Meet Chris McCray

Chris is an artist at heart, a love for which he owes to his mother, a gifted artist. He has worked in a design profession for over thirty years, and as a licensed architect for twenty of those years. Chris has designed award-winning residential and commercial buildings, and can offer his clients the cumulative experience earned over thirty years of practice regardless of the size or complexity of their project. His hands-on commercial building experience includes church, school, office, bank, restaurant, and healthcare facilities. His residential design and construction experience includes single and multi-family design, particularly high-performance, energy-efficient buildings. However, he learned early on from his mentor, Steve Fitzpatrick, that the most important skill an architect offers his or her clients is the ability to listen to them. Success as an architect is not measured by design ability alone. For Chris, a project has been successful when a client feels that they have ownership in the design, and that the resulting building is exactly what they envisioned, only better. He personally designs and documents every project. As a result, he does not work on many projects at once. His clients can expect to receive his utmost attention to the details of their home or business enterprise. Nothing brings him greater satisfaction than to hear them introduce him as “My architect”.

Chris’ greatest source of inspiration for his personal and professional life comes from the Bible. Two passages that have guided his reason for practicing architecture are found in the book of Isaiah:

"Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In" (Isaiah 58:12)… they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations" (Isaiah 61:14).

These verses use architectural language... dwelling, foundations, restoration. They express the inspirational theme of a restorative, resilient architecture that improve the lives of people. Chris envisions that the cities of the future will be beautiful places that are contemporary to their time, that restore and celebrate history, and promote healthy living and communities where all people can thrive regardless of their personal wealth and status. That’s why he invests so much care into every project regardless of whether it’s a multi-million dollar master plan or a bathroom remodel. For Chris, being an architect is a calling, not a profession.

There is something about architecture that is deeply spiritual, rooted in God's directive to Adam and Eve to rule over the Earth. However, man's first purpose was to tend a garden. Traditional and indigenous architecture has always been in harmony with the natural environment, balancing the acts of subduing and conserving. In our time, we have the technology to push the envelope of "green" and "sustainable" architecture in a way that is deeply responsive and harmonious with it. The mission of Next Generation Living is to help make that the normal way of doing things—completely typical and affordable to as many people as possible.

Throughout his career, Chris has had the privilege of working on diverse projects that challenge conventional design norms and promote innovative, environmentally responsive solutions. What was once just a vague catch phrase, being "green" is now essential and imperative. Next Generation Living exists to do what can be done to contribute to the work of transforming our built environment, one project at a time. We may never see the future that we build today, but we can be assured that we have done everything we can to make it a good and healthy future for the next generation.

With his Master of Architecture from UTA and Business Management degree from the University of Texas, Chris McCray brings a unique blend of experience, creativity, and strategic thinking to every project.

Chris McCray is a Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC) with the Passive House Institute of the U.S. (Phius), which specializes in energy-efficient and resilient architectural design. He is also a licensed architect in Texas (License #20055), Arkansas (License #10133), North Carolina (License #17423), and South Carolina (License #11499).