As a result of his 47 years of experience in the design profession, Mr. Hansen is not only a master in the field, but also a dedicated community leader and planner. When he left Washington, DC in 1987 and opened his own practice in rural—but rapidly growing—Loudoun County, Alan recognized the need for a community-centric, volunteer-based design organization, which would serve the County by offering professional planning guidance and, ultimately, foster the creation of sensibly designed, highly functional communities. Since founding the Loudoun County Design Cabinet in 2002, he has given countless hours of service to further the betterment of his community and others—a steadfast commitment for which he was honored with elevation to Fellowship within the AIA in 2013. In addition, his experience as a sole proprietor gave him the opportunity to work on several different types of projects and to acquire incisive leadership and business development expertise; this extensive knowledge base and far-reaching versatility are invaluable assets to his work at DBI. Alan also enjoys being involved in design (he is often found sketching by hand in the studio) and seeks to involve himself with projects that offer variety, engagement, and opportunities for creative growth. Viewing relationship-building as the foundation of business development, Alan maintains that the best projects are those that provide clients with skillful and appropriate design and profitable results.
