Chuck Roberts / Blog
Amherst Montessori Ribbon Cutting
Published February 28, 2013
There’s nothing like a ribbon-cutting with children and lots of scissors! We congratulate Amherst Montessori on the opening of their new school building. Based on the smiling faces and "ohhs & ahhs" heard throughout, their new building was very well received.
Designed for Habitat
Published August 24, 2012
Our collaboration with Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity and Amherst College is featured in a new book, Designed for Habitat.
Ribbon Cutting at Village Hill
Published November 21, 2011
Northampton Acting Mayor David Narkewicz (above, left), Wright Builders' Jonathan Wright (center), and Mass Development's Nancy Howard (above, right) were in attendance at the recent ribbon-cutting for Village Hill Northampton.
More information about the event and photos are available from The Daily Hampshire Gazette.
Think Smaller
Published November 7, 2011
KRA's Chuck Roberts and Rachael Chase are featured in this month's Preview Massachusetts where they discuss the value of designing and building smaller homes.
Tasting our first SIP
Published August 26, 2011
A few of us were lucky enough to stop by SIP's house-warming event this morning. The food and coffee are great, and the space feels wonderful!
SIP will open officially on Monday, August 29.
Me House
Published June 28, 2011
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The "Me House" (aka The Scapes Model Energy House) is a collaboration between our firm and Scapes Builders of Deerfield, MA.
The house incorporates our knowledge and enthusiasm for energy efficient technology into a marketable yet flexible speculative design that will appeal to wide range of potential home buyers. The house takes advantage of a super insulated envelope which reduces the size of heating and cooling equipment and greatly lowers energy costs. It is designed so that it can be built on sites with differing angles of solar exposure and still accommodate PV or thermal panels.
Super energy efficient houses don’t have to look all wonky and don’t have to cost more to build that standard construction!
Charles Roberts
Signing the Steel at UMASS
Published August 10, 2010
Sometimes, it’s okay to write your name on a building.
KRA’s Elizabeth Morgan, AIA, and Chuck Roberts, AIA, and Patricia O’Flaherty from Eastern General Contractors recently made their mark on a steel beam for the UMass Marching Band Building.
The beam will soon show signatures of all those involved – clients, contractors, designers, engineers – to pay homage to all the hard work that went into the design & construction of the building.
Chuck’s House – Framing!
Published July 19, 2010
Framing is moving quickly onsite, so it seemed like a good moment to talk a little about the floorplan.
The site is small and compact which meant the house would be also. This drove the urban row house plan response. The floorplan is upside-down with the bedrooms on the first floor and living spaces on the second. This strategy elevates the main living spaces, giving them lots of light and expansive views.
The second floor ceiling averages about 11 feet over the living space and 8 feet over the stair section. Standing on the recently-framed second floor deck, I noticed that the strategy clearly works: with the large windows, tall ceilings, and expansive views, you’d never guess the yard below was so small! The second floor screen porch has a great view through the tree canopy to the woods beyond the rear of the lot.
Chuck’s House – What’s he building?
Published June 23, 2010
The form of this house is in response to the constraints of a deep, skinny lot with minimal southern exposure.
The plan is based on the traditional urban row house with stairs and core functions along one side opening up to the primary living spaces. The massing expresses the programmatic elements of this architectural type as a free standing house. Like many town houses, the main living space is on the second floor which allows greater light and views into the primary living spaces.
Amherst Montessori Ribbon Cutting
Published February 28, 2013
There’s nothing like a ribbon-cutting with children and lots of scissors! We congratulate Amherst Montessori on the opening of their new school building. Based on the smiling faces and "ohhs & ahhs" heard throughout, their new building was very well received.
Designed for Habitat
Published August 24, 2012
Our collaboration with Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity and Amherst College is featured in a new book, Designed for Habitat.
Ribbon Cutting at Village Hill
Published November 21, 2011
Northampton Acting Mayor David Narkewicz (above, left), Wright Builders' Jonathan Wright (center), and Mass Development's Nancy Howard (above, right) were in attendance at the recent ribbon-cutting for Village Hill Northampton.
More information about the event and photos are available from The Daily Hampshire Gazette.
Think Smaller
Published November 7, 2011
KRA's Chuck Roberts and Rachael Chase are featured in this month's Preview Massachusetts where they discuss the value of designing and building smaller homes.
Tasting our first SIP
Published August 26, 2011
A few of us were lucky enough to stop by SIP's house-warming event this morning. The food and coffee are great, and the space feels wonderful!
SIP will open officially on Monday, August 29.
Me House
Published June 28, 2011
The "Me House" (aka The Scapes Model Energy House) is a collaboration between our firm and Scapes Builders of Deerfield, MA.
The house incorporates our knowledge and enthusiasm for energy efficient technology into a marketable yet flexible speculative design that will appeal to wide range of potential home buyers. The house takes advantage of a super insulated envelope which reduces the size of heating and cooling equipment and greatly lowers energy costs. It is designed so that it can be built on sites with differing angles of solar exposure and still accommodate PV or thermal panels.
Super energy efficient houses don’t have to look all wonky and don’t have to cost more to build that standard construction!
Charles Roberts
Signing the Steel at UMASS
Published August 10, 2010
Sometimes, it’s okay to write your name on a building.
KRA’s Elizabeth Morgan, AIA, and Chuck Roberts, AIA, and Patricia O’Flaherty from Eastern General Contractors recently made their mark on a steel beam for the UMass Marching Band Building.
The beam will soon show signatures of all those involved – clients, contractors, designers, engineers – to pay homage to all the hard work that went into the design & construction of the building.
Chuck’s House – Framing!
Published July 19, 2010
Framing is moving quickly onsite, so it seemed like a good moment to talk a little about the floorplan.
The site is small and compact which meant the house would be also. This drove the urban row house plan response. The floorplan is upside-down with the bedrooms on the first floor and living spaces on the second. This strategy elevates the main living spaces, giving them lots of light and expansive views.
The second floor ceiling averages about 11 feet over the living space and 8 feet over the stair section. Standing on the recently-framed second floor deck, I noticed that the strategy clearly works: with the large windows, tall ceilings, and expansive views, you’d never guess the yard below was so small! The second floor screen porch has a great view through the tree canopy to the woods beyond the rear of the lot.
Chuck’s House – What’s he building?
Published June 23, 2010
The form of this house is in response to the constraints of a deep, skinny lot with minimal southern exposure.
The plan is based on the traditional urban row house with stairs and core functions along one side opening up to the primary living spaces. The massing expresses the programmatic elements of this architectural type as a free standing house. Like many town houses, the main living space is on the second floor which allows greater light and views into the primary living spaces.