JOHN NAHRA

John is the founding Principal of Nahra Design Group. As leader of firm operations, he recruits and directs a talented staff of design professionals who collaborate to execute projects of many scales. With an endless passion for architecture, John pursues each project with the philosophy that good design creates value.

He has designed and overseen construction on a wide range of projects including custom residential design, multi-family residential, retail prototype development and roll-out in various geographic regions, restaurant/retail design and commercial mixed-use base building design and renovation. His expertise in the design-build construction industry lends him specialized insight into issues of constructability and construction procurement. John prides himself on providing exemplary client service throughout the entire design and construction process. He pushes each of his projects to be aesthetically excellent, functionally efficient, and economically and environmentally responsible.

In addition to professional practice, John is a visiting teaching adjunct at The Catholic University of America School of Architecture and Planning where he teaches in the graduate design program, with a specialty in real estate development. This time in the classroom allows him to test new ideas, balancing research with practice.

John is licensed to practice architecture in the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), National Council of Architecture Registration Boards (NCARB) and the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). He earned dual undergraduate degrees in Architecture and Civil Engineering from The Catholic University of America where he finished first in his class. He also holds a Master of Architecture from The Catholic University of America. John’s original home is Davenport, Iowa where he still has many family ties.