise the reconstruction of the multifamily housing projects of Annapolis Gardens and Bay Ridge Gardens.  He finished his licencing hours and Architecture exams in 2012, started the Martin Architecture Guild soon thereafter, and partnered with Kurt Shepard to start SPIRE Architecture in 2013.

Craig has taught at the Anne Arundel Community College in multiple Design Studio classes, and currently serves on the Eastport Civic Association's Architectural Review Committee in Annapolis.  He served on the Annapolis City Dock Action Committee during the redesign consulting process, and has co-led the award winning ArchiTREX Tour of downtown Architecture with Watermark/HistoricAnnapolis. He has travelled domestically and abroad, chaperoning a student trip to Switzerland, Italy, and France, and on Mission Trips to North Carolina, Haiti, Guatemala, the Czech Republic, Kenya, and Ghana... and hopes to continue international travel in the near future.  He lives with his family in Annapolis.

Rick has been with Spire since 2016 and works on projects ranging from interior renovations to new home construction.  He is experienced with all phases of the design process and assist clients through the process from initial site design to documenting construction.

Having attended both Anne Arundel Community College and Morgan State University, Rick has a Bachelor of Science and Environmental Design.  While in college he won an AIA Student Design Award  and traveled to France and Spain as part of their Travel Study program. 

Rick has more than 14 years of experience in the construction industry and is a partner in a small construction firm as well as being a Staff Architect with Spire.  His construction experience informs his work with Spire and keeps him up to date on the latest building materials and methods for use in Spire projects.