Danielle Swift

Danielle (she/her) remembers as a child watching her dad, a contractor, run a nail through his hair before driving it clean into an oak fencepost (the first two un-greased nails had bent). This lesson in building, friction, and hygiene left a big impression. She was already inclined to think with her hands, so having access to wood shops and blueprints and job sites fed her passions for designing
and making things.

Her career in construction officially started at 15 with a summer job as a laborer working for her
uncle’s design/build firm in Maryland. She continued acquiring building experience and tools
through college, ultimately graduating from SCAD with a master’s degree in Architecture and a
dual BA in Architecture and Historic Preservation. She went on to work as a construction project
manager on mostly high-end residential historic projects. Out of sixty project managers at the
company, she was the only female. Being in a male-dominated field came with challenges, but
her passion for working with the built environment kept her motivated to move through them.

For the past four years, Danielle has been designing, building and managing projects
independently in Asheville. She loves that she’s been able to fuse together her varied
skillsets and is always excited about the next project. She also loves pastries, swimming holes
and dance floors!