Joe Rivers 

Graduate Faculty 

Joe Rivers is a founding principal at Rivers Barden Architects.  He has previously worked at Gensler and other small firms in both Houston and North Carolina.  He also serves as Adjunct Faculty for the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

Now, a licensed architect, Joe began as a laborer for a general contractor, working his way up to carpenter, before returning to school and finishing his architectural studies.   He holds a Master of Architecture from North Carolina State in Raleigh, a Master of Construction Management from Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, and a Bachelor of Environmental Design from Texas A&M University in College Station.  He apprenticed at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture for a year, and studied at the Prague Institute for a semester.

Joe and his wonderful wife bought and renovated the house he grew up in, where they now live with their two dogs. He enjoys cooking and canoeing in his spare time.