Spike Studio

SPIKE Studio, formerly The Atlanta Center for Creative Inquiry, was initiated in 2004 by Oscar “Spike” Harris, FAIA, CEO of Turner Associates/Architects & Planners, Inc., one of Atlanta’s leading architectural firms, and a Carnegie Mellon alumnus and trustee, in partnership with Georgia Institute of Technology and Benjamin E. Mays High School. Oscar “Spike” Harris, was inspired to begin mentoring in creative design due to several influences, including the shockingly low numbers of minorities and women attending college and working professionally in architecture and his experience as a African-American-owned business owner, professional architect and active community member.

Envisioned as a demonstration project to introduce minority high school students to architecture and design, it was modeled after the Sustainable Landscape and Architecture Project, hosted in the STUDIO in 2000-2003 and created by S.K. Woodall.

SPIKE (ACCI) continued to run its mentoring program in Atlanta under Carnegie Mellon’s umbrella until 2009, when the Center formally incorporated itself as a totally independent non-profit Georgia corporation. To date, SPIKE has mentored hundreds of students in metropolitan Atlanta and surrounding areas.