June 25, 2012

Scott's Sabbatical

In July, a new chapter in life begins. It has been 39 years since I founded our design firm in Portland. With just shy of 1,000 diverse projects, I have experienced unimagined opportunities, working with wonderful people like you on significant sites throughout our beloved state and across the North East. TFH Architects has grown and evolved, and has been recognized with numerous awards and publications. It has been a team effort and I will always be grateful for the wisdom and commitment of the original founding partners, Joseph Feely and David Hingston, as well as for the ongoing support of David Merrill, Ryan Senatore, and Dennis Morelli.


What’s next? A year of looking and sketching, listening and writing, exploring the world and giving back to it with my wife, Pamela Hawkes. She recently left Boston after 26 years as a principal at Ann Beha Associates where she directed many nationally recognized projects.

On July 1st, we’ll set sail for the Azores in our 48 foot sloop, Scattergood. With boat partner, James Sterling, and three friends, we expect to reach the Azores within a couple of weeks and Portugal by the end of the month. Then, we’ll cruise on our own through the Mediterranean, reaching Turkey in December. With the start of 2013, we hope to be contributing our skills and enthusiasm with a community in need, most likely in Africa. We’ll be recording adventures and observations at www.scattergood.me.

Pam and I will return to Portland in the summer of 2013 and look forward to crafting a new design and planning paradigm together. Our goal is to be strategic and also hands-on, collaborative and creative—focusing on projects that make a difference for people in special places. Stay tuned! For future contact this fall and beyond, please use scottteas1 (at) me (dot) com, (adjusted to minimize spam). I’ll be more active at checking this email once we’re settled.
 
As the current design contracts come to an end, David will continue to assist our clients with any needed services related to their projects. Should additional services be required he will also be available to coordinate, and or take on these tasks. Beyond TFH, David will also be diversifying his services, using his twenty plus years of experience to assist Developers, Financiers and Owners with Project Management and Owner representatives’ services. David is looking forward to continuing his contribution to the built environment by understanding the needs of a project and finding efficiencies; from conception & design, through construction and into operation. Should you have a project, at any stage, needing additional attention, please don’t hesitate to contact David and discuss the opportunity. After working directly with David for the last ten years I can attest to his attention to detail and organizational skills which will serve his future clients well.


Since joining TFH Architects in 2002 Ryan has gained experience working closely with Scott and the TFH team on a broad range of project types. He has been exposed to, and immersed himself in, all aspects of those projects. Over the past ten years Ryan has enjoyed the team aspect of projects he has been a part of and looks to build upon that team environment moving into the future. Ryan will continue working on current TFH projects in the upcoming months and has recently started Ryan Senatore Architecture with the intent to practice his passion for design and continue to provide clients with a high level of service.

Throughout his two year stay with TFH Architects, Dennis Morelli has taken an active role in numerous projects as both support and project management. With his commitment to sustainability and well-rounded experience in architecture and graphic design, Dennis enjoyed the challenge of finding creative and responsible design solutions while building strong client relationships. Dennis is continuing to support the TFH design team part-time on the Libby Library expansion and will continue to be available to support past clients and projects. Dennis also recently accepted an Associate position at Lachman Architects and Planners in Portland where he will continue to practice his commitment to design excellence.