A client told me once to add "What do you fight about?" to my list of questions for homeowners. For some families, it's the need to protect the late sleepers from the banging and clanging of the early risers. For others, it's the need to find a solitary place to get some evening work done or a sunny spot to enjoy lunch.

Whether it's a deep energy retrofit or a new home built to Passive House standards, I love most the process: the winding way we discover together what will really make a project sing. I relish the problems we can solve with a small addition or a second story, a new porch or a gut rehab. If you've also got a failing boiler or a basement that's never been useful, you’ve got a real challenge I'd love to dig into.​

• Licensed as an Architect in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

• Trained with the Passive House Institute of the US (PHIUS) - Certified Passive House Consultant #1900.

• A member of the Board of Directors for the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (nesea.org)

• Taught Sustainable Design and Green Building at Greenfield Community College, in the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Department.

• Written for Fine Homebuilding, the Northeast Sun, Green Building Advisor and the Berkshire Eagle.

I started interning with Graphite Studio my senior year of college while attending The University of Massachusetts - Amherst. I am excited to join the team full-time as a Junior Designer and engage in the world of architecture!

The field combines analytical thinking with creativity and finding the balance. If you can dream it, there's a way to make it work. I love that each part of the process is a puzzle piece to a bigger picture. Although some pieces are harder to place than others, when it comes together at the end, it is the most rewarding feeling to have made someone a home rather than just a house.

My favorite part is interacting with clients and utilizing my minor in psychology to understand what people need/want in a space in regards to their lifestyle and individual personalities.

Let's get out the pencil and paper and get designing!

I started my internship with Graphite Studio during my first semester in my second year of the Master of Architecture program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and I'm excited to be a member of the team.

What excites me most about this role, is the opportunity to engage directly with clients, understand their needs and desires for their spaces. This understanding is pivotal in tailoring environments that reflect each client's lifestyle and personality.

The study of architecture is intriguing. There is a unique satisfaction in creating houses where people can feel safe and valued—a place for meeting with loved ones. The idea that any goal may be realized via creative thinking is truly encouraging. My job encompasses many aspects of the architectural process, from working with clients and establishing initial concepts to refining drawings in CAD for construction and, finally, seeing these plans become a reality.

Amber joined Graphite Studio for the 2022-2023 academic year while pursuing her undergraduate degree in landscape architecture. As our Accountability Intern, Amber was responsible for accountability projects related to the all three aspects of our triple-bottom-line. As an organization we have developed five year goals and Amber helped us holding ourselves accountable to them by engaging with outside programs.

Amber helped get our AIA 2030 Challenge reporting updated and she became our in-house BEAM expert, performing carbon calculations for all of our projects to identify opportunities to make our projects more environmentally friendly. She also researched organizations and drafted our Solidarity Commitment and Justice Commitment

We are grateful for Amber's contributions and look forward to continuing the work she started here. In her last update Amber shared that she was interning with TruexCullins. She intends to pursue an M. Arch after graduation.

Houses are Lina's very favorite thing and she began dreaming of designing and building her own home when she was a little kid. She loves helping other people design theirs.

Her path to Graphite Studio was meandering and included: legos, blocks, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, ​inadvertently becoming a tiny house expert and ADU geek, helping create the world's largest collection of ADU Case Studies​, living in a yurt, a travel trailer, four tiny houses on wheels, and a couple of ADUs, receiving her Masters in Urban and Regional Planning at Portland State University, collecting several certifications, and teaching small space design courses.

At Graphite Studio she did Design & Operations, facilitating projects from preliminary design through construction administration, while perpetually looking for opportunities to improve our workflows. She helped Graphite transition from a one-man-show to a full-fledged company. In her last update Lina shared that she is traveling on the around-the-world trip she started imagining when she was a teenager.