Archinia - Integrated Building and Landscapes

About Us

Archinia is an architectural cooperative that brings in some of the finest forward thinkers in archaeology, landscape, and design from around the world.

The vision for Archinia was established by founder and architectural designer/historian Rachel Preston Prinz. Rachel is the face of Archinia and manages projects and consultants with the help of an accomplished staff.

Rachel graduated from Texas A&M in 1998 with a professional Masters in Architecture, with emphases in Architectural Design & Architecture History, and a Certificate in Historic Preservation. Her pre-professional degree was a Bachelors of Environmental Design, completed in 1995, with minors in business and psychology.

Rachel's passion in architecture resides in discovering the "genius loci" - the "Spirit of Place."

How We Work

Archinia is an architectural and landscape COOPERATIVE. We team with other architects, landscape architects, archaeologists, historians, and technical experts in the fields required for the total success of each project. We build relationships with our clients based on integrity and openness and we encourage both clients and consultants to ask for what they need. We work diligently to meet deadlines and budget, within the constraints allowed by client participation. This is to say, success is our utmost goal, but we cannot achieve it alone!

We are currently working with Espy Architecture, Chupadero Archaeological Resources, Alpine Archaeological Consultants, Archaeologist John Roney, Landscape Architect Craig Schreiber at LandArt, and Dan Jones at Beyond Wildflowers.

Giving Back

As part of "walking our talk," we donate time to community-impacting projects where we live and work. Benefactors have included:

2013 Volunteering on the committee responsible for the First Unitarian Church of ABQ Alexander Girard Mural Relocation

2012 TSV Paint for Peaks Breast Cancer benefit interior redesign

2011          Old Spanish Trail National Historical Trail Outreach and Education
2010-11     Taos Mountain Music Festival Backstage Design
2010          Gourd Sculpture for Taos’ Shared Table Benefit
2009          Taos Plaza Theater Lofts Design Project
2008          Sipapu Peru Shamanic Cultural Center Consultation
2008          CASA Gingerbread House Design Competition
2007          Cheyenne Botanic Gardens Garden Labyrinth© design
2007          Red Cross Wyoming Building Assessment

Archinia (pronounced ahr-ki-NEE-uh) is more than just design - our integrated homes and landscapes are infused with principles of Nature, Community, and Heritage. Our work blends a respect for Place, Tradition, Land, Natural Beauty and of course, the Structure itself. We create, and preserve, timeless design by infusing Spirit and incorporating Sustainability. The spaces we create feel like home, are mindful of the environment, have beautiful views and natural lighting, are scaled appropriately, are affordable, and embrace Universal Design, so that EVERYBODY can use them. We believe in learning from our past in order to inform our future. We believe that projects should be in tune with their unique place in the world. We don't depend on technology to answer the challenges of modern design, rather we manifest timeless designs that work no matter the circumstances. As consultants, we are leading pioneering research in historic context preservation; bio-regional design, and the conceptual design of eco-communities. We love what we do, and it shows!

New! Placemaking

Our newest service is called Placemaking. It's an entirely new way of using Architectural and Archaeological research to PROMOTE the best of what makes a Place great!

You know those (expensive) historic reports you procured to get that grant, document that archaeological site, or register that district? The ones that you spend a boatload of money on and then are thrown into some abyss called a "file cabinet" from which they never return?

Well, that's where we come in. As architectural storytellers interested in archaeology, and utter travel-o-philes, we are always looking for the things that will draw us to a place. We craft itineraries based on our discoveries.

In this service we reverse engineer that process, so that the information that once disappeared... becomes a tool for tourism and economic development.

We discover , and then report on your unique Place's culture, historical record, great food, wine, breweries, unique attractions, and bring to light some of the great stories that make your community shine...

we can build architectural and other tours and training materials for your guides, and get you the news coverage, magazine articles, blogposts, and tweets to keep you on people's minds. And we have the connections to provide websites, apps, and videos too.

The sky's the limit.

What do you Dare to Dream for your community?

Let us know how we can help. Check out this page to learn more.

Rachel's TEDx Talks

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On September 10, 2011, Firm Principal Rachel Prinz gave her first TEDx talk at TEDxABQ, about the things we can learn from archaeology - the 10,000 years of human building history before the Industrial Revolution - to build smarter, better, more sustainable modern buildings today. To watch the video, see the presentation, or followup on the information included in Rachel's TEDxABQ talk... please Click Here! To learn ways YOU can use history to make a greener future for your family, business, or non-profit... please Click Here!~

Her TEDxABQ talk was well-received internationally, and Rachel was invited to apply to speak at TEDxAcequiaMadre in Santa Fe on November 3, 2012. Her talk opened Santa Fe's inaugral TEDx event, where she spoke on acequia (Hispanic period irrigation canals) preservation and culture in the southwest and the importance of water to those living in the desert. To watch the video, see the presentation, or followup on the information included in Rachel's TEDxAcequiaMadre talk... please Click Here!