For alumnus Ted Givens ‘95, architecture has never been about staying in one place, either physically or creatively.

Before he was leading projects across continents, Givens was a second grader wandering through the College of Design’s studios, captivated by students turning unexpected materials into something new. That early exposure sparked a lifelong instinct to question, experiment and draw. Habits that continue to shape his work today.

Now based between Asheville and a global network of projects spanning the Caribbean, Asia and the Middle East, Givens has built a career defined by movement. His path hasn’t followed a traditional trajectory, and has been primarily driven by instinct, timing and a willingness to take risks. That meant turning down stable opportunities, relocating his family overseas and stepping into unfamiliar environments to learn firsthand.

“I always wanted to see the world,” he says. “That was the mission from the beginning.”

That mindset led him to becoming a founding partner of 10 Design in Hong Kong with three other partners in 2010, where he spent over a decade working on international projects and collaborating with teams representing dozens of nationalities. The experience reshaped how he approaches design. Navigating cultural differences, varied building practices and complex global contexts pushed him to think beyond aesthetics and toward adaptability.

Today, that perspective is central to his work in architecture that is designed to thrive in extreme conditions.

Givens approaches every project with a simple but urgent understanding: there is no longer such a thing as a “safe” site. Rising sea levels, extreme weather and shifting environmental conditions have made risk unavoidable. Instead of treating sustainability as an add-on, he sees it as the foundation of good design.

“Everything is at risk,” he explains. “So every building has to respond to that.”

His work reflects that philosophy. From cliffside homes engineered into fragile landscapes to projects in coastal and storm-prone regions, Givens leans into complexity. These aren’t just technical challenges, but opportunities to rethink how buildings interact with their environments.

In many cases, that means designing structures that evolve rather than resist change. Inspired by natural systems, his projects often incorporate materials that weather over time, allowing buildings to age, adapt and blend into their surroundings. Some are intentionally designed to nearly disappear, prioritizing harmony with the landscape over visual dominance.

At the same time, Givens is pushing the boundaries of how architecture is created.

While his firm uses advanced digital tools to bring out-of-this-world concepts to life, he’s found that the most meaningful moments in the design process often come from something much simpler: sketching. 

Sitting down with clients, drawing ideas in real time and translating abstract thoughts into physical form has become a defining part of his practice.

“Even sketching causes a project to morph as you continue to sketch,” reflects Givens. “It’s like what Emerson said about ‘discovering tomorrow’s hidden season.’ That’s what we’re after.”

That openness to interpretation has led to unexpected collaborations, including recent work with graffiti artists. In one evolving concept, Givens creates initial sketches, then invites artists to layer their own ideas directly onto the drawings – challenging, reshaping and expanding the design before it’s ever built. The result is a more fluid, collaborative process that blurs the line between architecture and art.

It’s an approach rooted in experimentation, something Givens believes is essential for young designers. Reflecting on his own career, he encourages students to seek out different perspectives early on, move between firms, learn new systems and resist the urge to settle too quickly.

“You have to see how different people work,” he says. “That’s how you figure out your own path.”

Now, Givens is focused less on scaling up and more on refining his approach. After leading a large team at 10 Design, he’s intentionally keeping his new practice at Ted Givens + Partners smaller and more agile, allowing for deeper collaboration and creative freedom.

His goal is simple: to continue creating work that connects architecture, nature and human experience in meaningful ways while staying open to wherever the next opportunity leads.

If his career is any indication, Givens’ outlook teaches that the most meaningful work happens just beyond the edge of what feels certain.