Our mission is to create true sustainability.
Environmental and social sustainability inspire us every day to create thoughtful designs that respond to people and place, and to work with design teams to shape buildings and systems that tread lightly and work smoothly.
James Carr architecture + design, LLC was founded in 2004 with a dedication to developing beautiful and effective design solutions. Our firm practices a wide range of work, including institutional, municipal, commercial, historic, educational, renewable energy, and residential projects.
20 years of design for the public good.
For over 20 years, James Carr architecture + design, LLC has brought public facility projects and historic restorations to fruition on time and on budget. Our clients include the cities of Boston, Chelsea and Watertown, and the towns of Dedham and Bedford. At Dedham High School alone we designed and oversaw construction of over a dozen projects, most recently the complete renovation of the school library. We also have extensive experience preserving key municipal historic assets such as the historic Shawsheen Pump House in Bedford and the Endicott Estate in Dedham. And we bring innovative new ideas and insightful planning to our public clients, such as our recently-completed Culinary Incubator feasibility study for the City of Chelsea.
What makes us unique in the public design sector?
James Carr architecture + design, LLC provides critical planning, design and technical coordination of public facilities. Our size makes us efficient, responsive, and quick. Our approach is focused on thorough preparation and clear communication, both of which are key to achieving consistent positive outcomes within the challenging public bid environment.
From long experience, we have a deep understanding of the special concerns of public facilities—such as universal accessibility (ADA), acoustics, indoor air quality, durability, maintainability, and energy efficiency. We also understand that every outlay of capital on a new or existing public facility is an opportunity not only to achieve specific project goals, but also to refresh the public face of a community, upgrade the experience of its citizens, and improve facility maintenance. At the same time, we know how crucial it is to stay within fixed budgets for municipal projects, which is why our design solutions are both cost-effective and practical. (For examples of the creative ways we’ve helped clients achieve their project goals, please see our project pages.)
Our philosophy is rooted in our belief that sustainable design is only as good as the real-life use and maintenance of the building, which is why we focus on the building owner and end-user (occupant) when working on sustainable design projects. Our approach, which guides project teams and communities towards opportunities that ensure true sustainability, has resulted in a number of “firsts.” For example, we were the LEED consultant for the City of Waltham, helping it achieve the first LEED certified public school in Massachusetts (one of the first 10 nationwide). We also served as CHPS Consultant on the Jacobs Elementary School in New Bedford, which was awarded the William Caudill Citation for best new elementary school, nationally. Our most recently completed LEED consulting project, the Saugus Middle High School, was the first MSBA-funded project to attain LEED Platinum Certification, and was a BSA 2022 Honor Award winner for best K-12 project.
Whether consulting on a project or leading the design, we push for ambitious possibilities while remaining rooted in the demands of construction.
Teamwork
When working on public facility projects we assemble project teams by selecting from a large stable of consultants with whom we have solid, long-term working relationships, and whom we know to be agile, local to the project, responsive, and highly experienced. We prioritize meeting or exceeding diversity goals, and are relentless advocates for opportunities for small and emerging firms, especially those owned by entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups.
Diversity and Opportunity
We believe in the importance of diversity and have an active affirmative action/diversity policy. Our staff has averaged over 50% female over the past ten years, and our last four hires were women (50% minority). As stated above, we are also committed to outreach in assembling diverse project teams, and we have a solid track record of including MBE/WBE consultants on our teams, including the following individuals and firms:
Fenton Bradley, AIA, ALEP, NOMA, NCARB, LEED AP, MCPPO of D21 Architects, LLC (MBE) – Educational Facilities Planning.
Jennifer Sapochetti, P.E. of JS Consulting Engineers, LLC (WBE) – Code Consulting & Fire Protection.
Kevin Quetti, PE of Boston Civil (an emerging business) – Civil Engineering & Land Planning.
Cynthia Gernetzke of Vector Lighting Design, LLC (WBE) – Lighting Design.
Magda Lelek, P.E. of Andelman & Lelek Engineering, Inc. (WBE) – Energy Efficiency & Energy Modeling.
Alejandra Menchaca, PhD, LEED AP, WELL AP of Airlit Studios (Woman-owned Business) – Energy Efficiency & Energy Modeling .
Mehul Dhruv, P.E. of Engineers Design Group (MBE) – Structural Engineering.
