Posts by Karin
How to Support Social Distancing in Your Office Space
Just three months ago, few of us could have imagined how different life would be today. Workplaces and work cultures have already transformed to meet the challenge of COVID-19, and as parts of the country begin to reopen, we can expect further transformations. Although it’s hard to predict what our work lives (as well as…
Read MoreHow to Adjust Your Restaurant Layout for COVID-19 Restrictions
As the country adapts to life under the COVID-19 pandemic, dining remains one of the most eagerly anticipated – and challenging – economic sectors to reopen. In order to resume dining-in services, restaurants will have to adhere to local regulations and adjust their operations to provide safe and enjoyable environments for both patrons and staff. …
Read MoreSlate School: A Virtual Tour
As part of the 2020 Sustainability Week at AIA Connecticut and for the CT Green Building Council’s annual site tour, we were asked to guide a walking tour of Slate School. Due to the current health regulations, this has been postponed. As a small teaser, we are featuring a recent video of drone footage prepared…
Read MoreDoes Your Commercial Project Require an Architect?
In Connecticut, residential building or renovation projects involving single-family or two-family homes don’t require the services of an architect. Commercial, industrial, and institutional construction (along with multi-family residential) are another story. With those types of projects, requirements for the involvement of an architect vary based on how the structure is categorized and the size of…
Read MoreHow to Know if You Need an Architect for Your Residential Project
Architects are highly trained and certified experts who can bring a helpful professional perspective to any project, including residential new construction or renovation. In some cases, an architect’s oversight and “stamp of approval” is required by law. For example, projects involving multifamily structures (those in which two or more families will live in separate residences)…
Read MoreTraveling Architect: A City Like No Other in Peru
Ask any architect and they’ll tell you: traveling to a city you’ve never visited is doubly exciting when you view it from a designer’s perspective. When Max, from our office, made a trip back to his home country of Peru, he decided to visit Arequipa, a city he had never seen. Accompanied by his family,…
Read MoreHow Unusual Design Collaborations Can Deliver Great Results
Every architectural design project we take on involves collaboration to some degree. At a minimum, we work with the property owner to develop the design, and in many cases, either the owner or our team brings in one or more additional experts. This most typically includes structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineers – often shortened…
Read MoreGuilford residents approve donation of land for affordable housing
GUILFORD — The room at Guilford’s Nathanael B. Greene Community Center was packed Tuesday night with hundreds of residents who had come to vote on whether to convey a parcel of land downtown to NeighborWorks New Horizons, a nonprofit that aims to develop 16 affordable housing units on the town’s Woodruff property. It was…
Read MoreGuilford to vote on affordable housing project
GUILFORD — Residents next week will vote on whether to transfer a downtown parcel of land to NeighborWorks New Horizons, a nonprofit that would oversee development of affordable housing units on the site. Full article here. Published on February 5, 2020 by Meghan Friedman
Read MoreWhat is Modern Vernacular Architecture?
Merriam-Webster defines the word “vernacular” as “using a language or dialect native to a region or country rather than a literary, cultured, or foreign language.” Applying that term to our profession, the Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World (Paul Oliver, 1997) defines “vernacular architecture” as: “…comprising the dwellings and all other buildings of the…
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