Looking Back on 2023

2023 has been an amazing year for us at Patriquin Architects… exciting events, progress on all levels and growth individually and collectively. We are grateful to have collaborated with amazing clients, engineers and contractors this year, to bring ideas to life.

Patriquin Architects is Growing

Interns Aurora Perreault & Uzayr Agha and newcomer Joshua Lavallee all completed their MArch and joined Patriquin Architects full time.

2023 Completed Projects

The Place 2 Be

Originating around 1861 as a firehouse, this venerable structure has undergone a series of remarkable transformations, culminating in its current identity as “The Place 2 Be” – a contemporary, vibrantly hued restaurant that respects its rich heritage while embracing the future.

Union Station Campus

Working with the New Haven Parking Authority, in collaboration with the Union Station Partnership, consisting of the City of New Haven and the Connecticut Department of Transportation, along with DESMAN and firm Svigals + Partners, our firm had the opportunity to develop a conceptual design for the Union Station campus in New Haven.

Keeping North Stonington Affordable Feasibility Study at Wintechog Hill

Keeping North Stonington Affordable, in collaboration with SLR Consulting, commissioned Patriquin Architects to conduct a feasibility study for a vacant lot situated on Wintechog Hill Road. Several options were proposed for unit layouts that included a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units within the parameters of SLR’s recently completed site study.

Friends Center for Children’s Flint Street Campus

When Friends Center for Children purchased the abandoned Cine 4 property at 25 Flint Street in New Haven, planning began for a new early childhood education campus in the Quinnipiac Meadows neighborhood.  The completed master plan includes 3 phases of construction. The campus will center around a green courtyard sheltered by the surrounding buildings, which will provide the young students, their families, and the staff of Friends Center with a secure gathering and play space in the heart of the campus.

Under Construction

Slate Upper School

Our design for Slate Upper School focuses on the site’s natural features to create an inspiring and immersive campus that will live in tandem with Slate Lower School. A discrete entrance and parking area to the east of the site allows a buffer of existing and newly planted vegetation between school traffic and surrounding neighbors. Travelling from the parking area to the Upper School campus, a footbridge brings students over a valley of wetland soils and gradually reveals the new building. Scheduled completion, September 2024.

Perch & Hollow Residence

This modern state-of-the-art residence was designed to capture the natural wooded views surrounding the property, bringing them to the interior through two-story glass facades. An intricate structural system allows for maximum glazing and an extended cantilever into the trees.

Girl Scouts of Connecticut

Developed with the varying needs of campers in mind, a new pool house and cook shelter for the Girl Scouts of Connecticut bring ADA accessibility to Camp AnSeOx for campers of all abilities. At Camp Yankee Trails, construction has begun on a new shower house and an addition/renovation to the dining hall.

The Farm Belly

The Farm Belly began with a passion for feeding people fresh and delicious food grown by Connecticut’s hard-working farmers. Located on the first floor of King’s Block in Fair Haven, CT, the new cafe will continue its mission of providing locally sourced ingredient, with a farm to table experience.

On the Boards

Royal Arcanum, a historic mixed-use building with commercial space, residential units in the center of Norfolk, CT; new classroom and lab spaces at Wesleyan University; and a zoning study in Cheshire, CT.

We have also begun projects with Ridgefield Academy, Glendower Group, the development arm of the Housing Authority of New Haven, and continue to work with Yale University on a variety of renovation projects.

Sustainability

Our Sustainability Committee is chaired by Aurora Perreault & Molly Straut. Topics discussed include taking on the 2030 challenge, methods to track project progress, materials used, carbon emissions and how we can make a difference in our local communities.

We are also very proud that King’s Block  was  Passive House certified through Phius.

Awards

• AIA New England Emerging professional friendly firm award. This award recognizes firms that create nurturing environments and professional development opportunities for emerging professionals.
• AIA Connecticut’s Gala Dinner was a proud moment for Patriquin Architects, receiving AIA CT’s 2023 Sustainable Architecture Award of Excellence for our own office building – King’s Block, and taking the opportunity to celebrate Paolo Campos on his AIA CT Presidency.
• Patriquin Architects continues its commitment to J.E.D.I Challenge.

Speaking Engagements 

• Karin Patriquin presented a session titled “Seizing the Opportunity of Historic Passive House Retrofits” at the AIA national conference in San Francisco.
• At CACX, AIA CT’s annual expo, Karin Patriquin and Jennifer Shea partnered with Allyx Schiavone, the director of the Friends Center for Children, to give a presentation titled “Case Study: Creating an Affordable Early Childhood Education Community”.
• Aurora Perreault participated in a panel with Misha Semenov-Leiva and Dov Feinmesser titled “Demystifying the 2030 Commitment: Challenges and Successes from 3 Connecticut Firms”.
• Karin Patriquin led a discussion alongside David Varnish entitled “Small Firms 101 – Key Topics”.
• And Aurora Perreault presented her thesis “Timber Haven, A Mass Timber Manufacturing & Education Facility: A nexus between a more sustainable construction industry and a more informed public”.

2023 Blogs

To read more, check out our blog page.

We started Vlogging!

In addition to our blogs, we are launching a series of vlogs on our YouTube Channel. Here is a link to our latest vlog.

Team Culture

We are so grateful for the people we have on board and looking forward to many more opportunities to bond as a team in 2024.

Giving Back to the Community

We believe in giving back by participating at a Habitat for Humanity build in New Haven; hosting the UHart summer camp students at our office and partnering with the AIA Hip Hop Architecture camp at the University of Hartford.

News & Press

A few of our projects have been featured in the news:  Slate Upper School1, SUS2, Friends Center for Children Housing and Union Station Campus.

Professional Engagements

• After a successful presidency at AIA CT in 2023, Paolo Campos will now be the Connecticut representative at the AIA National’s Strategic Council for 2024.
• Karin Patriquin is selected to chair AIA CT’s new Small Firms Exchange  in 2024 and continues to be the Connecticut representative to AIA National’s Small Firms Exchange.
• Leen Hairi has been elected to be on the AIA board of directors for 2024
• Paolo Campos taught Architectural Practice and Management at the Yale School of Architecture
• Max Ernesto Ballardo continues to teach Architectural Drawing at the University of New Haven
• Karin Patriquin continues on the Advisory Board for the School of Architecture at the University of Hartford

What’s in Store for the Year Ahead?

If you have building or renovation projects in mind for the year ahead and will be looking to collaborate with an experienced architecture firm, we’re happy to tell you about our services. Please contact us at your convenience. Happy New Year!