Heeks Collaborative is an architecture and development firm based in Durham, North Carolina. We specialize in renovation, affordable housing and the adaptive reuse of forgotten sites. Our work is guided by the principles of economy, sustainability, and delight.

Economy: We carefully manage financial resources. We are efficient and thrifty and we use that discipline to push innovation and deliver projects that are both essential and wonderful.

Sustainability: We minimize the use of natural resources. We maximize re-use, durability and always share options for minimizing a project’s impact on the environment.

Delight: Whether through the preservation of a special detail or through the creation of something new and unexpected, we strive to create spaces that work well and bring joy.

Heeks Collaborative was founded by Robyn Williams Heeks - a LEED certified architect with ten years of experience designing, building and managing residential and commercial projects. Robyn studied anthropology and environmental studies at Princeton University. Her first career was leading campaigns to protect endangered forests throughout the United States. She completed her Masters in Architecture and Sustainable Design at the University of Texas at Austin in 2008 and moved to North Carolina where she joined Tise-Kiester Architects in Chapel Hill. Her work there included adaptive reuse of old textile mills, small commercial office and restaurant up-fits and the design and construction of tax-credit funded affordable homes and apartments. Most recently, Robyn was the Division Manager for project delivery at the City of Durham where she and her team completed over 100 million dollars in civic projects including a new police headquarters, city hall renovations, two fire stations, athletic fields, urban trails and public art.

Heeks Collaborative was formed in 2019 so Robyn could rededicate herself to affordable housing, sustainability and preservation - the areas of greatest need and potential impact for Durham and cities across the nation.

In addition to residential and small commercial design services, Heeks Collaborative has developed a line of pre-engineered & panelized cottages called BSIDE Homes. The goal of BSIDE is to help solve a critical need for affordable housing in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina by making it easy and affordable for homeowners to build backyard rental cottages, sometimes called “ADUs”.

We believe backyards are an amazing opportunity to build generational wealth for existing homeowners while also building new homes for our community. Learn more here.