Time and Space

In started off as simply another in a series of projects handled for Amherst-based developer Barry Roberts. But it didn't end that way.

Indeed, Kuhn Riddle Architects came away from the redevelopment of the Amherst Cinema complex with much more than some additional images for the 'commercial' section of its portfolio; it found a much-needed new home.

As principal and co-founder John Kuhn explains, he and other members of his team were exploring the space above the ceiling of the old 600-seat theater in late 2004 in the course of developing plans for Roberts, who, after efforts by a non-profit group to convert the landmark into a performing arts center failed to materialize, picked up the ball and started blueprinting the mixed-use facility that exists today. In the course of doing so, the architects uncovered some old wooden trusses framing what amounted to attic space in the nearly century-old former stables.

"It was pretty neat space," said Kuhn, who, to make a long story relatively short, eventually carved out 4,200 square feet of open workspaces and meeting rooms that in many ways reflect current 'green' building trends, including use of sustainable materials and a photovoltaic system that supplies some of the electricity it uses. The new digs provide much-needed elbow room for the growing company, now with eight architects and 15 employees. And they enable it to continue doing business only a few hundred feet from where Kuhn and Christopher Riddle, then part of a larger company, first set up shop in Amherst in the late '70s (they've had three locations, all within a block of each other).

Through more than three decades in the business, they've seen the emergence of computer technology that has dramtically changed the way architects work and serve clients. They've also seen the emergence of new design trends - especially the emphasis on 'green' - while enduring several economic cycles and managing to maneuver through the many downturns.

They even survived the prolonged slide of the early '90s that claimed several architecture firms and other businesses within the broad building sector. Kuhn Riddle was certainly impacted - the company had grown to about 10 people by the time the recession started in 1989, but was down to Kuhn, Riddle, and their wives during the darkest days - but managed to survive thanks to a blend of reputation, geography, and diversity of products and services.

The Amherst area, with its many colleges and education-related businesses, has provided a reliable supply of business - less in the down cycles, obviously, said Riddle, adding that he and Kuhn have handled work across several sectors, including single- and multi-family housing, education, commercial, retail, and others, that have helped make the company more recession-proof.

The firm has also been helped by lengthy (and ongoing) relationships with both Roberts, who has built a number of a residential and mixed-use facilities over the past 20 years, and Yankee Candle founder Michael Kittredge, for whom the companyhas handled a wide range of work (more on that later).

But it has been the diversity of the port-folio and the high level of customer service that has enabled it to thrive.

Space Exploration

As at most architecture firms, the walls and workspaces at Kuhn Riddle are decorated with images of current projects.

Thus, the bright, modem space in the old theater building is replete with drawings of the ambitious Rivers Landing project in Springfield, a mixed-use plan that will convert the old Basketball Hall of Fame into a fitness center, restaurant, and other forms of retail. There are also drawings of a work in progress in Easthampton called Paradise One, a condominium complex, currently in somewhat of a holding pattern, that is planned for the gay and lesbian community. Other projects represented on the walls include an addition at Hampshire College in Amherst, redevelopment of the Knights of Columbus building in Amherst, and many others. In all, there are more than 50 assignments in some stage of development.

The roster of current projects accurately reflects the company's first three decades in business: assignments across a wide range of business sectors, and a steady volume of work involving the colleges that in many ways dominate the Amherst-area economy.

When asked to list some of the company's signature projects, Kuhn mentioned the 'new' Amherst police station, built inthe late '80s, and many elements of the Yankee Candle complex in South Deerfield, including the headquarters building, the former car museum, Chandler's restaurant, and others.

"And you'd have to put this on that list, too," he said, using his hands to indicate the Amherst Cinema complex, which has given new life to a town landmark and brought even more energy to the community's vibrant central business district. "This is an important building. It was vacant for so long; it's great that it's playing an important role in downtown again. The building is full, and it's great to be part of it."

Kuhn and Riddle have seen the down-town landscape change and evolve since they first put their names over the door in 1977. The two met in 1976, when both were working for the Springfield-based firm Rinehart & Associates, and soon thereafter decided to go into business together. They first rented space from another architect, Bill Gillen, and eventually joined Gillen and Dennis Gray in a firm that took all four names and would be located in a building Kuhn can see out the window of his new home in the cinema complex.

Gillen, Kuhn, Riddle, and Gray remained in business for 11 years, when the firm split in half (exactly), with Kuhn and Riddle taking 10 of the 20 employees and moving into the Cook's Block, diagonally across North Pleasant Street, and into second-floor space long occupied by architects. A year later, a fire that started in a shoe store on the ground floor displaced the company for a short time. And by the time it moved back to the Cook's Block (then owned by Roberts), the economy had tanked.

Reflecting on the early '90s, Kuhn, speaking for every architect in business at that time, said it was a very difficult period, one where the goal was merely survival.

"It was hard ... it was a long, slow dismantling of everything that we had built up," he said, adding that the road back, and continued, steady growth, has been paved thanks to strong relationships - with developers like Roberts, the colleges and prep schools across the region, and business owners - as well as a strong portfolio and word-of-mouth referrals that keep a steady flow of projects in the pipeline.

Business Angles

The company was helped in its progression by a relationship with Kittredge, who has hired Kuhn Riddle for both business and personal projects. In addition to work on the headquarters building, museums, the restaurant, and the South Deerfield retail operations, the company also designed new stores for malls and shopping centers in many regions of the country.

"At one point in time, when they were doing 15 to 20 stores a year, we were cranking them out," said Kuhn, noting that while there was a prototype, or basic design of sorts, for the specific retail outlet, each was different in some ways. "Each time they did a store in a state we weren't licensed in, they'd pay for me to get licensed; at one time, I was registered in 26 states."

He's back down to three, largely because the pace of expansion at Yankee Candle, which accelerated greatly after the company went public in the late '90s, was simply too much for the firm to handle. "When they wanted to do 40 a year, we said, 'it's time for you to find someone who specializes in roll-outs,"' Kuhn said. "But that was a great run for us."

With it over, the company's portfolio is being expanded with more projects in the education, housing, and commercial sectors. Perhaps the most highly visible venture is Rivers Landing, for which Kuhn Riddle has designed the addition to the old Hall, and is currently designing the restaurant, Onyx, that will be a main anchor.

Other current projects include severalinitiatives at Hampshire College, Amherst College, and the Mass. College of Liberal Arts, among others. The fine's work comes predominantly in the private sector (maybe 95% of the portfolio), which is beneficial because there are times (like the present) when money for schools and other municipal projects dries up.

"We've positioned ourselves well in the marketplace," Kuhn explained. "We do a lot of work for colleges and prep schools, who are always doing something, and we work for developers, and with banks and law firms; we don't specialize in just one or a few areas."

Looking forward, Kuhn and Riddle say the business will continue to be shaped by technology and societal trends. With the former, new software programs, including one the company now uses called REVIT, enable architects to bring a project to life long before the ceremonial shovel is put in the ground, said Riddle, the self-described techie who offered a demonstration of the three-dimensional modeling capabilities with the Paradise One project.

Using a few clicks of his mouse, he showed the former mill complex in Easthampton from a number of angles and with several variations on how the new venture may take shape.

The 3-D technology brings a number of benefits to the client, said Riddle, especially the ability to see precisely how a building is going to look, something that really can't be done with two-dimensional drawings.

"The client won't know approximately how something will take shape - they'llknow exactly," he explained. "This 3-D model is not just a pretty picture that we created, which is the old way of doing things, but rather a rendition of exactly what is going to go to bid and what will be constructed."

As for trends, both Kuhn and Riddle said that 'green' building is not a fad, but rather a fundamental change in how structures and interior components are designed and built.

"Making buildings sustainable, well-insulated, and well-ventilated is just part ofwhat you have to do as an architect today; it's not a speciality. It's written in the press as something's that's new or a fad. But it's something that's slowly being incorporated into everything we do."

Product Lines

As he talked about the Amherst Cinema project, Kuhn couldn't hide his satisfaction not only with how the venture and its many components turned out aesthetically, but also with regard to what it means for the community.

"This is a very public building, and it impacts everyone who walks by, buys a cup of coffee, or takes in a movie," he explained.

"This is one of the projects that effects the area; whether you use the building or not, it has a positive effect on the street life and the community."

All that, and it's also home.