“Using the new design technologies in the old paradigm is like buying a $1,200 nail gun and using it to pound nails.”
– Jim Balding, Founder, The ANT Group
The Ant Group
The ANT Group was born from the conviction that “there must be a better way” to design, communicate and execute Architectural design in partnership with the entire team including our clients.
The Architects with New Technologies Group (The ANT Group) is a full-service architectural design firm located in Old Towne Orange, California that occupies a historic Craftsman Bungalow we love. We get up in the morning to incorporate technological solutions to save our clients time and money that ultimately yields a more functional and beautiful design. Our process aids in the visualization and clear documentation to improve the speed and efficiency of the design process, resulting in a better design with fewer errors and revisions down the line. Our 35 years of experience includes single family residential as well as commercial projects from restaurants to office tenant improvements to hospitality. We are proud to be licensed in the State of California, and have created design packages in multiple states and countries. In addition to that, The ANT Group was recently named the Preferred Architects of the USA Pickleball Association.
Jim Balding
“Architects are born, not bred” – Jim Balding
Jim grew up designing and building from an early age, spending hours on end with his blocks, Legos and Lincoln Logs. At age 7, his mother proclaimed, “Jimmy is going to be an Architect.” After selling his first home design at 16, he was on his way. Educated in Environmental Design at the University of Colorado, Jim returned home to find complementary excitement in technology. These two passions formed the foundation for his career in Architecture and new technologies.
Jim has worked globally in custom residential design, retail, hospitality, and restaurants for one of the most renowned firms in the world. Over the past five decades, Jim has been working on a vast array of projects – large and small – around the globe using leading-edge technologies. Projects from the Hyatt Regency in California, the Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman, to the Four Seasons Hotel Doha at The Pearl in Qatar.
As a technology enthusiast, Jim was an early adopter and consultant to several software start-ups, including Charles River Software/Revit, Avail, SketchUp, Buzzsaw, Skooter, Revizto, Fuzor, ConceptCAD, and Autodesk Showcase. He has served on advisory boards for Autodesk, Avail, ArchVision, Buzzsaw, HP, and Wacom. In addition to that, Jim founded the South Coast Revit User Group (SCRUG) and served as its president for 5 years. He also served as the first Revit Product Chairman for AUGI (Autodesk User Group International) and was a founding member of the Orange County AIA Technology Group as well as an original committee member of the USIBD, where he served as the Chair of Technology.
Jim gained international exposure as a presenter and author speaking at Engineering News Record (ENR) and was featured in their printed publication on the topic of Digital Fabrication, Augmented Reality, and BIM. He has been interviewed for multiple publications, including Architectural Record and Obras. Co-authoring the book, "Introducing and Implementing Autodesk Revit," Jim frequently speaks at global design technology conferences including Autodesk University and the Revit Technology Conference (now BILT). Jim’s promenance in the industry lead him to a role as a founding committee member of the Revit Technology Conference (RTC) for North America, as well as a founding member of the global executive committee for RTC (now BILT). He has also served on architecture competition juries, including the Radical Innovation Awards and HOK’s “BIMies.”
When Jim is not working, you’ll find him admiring quality design in architecture, spending time with his family on the Pickleball court.