2030 Commitment: Prioritizing the Environment in Our Practice

The built environment is responsible for approximately 40% of the world’s carbon emissions. That’s a sobering statistic—especially for those of us in the AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) community. Needless to say, we can’t simply halt all design and construction activities. But we certainly aren’t powerless when it comes to the climate crisis. In fact,…

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Classic Forms, Modern Functions. How to Find the Right Balance in Design

Founded in 1912, Girl Scouts of the United States of America—better known simply as the Girl Scouts—is an organization steeped in tradition. Whether you were a scout, know someone who was or is now, or simply are familiar with the organization, you have to admire their long history of helping girls grow, thrive, and improve…

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How 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…

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The General’s Residences – A New Model for Multi-Family Living

A local builder and developer approached us to develop a conceptual design for a 9-unit, market-rate multi-family housing project in nearby Madison, CT. His vision was to preserve and restore an existing historic home (the “General’s Residence“) on the property, while building 6 new detached single-family units, and two 4-car garages with apartment units above.…

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How Your Architecture Firm Can Help with Community Engagement

Architecture Firm Building Community Engagement

In many cases, it takes more than an excellent design and quality construction for a new-build or renovation project to succeed. Sometimes success hinges on the owner’s ability to obtain funds or secure support from people who will benefit from or be affected by the project. In those instances, a project may require a community…

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Roìa Renovation: How We Highlighted Beautiful Hidden Features

One of our areas of expertise is the careful handling of historic structure rehabilitation projects. Designing spaces that have modern functionality and accessibility but also retain key features that help tell their story is no easy task. It requires research into the building’s history, exploratory demolition in many cases, and a knack for the best way…

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Exploratory Demolition: What Is It and What Does It Uncover?

When you’re talking about a building renovation and you hear the word “demolition,” you probably picture crews wielding crowbars and jackhammers with reckless abandon. Sometimes, however, the initial stage of a renovation project calls for a lighter touch. Exploratory demolition, or partial demolition, is used when there are elements in an existing building that need…

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How Top Trends are Affecting Architecture Today

It’s surprising when I stop and think about the fact that I began working as an architect more than 20 years ago. I’ve seen many changes in my two decades in this profession, including new areas of emphasis like sustainability, and new tools such as 3D printers. Yet it seems that the evolution of architecture…

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Travel and Inspiration: Insights from 7 Architectural Minds

Architecture is an interesting craft in that it relies heavily on both analytical and artistic skill. The former is honed by each project we undertake, and by meticulously checking and rechecking our work. When it comes to the creative side of what we do, nothing is more informative and enlightening than traveling to other parts…

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How Student Feedback Confirmed a School Building Design

If you want to know if a building’s design meets all the important criteria, ask the experts. In the case of a pre-kindergarten building, the experts are the children who play and learn in the space. So, that’s who we consulted on a school building project in southern Connecticut.     Greenwich Academy is an…

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