From our Portfolio
What’s Master Planning? Slate Upper School Is a Good Example of the Process
Early stage master planning for the design and construction of a building or site is a highly collaborative process that puts the project on the right trajectory for success. It involves everything from early budgeting, to coordinating the work of experts like landscape architects and civil engineers, to working sessions with the client. “Laying the…
Read MoreTrinity Baptist: 6 Steps to the Optimal Design
We are proud of the exceptionally talented architects and designers on our staff. But it takes more than just talent to produce a design that fully meets a client’s needs. We’ve learned in our many years practicing architecture that the best way to achieve a successful outcome is to follow a thorough initial process for…
Read MoreMore Program Space and a Cohesive Campus for Trinity Baptist
Trinity Baptist Church in New Haven, CT, serves a diverse urban population and has a fast-growing congregation. In fact, the church has flourished to the point that at the time they reached out to us, it had outgrown the multi-purpose program spaces that supplement the main sanctuary. To address this issue, church leaders formed a…
Read MoreHow Our Culture and Character Have Led to 10 Successful Years
When looking for an architecture firm, clients always ask about the organization’s work experience and portfolio. Yet the firm’s culture and character is an oft-ignored but equally important aspect in their choice. Inquiries that aren’t explored as often but that can be just as important include: Is there good team chemistry? Do team members “pull…
Read MoreFrom our Portfolio: Friends Center for Children
FRIENDS CENTER FOR CHILDREN: SUSTAINABLE EDUCATION The Friends Center for Children is a sustainably designed early childhood facility located in Fair Haven, CT. The school provides a learning environment for children aged six months through five years. The building project was funded by a state bond and through private donorship. We are especially proud of the design features that aid in the education,…
Read MoreFriends Center for Children – Presentation Boards
These are our presentation boards, prepared for the Friends Center for Children. The site is shared with the Quaker Meeting House. The building is located so as to give each classroom access to their playground directly behind the building, facing city parklands. The main volume is low to the ground, to minimize the visual impact…
Read MoreFrom Our Portfolio: Roìa Restaurant
ROÌA: A TIMELESS RESTAURANT IN NEW HAVEN’S HISTORIC TAFT BUILDING The Taft Hotel at 261 College Street in the heart of New Haven was designed by New York architect F.M. Andrews and opened in 1912. The grand dining room for the hotel was a 2-story-high space with dark moldings and light-colored walls. After the conversion of the…
Read MoreFrom Our Portfolio: Shoreline Downtown Living
/ / THE CHESTNUT BUILDING INFUSES A MIX OF LIVING AND COMMERCIAL SPACES INTO THE HEART OF BRANFORD A key corner in Branford, CT, at the historical crossroads of industry, commerce, and a residential neighborhood was an ideal place to create commercial and medical spaces at street-level, with apartments on a second floor. THE NEIGHBORHOOD…
Read MoreA Neighborhood Scale
These elevations of the Chestnut Building in Branford were prepared for presentation to the Town of Branford’s various boards. The drawings, as well as accompanying photos, showed the scale and massing of the immediate neighbors. When designing in a mixed neighborhood, especially a historical one, it is important to look at the scale and materiality…
Read MoreOn The Boards: Housing, Garden Style
The design of garden apartments harkens back to the late 19th century English Garden City Movement, championed by Ebenezer Howard. Garden style was first brought to the United States in 1917 when Edward MacDougall developed the Jackson Heights Greystone complex with lavish gardens, decorative fountains, and well-kept lawns. Although the Greystone development consists of detached…
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