Pirie Associates Architects

01/30/2026

In Part 2 of Making Places on Purpose, we put our design philosophy into action.

We’re sharing a cross-section of projects from the past decade: spaces taking space right now, projects delivered last year, and work completed nearly ten years ago.

What has stayed constant over the years is our commitment to designing with intention by helping people do what they do better through spaces purpose-built to support their mission.

Click here to read Part 2:
https://www.pirieassociates.com/blog/making-places-on-purpose-part-2

01/30/2026

Pirie Associates is thrilled to share that Amy Albandoz, Designer and valued member of our team, has joined the Board of the National Organization of Minority Architects - Connecticut Chapter!

Amy brings thoughtfulness, curiosity, and a deep commitment to community-centered design to everything she does. Her passion for equity, sustainability, and creating meaningful connections within the built environment makes her an inspiring leader.

We’re proud to see Amy step into this impactful role with NOMAct, an organization dedicated to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in architecture throughout Connecticut.

Please join us in congratulating Amy on this exciting new chapter!

👏 Congratulations, Amy! We can’t wait to see the positive change you help shape.

01/09/2026

In 2025, we celebrated many exciting milestones! Here's a recap:

- Pirie Associates became B Lab U.S. & Canada B Corp Certified! https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/pirie-associates-architects-llc/

- Laura Pirie, AIA, LFA, IIDA was recognized by Professional Women in Construction Connecticut Chapter for Excellence in Mentorship.

- The New Haven NCD Playbook received the Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association (CCAPA) 𝙄𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣 𝘼𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙: https://lnkd.in/eAjpMxXz

- Glastonbury Design Guidelines received the CCAPA 𝙃𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙄𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣 𝘼𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙: https://lnkd.in/e_vfypWX

- Pirie Associates Architects was named a 2025 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙀𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘼𝙄𝘼 𝙀𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙁𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙢.

- We helped several of our clients receive 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬-𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 for public realm and placemaking projects from the Community Investment Fund.

- We successfully led 7 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 for municipalities across Connecticut, helping hundreds of valued community members put a stake in the ground for the development of their built environment.

We have loved every minute that we have worked with our clients, partners, and colleagues - the smiles, tears (of joy), and heartfelt conversations have warmed our hearts and fueled our passion as designers and neighbors. Our community is what makes us resilient, and we hope to continue returning the favor in 2026!

Pirie Associates Architects, LLC is a Certified B Corporation. Pirie Associates Architects is a multi-disciplinary, award-winning practice that envisions, plans, and designs inspiring built environments for positive impact. With experience ranging from tactical small-scale interventions to comprehen...

01/06/2026

Purpose inspired us. Intention is transformational.

Throughout the rollercoaster of 2025, we found a foothold by staying true our mission at Pirie Associates: to design built environments that support wellbeing and strengthen a vibrant, equitable, and sustainable living system.

As we step into 2026, we're taking a moment to reflect on what grounds us and what propels us forward in a two-part mini blog series: Making Places on Purpose. It is an opportunity to reintroduce ourselves to all of you and share the ethos behind our practice.

Read more at: https://www.pirieassociates.com/blog/making-places-on-purpose-part-1

Making Places on Purpose creates more than the physical built environment. It creates places where people feel connected.

01/05/2026

Happy New Year!
As we all return to our offices, we would like to extend a heartfelt ＴＨＡＮＫ ＹＯＵ to everyone who made 2025 memorable. To old friends and new, we are excited to continue nurturing our relationships as we set out to have a positive impact on the world around us. Year in and year out, without you - our collaborators, our partners, our clients - we could not learn and grow and share as we do.

10/20/2023

A healthy client-firm relationship starts with healthy communication & smiling faces. Get to know us while we get to know you!

🙌 EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: Laura Meade 🙌

Laura has been with Pirie Associates for 14 stellar months, though she's no stranger to New Haven. Laura's passions include furniture restoration, tomato gardening, and spending time with her kittens, Chuck and Bun. She is an avid beach enthusiast, most likely to be found picking up a Slurpee from 7eleven with a pool floatie in tow- ready to spend the day unlocking her inner sunfish and floating around the Atlantic ocean.

🪑🍅🐈🐈🌊 Let's see what she has to say 🌊🐈🐈🍅🪑

Who inspired you to pursue the career you have today?

Architects inspired me to be an architect. No one in my life was an artist or designer (or from any sort of creative field), but I know my own career would require a heavy creative component for me to be happy. On a hunch, I decided to explore architecture and took a survey class in architectural history and theory. I learned that architects make a career out of solving problems, asking/answering questions, and telling stories. When introduced to the quirky personality and sense of humor that has accompanied design throughout its recorded history, I was convinced.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

As an architect, I aspire to develop my management skills further and lead the creation of more impactful projects combining creativity and sustainability. I am eager to carry more projects from their conception through construction.
As an adjunct professor, I aim to continue nurturing the next generation of designers, imparting knowledge, and inspiring innovative thinking in my students. I’d like to be a respected thought leader and mentor, driving positive change in the world of architecture and design.

To get to know more about Laura, check out her blog posts! https://www.pirieassociates.com/blog

10/16/2023

The story of the Soul de Cuba Cafe - New Haven restaurant is heartwarming. Through its dedication to responsibility, harmony, and hospitality, its founder, Jesus Puerto, envisions creating meaningful, livable jobs to support all employees. In their own words, they represent "an entrepreneurial nest egg and a corporate value system rooted in conscious and equitable business practices that are aligned through smart collaborations in building humanity's path toward a more peaceful and loving world." Puerto's vision has had and continues to have a real, measurable impact on its employees and patrons.

https://souldecuba.com/

Pirie Associates had the pleasure of working with Jesus Puerto in 2020 to create a restaurant kiosk to convey Soul de Cuba's rich history in the SoNo Collection mall in Norwalk, CT. There was much to live up to between a strict budget and Jesus's aspirational values- which PA embraced and made the heart of the design. With cues taken from the motifs of Soul de Cuba's history and mission, we curated graphics and interiors in parallel with a vivid and broad color palette inspired by Afo-Cuban art and memorabilia. Carefully chosen materials and creative design solutions addressed the challenges of a small footprint while tailoring the space to maximize approachability, visual engagement, and connection to the rich culture that this small outpost embodies.

Interested in learning more? https://www.pirieassociates.com/sono-collection-mall-food-kiosk

Group photo courtesy of .newhaven

10/13/2023

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Though is coming to a close, the sharing of voices never has a deadline. Please join us in learning about four incredible young Hispanic women who are blazing forward and breaking the "Mold" in their own ways. From starting a clean water company after the devastation following Hurricane Maria, to struggling with hardship and coming out stronger than ever, these women are motivators, role models, and do-ers.

https://www.pirieassociates.com/blog/breaking-the-mold

A huge thank you to Gabriela Cruz for working with us to broadcast her voice- you are an inspiration and we can't wait to follow along with your journey! The picture attached shows Cruz when she was in Peru giving a health talk to patients during a health fair.

Going forward, we hope you continue to take the first step in breaking someone’s Mold: reading and sharing stories of hope, passion, and growth. You will never know the full extent of your impact as a support system on those around you.

10/09/2023

It's a wrap! We had a great time at last week listening to incredible speakers and leaders in the planning industry. A big warm thank you to the speakers, the organizers, the support staff, and the attendees. The energy in the room was unmatched and it was fantastic to get to know the planning community from all over the region. We're excited to foster the connections we made and continue learning from each other.

Big applause to the City of New Haven for their panel on their $50M recovery program aimed to address the racial wealth gap through inclusive growth. Michael Piscitelli, Courtney Hendrickson, Malachi Bridges, and Dijonee Talley did a great job leading an enlightening session!

To our collaborators at Fuss & O'Neill, Andrew Bohne, RLA, and Greg Wilson, great panels on riverfront resiliency work - for towns in MA and RI - F&O did a great job (over many years) educating the public on WHY it matters that we manage flood events in non-destructive ways... and then develop sensitive LA designs to add to public realm enjoyment. Bravo!

And, to satisfy Laura Pirie's geek-out interest on soil health, shout out to Regenerative Design Group for a really interesting presentation on strategies to restore and optimize soil health in all project types.

As we learned from the Barrett Planning Group LLC - the built environment industry tends to work in silos. We have to work towards interdisciplinary cross-pollination to enhance the quality of all of our work, regardless of the industry, to help create vibrant, thriving communities. At Pirie Associates, we're dedicated to infusing our work with this diversity. We see it, we hear it, and we celebrate it- together.

10/06/2023

As LGBTQIA+ History Month begins, we would love to share a project that has just kicked off- the creation of a visitor experience for the Connecticut Landmarks historic Palmer-Warner house.

The Palmer-Warner property extends across 48-acres in East Haddam and has received restoration and reconstruction efforts to preserve the history of the property. Frederick Palmer and his partner Howard Metzger transformed this site into a safe haven for the LGBTQIA+ community during a time when many were being incarcerated for who they loved.

PA is working with CTL to showcase this compelling story; we could not be more honored or excited.

Interested in learning more? Check out Connecticut Landmark's webpage: https://ctlandmarks.org/properties/palmer-warner-house/

For more information, Erin Farley writes about its rich history with Connecticut Explored: https://www.ctexplored.org/site-lines-a-love-story-at-the-palmer-warner-house/

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10/04/2023

Banned Books Week serves as a reminder of the power of ideas and the struggle that some take to suppress them. In architecture, there exists a similar sentiment... as architecture is the physical manifestation of ideas. Some of which are bound to be the center of controversy.

In our latest blog, Laura Meade shares some insight regarding the power of ideas and the tumultuous architectural discourse. Check it out here: https://www.pirieassociates.com/blog/banned-book-week

Feeling inspired? Take a look at the most challenged books from last year: https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10

Want a taste of something local? Visit our friends at Pequot Library! https://www.pequotlibrary.org/

10/03/2023

On October 2nd, the Elm City became the first Sustainable CT Gold certification recipient. This award embodies the work that New Haven has been doing to achieve forward progress, with its deep commitment to its residents and determination to uplift and support everyone.

From Sustainable CT, "Gold certification requires municipalities to show a deep commitment to equity, collaborate effectively with other municipalities, and achieve Climate Leader Designation. New Haven’s landmark certification embodies these requirements and highlights the value of municipal collaboration, both inter-departmentally and with residents, to create more equitable and climate resilient communities."

The Climate Leader Designation "celebrates municipalities that have successfully implemented numerous climate actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase resiliency to adapt to the changing climate."

Pirie Associates is proud of our home city and cannot wait to see what else is cooking as we all work towards our common goal: shaping the best possible places and spaces for ourselves, our community, and everyone involved.

🎇SAVE THE DATE: Sustainable CT will recognize and celebrate all 2023 certified municipalities and Climate Leaders at its 2023 Awards Celebration in Winsted (Wi******er), Connecticut, on October 17th from 4-7 pm.

Read the full article! https://sustainablect.org/about/press-releases