Seth Ballard is the founder and principal architect of Ballard+Mensua Architecture, an award-winning firm based in the Washington, DC metro area. With over three decades of experience and licensure in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia, Seth brings a deep commitment to personalized design, sustainable building practices, and historically informed architecture.

A graduate of Tulane University’s Master of Architecture program (1992), Seth’s design philosophy draws from a wide range of interests—green building, Feng Shui, historic preservation, and Native American history. He is NCARB certified and eligible for licensure in any U.S. state.

Seth began his career managing residential renovations through his own design firm before joining Soe Lin & Associates in Bethesda, MD, where he trained under the mentorship of Douglas Soe Lin, a renowned international architect. Seth managed over half of the firm’s projects—ranging from historic restorations and commercial interiors to major residential commissions and international healthcare facilities. He credits this period with instilling the rigorous discipline and client-first mindset that defines his current practice.

In 2005, Seth founded Ballard+Mensua Architecture to offer high-touch architectural services to discerning homeowners and developers. Since then, he has overseen more than 300 projects—custom homes, whole-house renovations, and luxury additions—with construction values totaling over $2 billion.

Fluent in both English and Spanish, Seth is known for translating his clients’ vision into deeply personal, enduring architecture. He remains committed to incorporating sustainable practices wherever possible, minimizing waste, and maximizing long-term value for every client.

• Masters of Architecture, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, 1960
• President of College of Architects, Catalonia, Spain – 1985-2001 (equivalent of American Institute of Architects, in Barcelona region of Spain)

Areas of practice: Northeastern Spain (Barcelona, Girona and surrounding regions); Valencia, Spain, Bilbao, Spain

Type of practice: Schools, factories, apartment buildings, custom homes, retail stores, town homes and office buildings

Vicente Mensua is Seth Ballard’s father in law.

Vicente Mensua has practiced architecture throughout Spain and France for 35 years, completing a wide variety of projects. He currently maintains a dedicated repeat client base – without any marketing of any kind.

He serves as council for Ballard+Mensua and will work directly with Seth Ballard on select projects in Spain and in the US.

• Bachelor of Architecture, Hampton University, 1999
• LEED Green Associate’s degree, 2013

Roger Ray joined Ballard + Mensua’s team full-time in 2016, after about a year of part-time work. Roger has a Bachelor’s degree from Hampton University (1999) and went directly to work for established DC Architect, Edward M Johnson. Roger gained broad experience working on detailing and designing homes mostly in the Washington, DC market. Roger and Seth Ballard met in 2015 when Mr. Johnson’s work was starting to slow down as he moved closer to retirement. Seth saw immediately that Roger had a beautiful hand and eye for detail and that Roger is a very organized project manager. Roger understands all aspects of buildings and specializes in meeting all requirements of permit offices, from DCRA (DC) to Fairfax to Arlington. In almost 6 years of working together, Roger has grown and now is very good at sketch up 3-d designs and drawings and doing interior design and detailing of drawings. Roger is now setting the standard for the office and helping the other staff to hold to Mr. Ballard’s high standards for very buildable and highly detailed construction drawings. Roger is working more and more with clients to help Seth to handle projects from soup to nuts and will be taking on more direct client work over time. Roger is currently finishing up his licensing exams and hopes to be licensed by 2018. 1999-2003 - Intern Architect, Edward M. Johnson & Assoc., PC. (Washington, D.C,) Assisted in the development of construction documents, presentation drawings, concept designs, project specifications, performed zoning analysis, and permit acquisition for all projects under contract with the firm. 2003- 2016 - Project Manager, Edward M. Johnson & Assoc., PC. (Washington, D.C,) Managed all phases of design from concept to construction for residential and commercial interior design projects, alterations, renovations, conversions, and modernization of existing buildings or facilities, or new structures with construction values ranging from $100,000.00 to $5,000,000.00. Prepared all construction documents, drawings, and other supporting documents for acquisition of building permits and bidding for all projects under contract with the firm. Reviewed and evaluated contractor shop drawings, samples, and material certifications recommending approval, approval with modification or rejections. Roger is an avid DC sports fan. Roger also enjoys family time with his wife, Monique, and two children Devyn and Jarrell. Roger also loves to grill.

• Bachelors Degree of Architecture, University of North Carolina at Charlotte -- 2009

Chris Saenger was introduced to Principal, Seth Ballard by Demetrios Stafilatos, who had worked previously with Chris at IS Enterprises. At the first interview, Seth saw Chris’s talent and ideal exposure to hands on construction and development in the field. Chris had clearly brought this experience back into architecture but saw a good opportunity to continue his professional growth with higher end projects at Ballard Mensua. Chris’s own philosophies of design and architecture and how to take care of clients, align with the firm. Chris has grasped every task thrown at him by the firm and is now managing projects from schematic design through construction documents and is helping Seth to oversee construction on some projects. Chris is starting to develop some of his own clientele already and will be handling more and more clients on his own as time goes by. Chris is already an accredited LEED associate, having passed the exam in 2009. Chris is a homeowner in the Shaw neighborhood of DC. In his free time, he prefers to be hands-on in his wood and metals shop, designed and built with a group of friends. 2006 Summer Intern, Sprocket Design Build, Denver Colorado 2009 Artist Apprentice, Randy Shull Design (Asheville, NC) For his first year out of college, Chris worked for a local artist specializing in architectural renderings and visualization, and projects ranged from a custom vacation home in West Hampton, NY to the revitalization of downtown Asheville. 2012 – 2014 Project Manager, IS Enterprises Inc. (Washington, DC) IS Enterprises is both a developer and General Contractor, developing and owning multi-family, single-family, restaurants, and mixed-use urban projects. Chris worked there with Demetrios (how Seth Ballard met Chris and recruited him to the firm later). Chris worked as a project superintendent, working closely with clients, subcontractors and managed the budgets of projects from soup to nuts. 2014 – 2015 Assistant Project Manager, Added Dimensions Inc. (Takoma Park, MD) Added Dimensions is one of the better high-end residential General Contractors in the DC Market. Chris worked directly under the principals of the firm to help manage high-end projects designed by top DC Architects. He gained valuable experience working with clients and working with subcontractors and tradespeople. 2015 – 2016 Designer/Project Lead, Teass/ Warren Architects (Washington, DC)

• MBA, HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL, 2003
• 2003-2017-- Freelance Interior Designer
• 2003 – 2017 –Boston Consulting Group

After working on multiple renovations and investment projects together, including several that sold for hundreds of thousands over market, Seth Ballard convinced Amanda to turn her evening and weekend passion into her day job.  In addition to a keen eye for design, Amanda brings over 20 years of project management and client service experience to Ballard+Mensua, having most recently been with premier management consultancy The Boston Consulting Group.  Her training there, as well as her MBA at Harvard Business School, allows her to provide a level of professionalism and structure to making design decisions that is rarely seen in the industry.  As a licensed Realtor at top Brokerage Wydler Brothers Real Estate, Amanda can also provide Ballard+Mensua clients with end-to-end support in their custom home or renovation journey.  Whether it is searching for the right tear down or fixer-upper, to maximizing value when selling a Ballard+Mensua home, Amanda brings the same level of client service and analytical rigor to her real estate transactions.  Originally from Canada, Amanda lives in North Cleveland Park with her husband, son, and twin daughters.  In her downtime, she enjoys Bar Method and a glass of rosé while watching HGTV.

• BA Architecture, University of Maryland, 2011
• Assistant Manager, TYYAC construction as Construction -2004-2008
• Property Manager for family owned Development Business - 2004-2008
• Freeland Art Dealer – 2000-2008
• Designer/ Estimator -- Nevo Group, Georgetown 2011-2012
• Project Manager/ Designer – I.S. Enterprises Inc. – 2012-2015

Demetrios Stafilatos has a rare combination of hands on construction experience, development and real estate experience and an education from a top architecture school. Demetrios grew up helping his mother to manage their extensive real estate portfolio. On top of Demetrios real estate and construction experience and architectural studies, he grew up working at his family art gallery and collection, The Whyte Gallery. There he helped to sell many famous artists work including works by Matisse, Picasso, Marc Chagall, Barbara Hepworth, M.C. Escher and Samuel Peploe. This experience helped Demetrios appreciation for finer things. Demetrios got early construction experience while in high school working for TYYAC Construction, helping out with everything from carpentry, to budgeting projects to working with subcontractors. This exposure to construction and real estate led Demetrios to study architecture at the University of Maryland. He then graduated and worked for a few developers who also designed and built their own projects. There he designed many multi family residential projects in the District of Columbia, heralded them through the difficult DCRA permit process and then oversaw the construction of the projects. While at I.S. Enterprises, Demetrios also designed Tocopa Restaurant on H Street (now “Stable”) There his creativity and blending of less expensive materials created a fun environment that made it a very popular spot for nightlife and dining. As a Project Manager at Ballard Mensua, Demetrios helps to develop projects from schematic design through completion of construction. Demetrios is a very skilled artist and a master of 3-d rendering softwares and does a lot of the 3-d rendering work in the office. Additionally, Demetrios is continuing to develop his own portfolio, bringing his own clients to the office.

• The Bullis School Graduate, 1968
• US Navy Aviation Machinist-- Squadron VC10 (Guantanamo Bay, Cuba) 1969-70, VF32 (Norfolk) 1971-72, VP68 (Pax River, MD) 1973-1975
• MBA, Urban Studies, University of Maryland 1976
• Commercial Sales Engineer, Robertshaw Controls Company, 1977-78
• Owner, Mechanical Systems Maintenance, Inc. 1980 – 1985
• Owner, Bell Builders Inc. 1985 – 2011
• Consultant, Construction Manager 2011 - 2016

Frank Bell and Seth Ballard were introduced by Joe and Diann Martin in early 2016 when the Martins were interviewing Seth Ballard to become the architect for the restoration of their family Dairy Farm property, Potomac Riverside Farms in Hedgesville, West Virginia. The Martin’s invited both Seth and Frank out to the property to inspect the 1815 farmhouse and surrounding outbuildings, which had been left in disrepair, and were reclaimed by the Martin’s when the newer owner went into foreclosure. As Frank and Seth toured the building and gave advice about what to do throughout the day, Frank or Seth would comment on advice of what to do, and consistently it was the same advice. Later the Martin’s asked Seth if they should have Frank Bell assist to manage construction and Seth said clearly “Definitely!” They asked Frank if they should hire Seth as the architect and Frank said “Definitely!” As Seth learned more about Frank, he realized what an amazing asset Frank Bell is for any construction project, both as a designer and as a construction manager. The two have now worked together on the Martin project through design and construction for two years and have now made their relationship more formal. After years of semi-retirement, taking on only some part time consulting to help prior clients, Seth has lured Frank back into the “game” with a slightly different role. Frank will continue to be heavily involved in the design of projects, will help Ballard Mensua to produce even better drawings by reviewing them with the keen eye of a very experienced builder and will help to oversee and inspect projects while under construction. Ballard Mensua now gives Frank a team of Architects to back him up in the design of his projects and the development of highly detailed drawings. As you can read more below, Frank’s company Bell Builders really set the standard for a quality home and Ballard Mensua is really proud and honored to have him on board.More info about Frank’s History: Frank Bell is a native of Montgomery County, MD where he has spent most of his life and career as a Builder. As former President and Owner of Bell Builders, Inc. headquartered in Bethesda, MD, Frank is recognized throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area for creating homes of unmatched quality and beauty. creativity, and passion he puts into the beautiful custom homes and projects that he and his company produce. Frank has been frequently highlighted in the Washington Post, and other local media outlets for his work in improving the aesthetic of Montgomery County’s neighborhoods and communities one home at a time; an effort that has also earned him numerous awards from several distinguished national and local trade organizations for over 30 years. This includes projects recognized by the Maryland Building Industry Association (formerly the MNCBIA) for excellence in residential home building, including multiple Gold Awards for annual Best Custom Homes; Custom Additions; and Whole House Renovation projects. Frank began his career as a Flight Crew Member and Machinist in the US Navy, and upon discharge went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of Maryland. After graduating from UofM, Frank entered the commercial mechanical construction industry, where he eventually owned and operated his own company. After the profitable sale of this company in the early 1980’s, Frank’s professional focus turned to residential construction, a family tradition led by Frank’s father, Meade Bell, who was a prominent Home Builder in the Washington DC area since the 1940’s. Joining in his father’s legacy of fine home building, Frank established Bell Builders, Inc. in 1985. Throughout his building career Frank has worked to ensure that each of his signature homes not only improves the lives of the homeowners, but that each becomes a recognizable and respected landmark within that neighborhood and community. In this way, Frank is able to make small yet tangible improvements to the communities where he has worked and lived throughout his life, a responsibility Frank feels fortunate to have. With an eye for exquisite detail and the experience of a master, Frank Bell proves that quality construction still exists; that refined elegance is attainable; and that excellent honest work will never go out of style.