A little-known fact about me:
It was 15 degrees out when my profile photo was taken.
Favorite place to travel:
Mountains. I like seeing them from below and like the dramatic views when I’m in them. Be it Green Mountains, White Mountains, Smokies, Rockies, Alps or Sierra Nevada I’ll be happy to be there.
Favorite project I’ve worked on:
The Kittredge Center at Holyoke Community College was the first project in my career that I was able to work on from start to finish. It’s a building that’s rich in detail and brings a lot of delight to the otherwise stolid concrete campus. And I was able to introduce a green roof to the project.
When I’m not designing architecture, you can find me…
Perusing farmers markets or making pies or puttering around the house with an endless to-do list.
Favorite quote:
“Fortune favors the prepared mind.” Louis Pasteur
Favorite animal and why:
I’ve always been partial to elephants; it’s something about their slow, ponderous movement and content eyes that makes me feel peaceful.
Favorite phase of design:
I like the construction phase when teams of people coordinate their efforts to bring all the planning and design to fruition. Ahead of construction, I personally enjoy working out a coherent set of details that allow the contractor to carry out the design intent; if there are no questions during construction, I know I’ve succeeded.
Favorite movie:
Tough choice between Harold and Maude or Down by Law. Can’t go wrong with Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
What gives you joy?
The moment I notice the first blush of green in the tree canopy in early spring.
How am I engaged in my community?
I’m a Friend of the Middlesex Fells, along with my son, and occasionally join in local recycling/reuse events.
Favorite music?
I’m pretty happy with most of the what I hear on WUMB. I like the old folk-rock roots that take me back to music I grew up with but also enjoy learning about artists I didn’t know then such as Muierann Bradley or Pokey LaFarge. Otherwise I range about from Donovan to Tom Waits, from Vampire Weekend to Dan Hicks, from Radiohead to Nick Drake. I listened to a dozen versions of Hallelujah and confirmed that Jeff Buckley did it best.