102 Exchange St.
Portland, ME 04101
United States
(207) 842-2888
Beautiful. Sustainable. Attainable. These are the three words that drive the work done at Kaplan Thompson Architects. Building always affects environment, and we strive to build with both community and environmental sustainability in mind. From multi-family homes to restaurants to single-family new construction and renovations, we design beautiful spaces that are considerate of both the environment they are creating and the environment they are being built into.
Sustainability
Since its inception, Kaplan Thompson has been committed to designing super insulated, high-performance buildings. Energy conservation, materials conservation, waste reduction, and decreased impact on the planet are ideals that are applied to every project, big and small, from initial design to final construction. As a JUST organization, we are committed to improving social equity in the firm and the community, and enhancing employee engagement around these values.
In 2018 and 2019, the firm was named on the ARCHITECT 50 sustainability list, the only architecture firm in Maine to be awarded this honor. Part of the recognition comes from the firm’s involvement in building a new campus for The Ecology School, which is a project committed to meeting the requirements of the Living Building Challenge (LBC) and the Living Community Challenge (LCC), which are sustainability requirements that go above and beyond what is normally practiced. The LBC certifies projects that are regenerative and self-sufficient buildings, made with thoroughly vetted materials, meaning that environmental impact is investigated at every level of building. The LCC is about taking the wider community into consideration and focusing a new build on being nurturing, promoting healthy lifestyles, and creating multi (rather than single) purpose uses. Even for new builds that are not striving for LBC/LLC certification, we have continued to incorporate these practices into all of the work we do.
We also participate in the American Institute of Architects’ 2030 Commitment Program, which is a voluntary program in which AIA members pledge to take steps each year in their design and building practices with the goal of producing carbon-neutral buildings by the year 2030. In 2019 we were one of only 16 firms to achieve a 70% or greater pEUI savings across their entire portfolio of submitted work.
“We hired Kaplan Thompson to design an energy efficient home under a strict budget. We really enjoyed working with everyone in the firm. Everyone is super nice, professional, and creative! They understood our requirements, budget, and timelines. They did several site visits to ensure the project fit the neighborhood and also established a rapport with our local code compliance to ensure approval of our design. I’d highly recommend KTA and will use them on my next project!”
“ We adore our home. We’re frequently almost late to work because we’re just wandering around looking at the light or looking out the windows”
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