Lew Oliver
Lew is an Atlanta-based urbanist, master planner, and designer with more than a decade of experience in advancing New Urbanism and residential design. He envisions, designs, and implements whole towns.
Master plans by Oliver are designed with each community’s values, local vernacular, and climate in mind. He focuses on the pedestrian experience in each of his site plans, ensuring that physiological and psychological wellness of residents is paramount. Each of his plans considers how to enrich the landscape.
Oliver, Principal of Lew Oliver Inc., is a preferred design consultant of renowned Duany Plater Zyberk, having undertaken over 40 charrettes internationally. One of his favorite charrettes that his design hand and leadership was involved with includes the Scottish Sustainable Community Initiative, where he helped plan the first extension of Edinburgh since 1805.
He is celebrated for extraordinary attention paid to form, detail and proportion, making for beautiful, innovative designs.
Oliver has curated a versatile, but exclusive, design collection comprised of highly marketable plans with stylish, timeless exteriors. Most recently, he has focused on a collection of systems built modular plans suitable for compact, walkable neighborhoods. He is motivated by net-zero ready design.
Awards for his work include Platinum and Gold Best in America Living (BALA) Awards for “Single Family Community, 100 Units & Over,” and "Game Changer" (2023,) Platinum BALA Awards for "Community of the Year," "Best in Region," and "Best On-The-Boards Community" (2021), CNU Charter Award in the Neighborhood, District, and Corridor category (2021), International Americas Property Awards for "Best Mixed-Use Development of Brazil" and "Best Commercial High Rise of Brazil," (2021-2022), Fourteen 2022 Greater Atlanta Home Builders OBIE awards, Eighteen 2021 OBIE Awards, including "Mixed-Use Community of the Year," three Home Builders Association of South Carolina 2021 Pinnacle Awards, Twenty-five 2020 OBIE winners, Gold Best in America Living (BALA) Awards for "Best On-The-Boards Community," (2020), Atlanta Magazine’s Atlanta Groundbreakers of 2017, Coastal Living’s Ultimate Designer Beach House at Rosemary Beach, Southern Living’s Inspiration House at Cedar Bluff, and more.
A few noteworthy projects include: Trilith, Town Planner; Tornagrain, Ladyfield, Grandview, Lochgelly, for the Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative, Scotland, Designer, DPZ team member; Mineral de Posos,Mexico, Master plan, residential product development; Hartness, Town Planner; Las Catalinas, Liberia, Costa Rica, Charrette Leader & residential designer; Architectural Agrihood concept, Vancouver, BC, Designer; Isla Jose Gonzalez, Panama, Designer& DPZ team member; Berlin, Germany, Designer & DPZ Team Member; Batan, Ecuador, Designer & DPZ Team member; Patrick Square, Clemson, SC, Town Urbanist & residential blocks designer; Hendrix College, Conway, AK, Town Urbanist Buildings; & Mixed–use Quadrangle Seabrook, WA, Designer Designer; Schooner Bay, Great Abaco, Bahamas, Mixed-use town center & residential designer.