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Reiter Architecture & Design

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Meet the Designer

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Lauren J. Reiter,  Registered Architect,  LEED™ Accredited Professional 6 South Street    Portland, Maine  04101   tel.917.502.2225   laurenjreiter@yahoo.com 


Introduction

Lauren J. Reiter, AIA has more than thirty years experience in the practice of architecture and more than twelve years in educational practice at the university level.  Her tenure as Senior Vice President with Croxton Collaborative Architects PC in New York City, one of the pioneering ‘green architecture’ firms in America, helped launch the art and practice of a new approach to design and construction – one that minimizes energy use, conserves resources, preserves and restores habitat, and eliminates much of the toxicity endemic to modern construction.  As a LEED accredited professional, Ms. Reiter was instrumental in guiding several Croxton Collaborative projects to LEED (or LEED comparable) certification. 

Based on the seminal work of Croxton Collaborative, Ms. Reiter was invited to teach at New York University in 1994 and retained her position as an adjunct professor at NYU until leaving NYC in 2006.  Additionally, Ms. Reiter taught an annual seminar for design professionals at Harvard University and has lectured at multiple universities and public fora.

Upon moving to Maine in 2006, Ms. Reiter opened a small firm – Reiter Architecture & Design – providing both design and consulting for institutions such as George Stevens Academy and Brooklin Town Offices, as well as consulting as the Lead Professional on LEED applications.  Now based in Portland, Maine RAD's work includes multiple project types, from residences to restaurants to science labs. She also works as the lead architect for a local Design-Build firm, with work spanning from multi-unit residential buildings to complex renovations of historic houses.  All of RAD's work is characterized by high performance and sensitive, client-specific design.


Education 1982 University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA   Master of Architecture 1978 Brown University, Providence, RI   Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude 


Selected Teaching Experience New York University, Adjunct professor, 1994–2006. 'Environmental/Sustainable Issues in Urban Design', 'Architectural Drawing'. Harvard University Design School, Lecturer 2004--06: Architecture & Sustainability: Integrating Built & Natural Environments' Yale Univ./Cooper Union/Delaware Valley Green Building Council/NYC Green Building Council, Lecturer


Professional Highlights

Police Dept. Forensic Science Center, Philadelphia, PA. New state-of-the-art forensics laboratory & model for future sustainable projects for the City of Philadelphia. Housed in a 1920's former public school, some of its many 'green' features include precise mapping of areas requiring 100% outside air to minimize HVAC loads and rooftop PVs.  In 2006, this project was awarded the highest environmental award given in the US: the AIA Committee on the Environment’s “TOP 10 Green Buildings in America” award.

World Trade Center, New York, NY. Immediately after 9/11, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey assembled an international design & engineering  team to create design guidelines for the redevelopment of the site.  Work included writing the Program for the whole site, and the first-ever green guidelines for the development of a multi-building/multi-use site.

National Audubon Society Headquarters, New York, NY. Project Architect for nationally recognized, environmental/sustainable renovation of 100,000 sq. ft., 100 year old building. This project is often credited as the first full spectrum environmental project in the US and was presented at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1994, as well as being included as a case study in several seminal ‘green’ texts.

Natural Resources Defense Council Headquarters, New York, NY. Design of headquarters offices for one of the leading environmental advocacy organizations in the world; work has spanned a period of more than fifteen years, initiated with a project that was deemed the most ’Energy Efficient building in America” when completed in 1988, and since expanded to additional floors in the same century-old building.

Save The Bay, Providence, RI. New administrative headquarters/program space for leading New England environmental group. Located on a Narragansett Bay brown-field, the project includes habitat restoration, methane capture, & re-introduction of Indigenous vegetation including a vegetated roof.

Rutgers University, Institute For The Environment, New Brunswick, NJ. Rutgers' new 200,000 sf multi-departmental teaching/research lab building, intended to be exemplar green model for future building at Rutgers, in a building that brings together multiple disciplines to solve complex environmental issues on university, state & federal levels.


Architectural Registrations / Memberships Licensed in New York State & Maine; member of National Council of Architectural Registration Board; LEED AP


Community Service  Brooklin Affordable Housing Initiative, chair of Design-Build committee; Founder: “Brooklin Strides” Annual Breast Cancer Fund Raising Walk; volunteer at Las Terrenas International School (Dominican Republic); volunteer with Portland public school to create outdoor classrooms during Covid.



More from our happy clients

We had a GREAT experience working with Lauren and would highly recommend her to anyone looking for an architect. Lauren brought design skills that were exactly suited to our project’s particular requirements and challenges. We needed to update and improve a family space while working around some immovable structural features of our home, and Lauren absolutely knocked it out of the park. Her design complements the existing house in a way that feels both new and familiar: bigger and brighter, yet true to the good bones and character of the home. Throughout the design process, she worked hard to bring our concept “notes” to life. She ran with our creative hopes for the space while gently steering us around pitfalls hiding in our blind spots. She is an excellent, prompt communicator, always available with a quick and thoughtful answer to our questions. Lauren worked efficiently and decisively, with real respect for both the project budget and everyone’s time. Beyond her own contributions, Lauren assembled a great team from her network. She connected us with a fantastic GC, with whom she has an excellent working relationship, and several vendors we have nothing but praise for. We’d hire her again in a heartbeatRead More

Working with Reiter Architecture on our exterior renovation, entryway, and kitchen remodel was a great pleasure from start to finish. From our first meetings, she took the time to deeply understand how our family uses our space, rather than just proposing a layout. Her thoughtful assessment of our daily flow combined with her strong creative vision resulted in a design that looks wonderful and is incredibly functional. She listened to our design preferences and translated our ideas into something even better than we imagined. Throughout the process, she made a major renovation feel smooth, collaborative, and entirely stress-free. Our updated exterior, entryway, and kitchen have completely transformed how our home looks and feels. We couldn't be happier with the results and recommend Reiter Architecture without hesitation.Read More

Lauren has collaborated with my remodeling business on a couple projects so far and the experience has been great! Overall, her eye for design and attention to detail make the performed work look amazing and she does an excellent job of communicating to the both the clients and my team. I highly recommend her architectural services for projects that include purpose built spaces, lighting design, and functionality. I look forward to working with her again soon! Danny Fisher (Fisher Custom Carpentry, Inc)Read More

Working with Lauren turned out better than I had even hoped. She was very responsive to our constraints and proclivities as well as our own working styles. She attended to every detail and shared our larger vision, which she was able to implement. She interacted effectively with our contractor and helped keep the project on schedule and on budget. The final product is so lovely!Read More

We are in the process of finishing a large renovation with Lauren, and are happy to report on our experience. Cutting straight to the point: we highly recommend, with zero reservations. Lauren was everything we hoped for in an architect. The overwhelming process of planning a major redesign on a fixed budget was systematically broken down into countless manageable steps. She was forever cognizant of budget, and never pressured us to stretch our means. She was patient with our dithering, and provided gentle redirection with some of our more outlandish ideas. Despite managing multiple projects, she was always readily available, and somehow made us feel like we were her only clients. Her constant references to prior projects, describing designs/materials/products that did and didn’t work, conveyed her experience in a way that was comforting and reassuring. Finally, her dry sense of humor and unfiltered opinions were refreshing. Choosing an architect is a bit of a crapshoot, but working together over the last year was an absolute pleasure!Read More

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