About

LAB (Laboratory for Architecture & Building) was established in 1999 and has completed a broad range of projects, including urban design, master planning, interiors, renovations, and new buildings. We’re most interested in our projects serving their immediate users and communities and responding sustainably to their environment through sound construction and careful planning. We don’t strive for buildings that scream for attention, but we want them to create lasting impressions in how they fit their neighborhood or site, capture the sun or view, or feel underfoot. We’re interested in the experience of the building and the place, both the sculptural form of the construction and the passage through the building’s landscape. Most of all, we want our buildings to have meaning -- that comes from a response to context, environment, program, and architectural inspiration!

​

Brian Harner and Leonardo Sarli are registered architects in Virginia and the design principals at LAB. Over the course of our practice, we have invested heavily in our community, serving on multiple commissions, task forces, community associations, and working groups. Our buildings are of their community, generally humble projects that fit their surroundings. In contrast, our master planning and urban design work are forward-looking and broad in scope, with significant work in regional transportation and commercial center revitalization.