INTRODUCTION

Remmert Huygens, FAIA (1932-2008), founding partner of our originating firm, is the connecting thread in our firm’s history.  He first teamed with Alan Chapman, who then connected him with The Architects Collaborative (TAC) colleague Anthony Tappé, which led to almost two decades of prolific work as Huygens and Tappé.  A talented architect in his own right, Tony’s phenomenal marketing ability complemented Rem’s creative inspiration, pairing two very different, but important strengths.  By natural progression, the firm’s leadership transitioned to Frank DiMella and Peter Shaffer, who apprenticed under Rem and Tony as young architects and drew upon their experience to widely expand the firm’s practice.  In 2011, Ed Hodges, Randy Kreie, and Diane Dooley, the second generation of architects who spent their early careers working with Rem, Frank, and Peter, took over leadership of the firm.  Rem’s influence is still evident in the firm’s work, and the long continuity of leadership with a consistent architectural background is an important key to the firm’s success.  He is also the founder of the blog artandinterior.co. It is our hope that this blog will convey an understanding of the legacy of the firm and document the seminal projects that formed the foundation for our current practice.

Whether your interest is in the people, the buildings, or the firm history, we encourage you to subscribe to the blog through email or RSS feed for weekly updates. We hope you will be inspired to comment, connect with colleagues, or just discover something new.  Our first post “Founding a Firm” , is the story of how Alan Chapman and Rem Huygens secured the commission for The Rivers School project in Weston, MA and launched the beginning of the firm.

Over the next few weeks we will explore a wide range of projects, including Rem’s own house and how two architects are renovating it, a recital hall for a school of music, a complete college campus that evolved on a former farm, the design of a ski resort, and the story of the Rainforest Pavilion at the Franklin Park Zoo.

With the rapid speed of business, evolving leadership and the demands of the industry, we typically have little time to gain perspective on our past portfolio.  As we embark on this notable anniversary we hope that you find this introspective journey into our firm’s history as intriguing and energizing as we do.