Stephen Hruby
AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Principal
Stephen J. Hruby is a founding partner of Architects Unlimited, an architectural, urban design and town-planning firm founded in 1982. Nationally recognized for his work with affordable housing, mixed income communities and community revitalization, his work has received awards and acknowledgement for contributions to the community.
Active in community and professional affairs in Naples, Florida where he has resided since 1998, Mr. Hruby is Chairman of the Collier County Affordable Housing Advisory Committee and serves as president of the board of directors of the Collier County Community Land Trust. He is the chairman of the Design Review Board of the City of Naples and served on the board of directors of the Naples Zoo. He presently serves on the board of directors for AIA Florida Southwest and has served on the board of directors of AIA Florida, and is Chairman Elect of Florida Foundation for Architecture. He was awarded the designation of Citizen Architect in recognition of his community service by both AIA Florida and AIA Florida Southwest, the W.R. Frissell Medal of Honor, AIA Florida Southwest’s highest honor, and the 2022 Sam Noe Award for his community service to the City of Naples.
“Architecture was a fascination for me since I was 14 years old and I have never lost my love for the art or the pleasure or the hard work involved in making it come alive. From that early age on there was only one thing I wanted to do with my life, and that was to make architecture. Every available opportunity through undergraduate and graduate studies had me finding different architectural firms to work for during vacations and breaks. Architecture was always on my mind.”
“Nothing was more important to me than architecture–how things go together, how people use space, how space effects people, how an environment is created with the resources available to build on it–every aspect of architecture was and still is important and fascinating to me and continues to be. To me, architecture knowledge continues to expand and change. It’s a never ending process. I’ve always said that before we build any part of the world we live in, we first need to design it, and I’ve believed the quality of our surroundings has a direct influence on the quality of our lives, and along with that belief, design has a direct influence on the quality of our lives.”
