Page 37 - BusinessWest March, 21, 2022

Architecture & Engineering
Building Momentum
For Architects, It’s a Time for Being Flexible, Opportunistic
CBy Mark Morris
urtis Edgin says his business is all about flexibility and constantly mak- ing adjustments. This is the case when times are ‘normal,’ he noting, adding that the pandemic and its
many side-effects have only added new dimen- sions to this equation.
Edgin is a principal at Caolo & Bieniek Asso- ciates architecture firm in Springfield, and he appreciates that his firm has stayed busy for the last two years, a time when adjusting and remaining flexible became the norm for every- one, not just architects.
“We were fortunate to have a backlog going
into the pandemic; because projects were at
different phases, we’ve continued to stay busy
throughout,” said Edgin said, noting that munic-
ipal projects such as schools, libraries and public safety facilities make up more than two-thirds of Caolo & Bieniek’s portfolio.
Much of the design work handled by Kuhn Riddle Architects
in Amherst involves colleges and universities. When campuses switched to online learning during the height of the pandemic, they also put many of their building projects on pause, said Aelan Tierney, president of Kuhn Riddle, adding that this began to change this past fall and her firm has been extremely busy since then.
“Colleges felt more confident about the future in terms of bring- ing students back to campus, so all the on-hold projects came back
to life,” she told BusinessWest. “It’s been a com- plete turnaround from where we were in 2020.” Meanwhile, it was two years ago that daily
headlines generated speculation about if and how area restaurants, pummeled by the pan- demic and draconian restrictions, would survive. They have survived — and many are thriving
— by adapting to changing times, said Thomas Douglas, principal of Thomas Douglas Architects in Northampton, a firm that specializes in the restaurant and hospitality sectors.
“Our restaurateur clients put their focus on refiguring their spaces with less seating and
shifted to a different type of service model geared more toward takeout,” said Douglas, adding
that these adjustments kept this sector — and his firm — busy at a time when such vibrancy seemed unlikely.
Together these stories convey a time of chal- lenge and opportunity for area architecture firms
— a time when some projects were scrapped or delayed, but when others came onto and then off the drawing board as different types of clients adjusted to what the pandemic brought to their doorsteps.
And for many, what it brought was a pressing need to improve the air circulation.
Indeed, design plans for the River Valley Co-op in Easthampton were drawn up long before COVID was on anyone’s radar, said Doug- las. From its inception, the plan was for the co-op to run nearly net zero, with most of its heating and air conditioning provided by an array of solar panels covering a large portion of the parking lot. With
Kuhn Riddle Architects President Aelan Tierney
The outdoor seating area at River Valley Co-op before it opened last spring.
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