THE PRACTICE

Our practice recognizes the importance of the creation of a collaborative team, involving the client, the users, the constructors and consultants. Developing successful design relies on the active engagement of all members of this project team and the seamless integration of information. In all our work, we excel at synthesizing the team input into designs that constitute a whole greater than the sum of its parts. We also believe that concern for the environment is an integral part of the design process that must inform all aspects of our work. To this end we take seriously the responsibilities that we have to the environment and to the larger community in which we place our work.

The practice regularly integrates the principles of sustainable design into the work of the studio, and has participated in the administration of complex projects for LEED certification. The principals are LEED certified by the US Green Buildings Council, and are actively engaged in the latest fields of study with respect to building envelope systems and developments in new energy-saving measures that are an important component of current environmentally sensitive practice.

Together we are structured as a studio environment where a premium is placed on the creative exchange of ideas. The nature of the design process requires input at all levels of experience in the search for architectural solutions. In our practice, we focus on only the best design possibilities bringing the full resources of our office to the task. Each project we design is tailored exactly to our clients’ specifications. We do not have “practice-groups” that divide our work into various types of buildings or services. Our studio as a whole is involved in every project. Working with our team ensures that our clients’ needs are always addressed in a creative manner and managed directly by the principals who are dedicated to delivering a project outcome that consistently exceeds our clients’ expectations.

Our experience includes over twenty five years of active academic teaching at the university level, including participation in international design competitions, strategic and campus planning initiatives and development of international design studio summer programs. It also includes participation by Andrew Cohen in academic governance as a past member of the board of Trustees of the Berklee College of Music, and an active member of its facilities planning committee. Our connection to the academic world allows our office to be continually engaged in the newest fields of study in technology and design as well as ensuring consistent exposure to the fresh outlook that student research brings to the profession of architecture.

Our design approach and our ability to solve difficult programmatic, site and budgetary problems allow us to deliver more to our clients than they expect. Our projects respond to our client’s complex and diverse needs for their organizations and businesses. We provide exceptional service and innovative design; adding value and helping our clients achieve their goals and further their ambitions.

We are registered architects licensed in a number of states, and are certified for licensure throughout the United States through the National Council of Architectural Registration Board, and we are active members of the AIA and the BSA.

Our experience includes design projects for both individuals and corporations ranging in scale from single rooms to multi-million dollar buildings. We have substantial experience in new building construction, renovation and restoration. We have worked within the City of Boston and the larger metropolitan area, and have maintained excellent relationships with clients, contractors, building officials and community leaders.

ABOUT US

Andrew Cohen Architects is a full-service architectural firm that provides innovative design solutions to a diverse variety of architectural clients since 1982. We are a generalist practice with expertise in a number of fields; our work encompasses complete buildings for arts organizations and other non-profits, interior architecture and office design projects at a variety of scales, medical office facilities, restaurant and retail store designs, custom residential designs, adaptive re-use and historic preservation/renovation projects.

We are proud of the fact that we continue our working relationships with our clients over many years. We have successfully completed multiple projects for repeat clients, consistently delivering great design while providing excellent service and attention to the overall project. We have been able to apply significant creative skills to problem solving at the highest level for our clients’ varying needs.

We continue to be aware of our role as members of a collaborative team, which includes the client, the users, the constructors, the engineers and the architects. We believe that environmental awareness is an integral part of the design process, and are aware of the responsibilities that we all have to the environment and to the larger community in which we place our work. Andrew Cohen Architects regularly integrates the principles of sustainable design into the work of the studio, and has participated in the administration of complex projects for LEED certification. The principals are LEED certified by the US Green Buildings Council, and are actively engaged in the latest fields of study with respect to building envelope systems and developments in new energy-saving measures that are an important component of current environmentally sensitive practice.

We believe that the visual environment of the future should be something quite different from that of the past, and strive to realize a modern vision for architecture that points toward the improvement of our visual and contextual environment. We work and live in an old city whose relationship to tradition can sometime be less than hospitable to innovation and new modes of living. While we respect and appreciate the historical environment in which we live, we feel that it is important to make an architecture of the present with an eye to the future; a modern architecture. We locate the modern in a way that converses with the structure of the traditional city, yet shows a faith in technological advancement, environmental improvement, and visual excitement.

We believe that we can solve complex planning needs, reconcile the need for economy with the desire for dynamic and exciting solutions, and translate these into a successful architectural vision at any scale or level of complexity. Whatever the project size or budget, we are eager to work to realize an architectural outcome that exceeds expectations.

PROJECT TYPES

Educational Facilities
Religious Facilities
Commercial Office Buildings
Tenant Fit-Outs
Historic Preservation
Multi-Family Housing
Retail Design
Adaptive Re-use
Residential Design
Restaurant Design
Laboratories / R & D Centers
Sports Facilities
Medical Offices
Warehouse/Industrial Facilities
Fitness/Wellness Centers

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

American Institute of Architects (AIA)
Boston Society of Architects (BSA)
National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB)
Society of Architectural Historians
United States Green Building Council