CBT Architects

Happy International Coffee Day! Celebrating with some cozy caffeine corners brought to you by your favorite coffee-fueled design teams☕️

For more than 120 years, the Gillette World Shaving Headquarters in Fort Point has continued in a historic legacy of innovation along South Boston’s waterfront. Today, we at CBT are proud to partner with Procter & Gamble to build on their long-term stewardship of this remarkable 30-acre site and plan for its next 100 years.   We are thrilled to be a part of this exciting project and the next generation of development at this site!

CBT is proud to support Boston’s “Experience Chinatown,” a two-month long arts festival dedicated to celebrating community and drawing tourism to the neighborhood. The celebration showcases artwork and performances by local artists throughout the month of September, including a creative and thought-provoking mural by CBT Graphic Designer and gifted artist, Dana Balletta. Dana’s piece, “Connected by Fate,” is on display near the Chinatown gate at WakuWaku Ramen. Exploring themes of community, interconnectedness, and destiny, her work prompts us to pause and reflect on how we constantly influence and inspire each other. Take a look at her artist’s statement below and be sure to swing by to see her work! “As a graphic designer, I use my craft to connect people—whether connecting them to other people, resources, events, or experiences. I have always been fascinated by the Red String of Fate, an East Asian belief that soulmates were connected by an invisible red string that would eventually bring them together. When thinking about my artistic philosophy and this year's ‘Experience Chinatown’ theme, I thought about how this concept of fate could apply on a larger scale, to an entire community. Whether you’re a longtime resident or just passing through, perhaps we're all meant to be in this specific time and place for a reason, in a way that benefits each other. If we look at it this way, we can foster a better sense of community and togetherness. The strings that connect us may twist and tangle, but they will never break.”

It’s time to shift our mindset from “do good” to “can do.”   CBT is proud to support the 2024 Climate Beacon Conference, a meeting of motivated, solutions-oriented, can-doers, ready to hit the ground running and take action against #climatechange.   Mark your calendars for October 16-18, and stay tuned for more updates on this important event. 

The results are in! Eco-Residences II has been recognized with a Chicago Athenaeum International Award Honorable Mention! This honor marks the project’s fourth international design award, and we are beyond proud of the impact this sustainable, human-centered design has made in inspiring environmentally and socially responsible architecture and planning across the globe. Congratulations to the team!

CBTer appreciation post 🫶 Cheers to the most talented teams and finest coworkers around!🥂

Our own CBT Senior Principal and Director of Urban Design Kishore Varanasi, AICP has been named a recipient of A Better City’s prestigious Norman B. Leventhal Award! Named in memory of A Better City’s founding director, the Norman B. Leventhal Awards recognize leaders and innovators who have made significant contributions to our built environment. Congratulations to Kishore and all the honorees!

CBT Principal and Chief Information Officer Nirva Fereshetian sits down with Evan Troxel, NCARB on the TRXL Podcast to discuss #innovation, the evolving role of #technology in #architecture and design, and fostering a culture of continuous learning. Be sure to tune in for the full conversation!

Today’s Spark comes from the desk of CBT Associate Marwan Omar: Whenever I’m walking around in cities, there are certain striking moments of people in place, these very human moments of people in nature. When I was traveling in Vietnam, for example, I was inspired by this beautiful couple. The man was offering his back to his partner for her to rest on while she was on her phone. It was this simple moment that made me pause and think, “Wow, this is really beautiful, and it blends so beautifully with the background.” And so, I began to sketch. As designers, sometimes in our work, quick ideas or good ideas need to come in fast. In situations like these, we need to strive for the best idea that we can create in a short time frame. How do we approach this? We sketch. I feel most comfortable with a sketchbook. I carry one with me wherever I go, along with a set of markers and pens. Sketching allows you to explore these experiential phases of testing an idea out and seeing if it’s going to work, or to capture a moment and really understand its context. It’s a process. It’s layer over layer. It’s a matter of personal growth and alignment and orientation. Art is a personal tool, and that’s how I keep using it. I attribute a lot of my positive mental health and happiness to art, really. Art can be beautiful and should be admired, but the ability to be creative and have a creative energy that never leaves you – from your school days to your professional career to your senior years – that is an accomplishment. I can’t do without art. I don’t think I escape the world as much as I do when I’m sketching. *** “The Spark” is an informal CBT series featuring our own colleagues’ firsthand perspectives on anything that has sparked their interest and that may inspire others. The Spark is that flash of inspiration that causes us each to think, to act, to design – that phenomenon or influence that ignites our creative energy and fuels the fires of our passion.

Upon returning from Neocon – one of the biggest conferences in the design world – CBT designers Grace Wyszkowski and Rebecca Polhamus reflect on some of the greatest challenges facing the industry in the years ahead, as well as some of the creative solutions designed to address these challenges. Analyzing what they’ve learned and observed from several industry partners, they’ve identified four key areas of focus which will influence the future of interior design. Here’s what they found. Special thanks to the incredibly innovative brands featured in this video: Haworth MillerKnoll OFS Schiavello Kettal Steelcase Andreu World Isomi Hightower HBF Textiles Allermuir Nienkämper BuzziSpace Extremis SIXINCH® USA