Founded nearly 20 years ago on the idea that architects’ influence should extend beyond the design of a building, Union Studio Architecture & Community Design Inc. has a reputation for work that tightens communities.
“If there’s one thing that animates our work, it’s a desire to encourage community and social interaction,” said Donald Powers, the firm’s founder and president. “We like to think of ourselves as architects but also as conductors of a whole orchestra that is making places.”
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After spending the early part of his career at high-profile firms, Powers created his own business in response to what he saw as a lack of thoughtful architectural attention to neighborhood home design and overall planning.
“I wanted to apply all the lessons of working at big firms and put it on the level of where the world really needs it, which is everyday use,” he said. “I didn’t see the best architects putting their mind to that.”
The Providence-based firm is involved in a number of projects spanning the country, but two current jobs in Rhode Island easily encompass its core principles.
A three-building development and rehabilitation project on Westminster Street in Providence and the upscale Hammetts Wharf Hotel in Newport are both under construction after the firm designed each one.
Both designs preserve a sense of place, are tied to the community and incorporate a graceful beauty.
“Hammetts Wharf, to me, is so much more than just being about the building because of where it sits in Newport,” said Douglas Kallfelz, managing partner. “It was a project that asked us to consider and solve a whole range of issues that were important to the community. It sits at a critical corner, the need for public access was incredibly important and it needed to connect with existing architecture there.”
The 84-room boutique hotel is expected to be complete by the spring or early summer.
A public deck with a waterfront view is part of what makes the project special, Powers said.
“It’s a great example of how a single building can help to cement community connections. It offers something to the whole community of Newport, as well as the people who use the hotel,” he said.
On Westminster Street in Providence, the firm’s architects have a hand in all aspects of the development and rehabilitation of the Trayne, Lapham and Wit buildings.
By the end of the $21 million project, the buildings will house more than 50 apartments, five office spaces and up to five restaurants or retail spaces. As part of the design, an open space that evolved into a small park on the corner of Union and Westminster streets was preserved.
“The expectation is that all of the activity that used to be happening there comes back,” Kallfelz said.
Among its current projects, the firm is designing a 63-unit workforce housing structure in Hyannis, Mass., where a scarcity of affordable housing threatens to squeeze out young professionals.
It is also working on a sustainable neighborhood in Michigan, where plans include some affordable homes along with environmental and community growth.
OWNERS: Donald Powers and Douglas Kallfelz
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Architecture and design firm
LOCATION: 140 Union St., Providence
EMPLOYEES: 24
YEAR ESTABLISHED: 2000
ANNUAL SALES: WND
Elizabeth Graham is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Graham@PBN.com.
