We are Thriven Design

A Leap of Faith
The roots of Thriven Design go back to 1971 when Benjamin Kitchen, AlA, PP decided to leave his position as Senior Associate at a prestigious Philadelphia architectural firm to establish his own solo-practice in his Center City rowhouse. Ben was an early-advocate and champion of building designs that used materials efficiently and were environmentally responsible – incorporating both active and passive solar strategies into his projects, many receiving awards and public recognition. As the firm would grow, his design philosophy became a foundational element for Kitchen & Associates – with Ben’s passion for environmental stewardship and his view that architects should approach even the simplest of buildings in a craftsman-like manner having an influence on many generations of architects who would be attracted to the growing firm.

Growing the Firm
In those early years, Beth Kitchen, PP, AICP supported the fledgling firm behind-the-scenes while continuing to work as a Planner for another firm. In 1979, she joined K&A full-time as Managing Principal and became the catalyst for firm growth and expanding the diversity of the practice. Beyond her business leadership, Beth’s passion to improve urban communities and the lives of people with economic challenges drove the firm towards socially-responsible work that was often neglected at that time. She actively mentored several nonprofit CDCs, and her influence is behind many of the firm’s signature projects, such as the Camden Kroc Center, Rowan Boulevard Master Plan, and scores of affordable housing redevelopments. Under Beth’s leadership, K&A emerged as a regional leader in affordable housing and community planning, instilling the social core values which Thriven Design continues to embody today.

Serving Others
Thriven Design has designed multifamily housing since its earliest days, with some of its inaugural projects providing shelter and independence for low-income, senior, and special-needs residents. In the five decades the firm has been in design, our experience has grown, not only in affordable, senior, and supportive markets, but also in municipal work, student housing, commercial building, interior design, energy and engineering. To date we have completed more than 30,000 units of multifamily housing.

Committed to Communities
Thriven Design is known for its long-term relationships with its clients, as well as with the communities in which it serves. In 1996, the South Jersey based firm made a bold commitment to the revitalization of a struggling downtown in Collingswood, NJ. The result was a multi-year preservation rehab that would eventually become the firm’s headquarters. The Zane School project served as an anchor for the revitalization of the town’s main street, and Thriven’s commitment to being a community partner continues to this day.

New Look, Consistent Legacy
In 2022– in celebration of the firm’s 50th anniversary—the firm rebranded from its founding name, Kitchen and Associates, to Thriven Design. Thriven Design honors the firm’s legacy of creating spaces where people thrive, as well as the firm’s drive to produce socially conscious architecture which changes the world by changing the ways people interact with their environment. The name is a combination of how the firm’s designers want communities, clients and end users to feel (thriving) and the forward motion (driven) that helps them do that. The rebrand served as a renewal of the firm’s founding commitment to service, as well as a charge to enact positive change through innovative design.