NewPort Architecture, LLC

This past weekend, Mohamad Farzan of NewPort Architecture attended the kickoff meeting of DESIGNxRI, an economic builder, collabator, and communication for the design sector in Rhode Island. The group was founded to maximize the assets of the local design community while adding jobs, attracting business opportunities, and influencing education, culture, and commerce in Rhode Island.  If you’d like to find out more DESIGNxRI, here’s a great article from Rhode Island Monthly. We can’t wait to see what is next for this exciting group of innovators!

Last week, Mohamad and Dorienne Farzan of NewPort Architecture attended the American Institute of Architects’ annual Grassroots Leadership and Legislative conference in Washington, D.C. The highlight was the AIA Gold Medal award ceremony at the Howard Theater, a historic theater dating to 1910 which has recently been restored and was reopened last year. It was fascinating to see the rebirth of this important landmark in African-American history. Congratulations to AIA Gold Medal winner Thom Mayne!

Mohamad and Dorienne at the Howard Theater.

Evergreen Slate Company recently treated us to a trip to their facility in Middle Granville, N.Y. We were able to see all the work that goes into producting the beautiful slate roofs that many of our clients have chose for their homes – blasting procedures, quarrying techniques, production process, and actual hand-splitting of slates. Below is Mohamad Farzan of NPA helping to split slate!

This past weekend, we at NPA had the opportunity to tour the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, Connecticut.  While we’ve admired (and envied) the gallery’s impressive collections for a long time, this most recent visit was especially exciting because the gallery recently re-opened after a multi-year renovation and expansion. Of all the improvements, we were the most impressed by the floating ceiling below the skylight on the rooftop level, which lets in light while deflecting it at an angle to protect the paintings inside the gallery. We strongly recommend that any art enthusiasts in the Newport area make the drive!

See a behind the scenes tour of the Yale University Art Gallery’s renovation here.

As the proud parents of three rescued feral cats, we were thrilled to see this article in the New York Times: “For feral cats, a few more places to call home.”

Eight New York City architects and designers created low-cost shelters for the city’s feral cats, creatively using recycled materials like chicken wire and cans. A great read for architects and cat-lovers alike!