Architecture Restoration Boston New England John Altobello

<body> <h1>E. John Altobello, Architecture and Restoration in the Boston Area</h1> <p align="left" class="bodytxtnf">John Altobello will design or redesign your living space to meet your needs or the needs of your family. Figuring out these needs and finding solutions is not always straightforward. It requires candid conversation between architect and clients and the architect’s ability to “read” and translate needs and desires into pictures that excite and draw out creative collaboration for the rest of the design and building process.</p> <p align="left" class="bodytxtnf">We believe a successful design project is the product of trust and collaboration – worked out between architect and client - over the length of a project. It is not an accident. Instead, it is a relationship born of mutual respect and sincere effort to get to know each other. We commit to listening very, very carefully to the needs and ideas of our client, to doing our homework to understand the history and context of our client's home, to probing to learn important things that might be easily missed in casual conversation. </p> <p align="left" class="bodytxtnf">In turn, we ask our client to be willing to search his or her inner sanctum to give voice to dreams and wishes, even if they seem far-fetched. That may be our starting point; reality and budget will come later. This is the client's opportunity to have the home he or she really wants.</p> <p align="left" class="bodytxtnf">Designing or redesigning the space a client will live in is one of the most personal and elemental activities anyone undertakes. To make it turn out as we plan demands the close communication of architect and client over a sustained period of time. Design is a collaborative and an iterative process. It will evolve as architect and client meet and talk, incorporating new ideas, recognizing site features, and budget. The architect's job is to create options and possibilities. The client's job is to give feedback, to choose among those options. </p> <p align="left" class="bodytxtnf">Feeling needs and finding solutions is not always straightforward. It requires candid conversation between architect and clients and the architect’s ability to “read” and translate needs and desires into pictures that excite and draw out creative collaboration for the rest of the design and building process.</p> <h2 align="left">Process</h2> <p align="left" class="bodytxtnf">Here is the process we use to design the house of your dreams.</p> <h3 align="left">Phase One: Design</h3> <p align="left" class="bodytxtnf">We gain an understanding of the goals to be achieved. With the use of sketches, plans, three-dimensional models, we help open the client up to a range of design solutions. We then revise our work to incorporate the client's ideas and reactions. We meet with the client enough times so that we can produce drawings which reflect the big picture, which are true to the dream. The drawings are sufficient for a contractor to give us a ball-park estimate.</p> <h3 align="left">Phase Two: Working drawings to construction</h3> <p align="left" class="bodytxtnf">Once the design is identified, we produce the plans and specifications which will form the basis for an agreement with a contractor, and will be submitted to a municipality for building permits. We help the client work with the contractor throughout the project. We advocate for the client, and we consult with both client and contractor if there is a need for change as work proceeds.</p> <h3 align="left">Is that all there is?</h3> <p align="left" class="bodytxtnf">In our view? No. We go much further. Perhaps most importantly, we help clients deal with the chaos of building or renovation. Even when everything is done correctly and on-time, there is tremendous stress on the family. We are present to help with the issues that come up. We answer your questions along the way. Our goal is always to ensure continuity of communication, cost-effective decisions, and – above all – the satisfaction of our clients.</p> <p align="left" class="bodytxtnf">We are also flexible. We will work with the client who wants to amend a design as work is in progress, and we will communicate these wishes to the contractor.</p> <h2 align="left">History</h2> <p align="left" class="bodytxtnf">John Altobello came to architecture accidentally. In the process of renovating his own historic house, he uncovered a latent passion for design. This transformational experience propelled him to enroll in and complete a BA program in Architecture at the Boston Architectural Center (BAC). The BAC program built upon an already richly humanistic education from Harvard University, where he received a doctorate in Romance Languages and Literatures. </p> <p class="bodytxtnf">Beyond building academic proficiency, John Altobello furthered his exploration of the design field, playing an active role in the housing and urban design committees of Boston Society of Architects, the largest and particularly dynamic chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). He is an enthusiastic advisor to students of architecture.</p> <h3>Client-centered practice</h3> <p align="left" class="bodytxtnf">A most critical piece of John Altobello’s continuing education has been in the experience he has gained working closely with his clients. During his years in practice, he has honed an innate ability to listen – uncovering detail, interpreting desire, understanding what a client knows and what he or she needs to know. </p> <p align="left" class="bodytxtnf">He finds the medium most appropriate to show a client how a design might work. With his ability to connect, and an ever-expanding set of “tools,” he has helped many reach for and realize their dreams.</p> <h2>Project range and scope</h2> <p align="left" class="bodytxtnf">We specialize in residential architecture. Here is the range of the projects we take on:</p> <ul class="sqbullettxt"> <li><b>Size of design projects:</b> Residential architecture, from whole house to intimate alcove </li> <li><b>Types of projects:</b> Designs for new construction, renovations, additions, restorations </li> <li><b>Geography covered:</b> Primarily eastern United States, from Georgia to Maine, especially Massachusetts and the Boston area </li> </ul> <h2> </h2> <noscript><P><A HREF="http://www.johnaltobelloarchitecture.com" title="Entry Page">http://www.johnaltobelloarchitecture.com</A> |<A HREF="home.htm" title="Home">Home</A>| <A HREF="ashes.htm" title="Up From the Ashes">Up From the Ashes - A Client History</a> | <A HREF="legacy.htm" title="Legacy at Long Pond">Legacy at Long Pond - A Client History</a> | <A HREF="ownspace.htm" title="A Space of Their Own">A Space of Their Own - A Client History</A> | <A HREF="experience.htm" title="Experience">John Altobello's Experience</A> | <A HREF="process.htm" title="Process">Process - How we Get You Your Dream House</A> | <A HREF="philosophy.htm" title="Philosophy">John Altobello's Architecture Design Philosophy</A></P> </noscript> </body>