Eric A Chase AIA

As a youth, Eric built, designed, repaired, painted, and sailed wooden boats. Later, his first jobs involved residential construction. During his junior year at college, he decided to put his hands-on experience to use and applied to architectural school.

Yale School of Architecture had a very practical approach, and as a student there he designed and built several projects, including two residences. His construction experience proved very useful in his professional work, and he started his own architectural office in 1980, designing both residential and commercial projects. In addition to designing modest and high-end residences, and a Mercedes dealership, he received a design/build contract to design and build a new downtown Branford, Connecticut Police Headquarters.

To recapture a rural, family life he and his wife Alison moved their family to Brooksville, Maine in 1997, and he started his current office, Eric A Chase Architecture. His practice has grown, and employs a very good team of practical and skillful designers. The success of the office is in part due to its care and attention to the tastes and needs of its clients, as well as its design skill and practical construction experience.

Staff

Eric Chase AIA (registered architect): A.B. Harvard University, M. Arch Yale University

Douglas McMillan (registered architect): A.B. Harvard University, M. Arch University of California at Berkeley, MBA Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

Scott Blanchard: B.F.A. University of New Hampshire, M.F.A. University of North Carolina

Douglas Coots (LEED AP): B.H.E. College of The Atlantic, Boston Architectural College

Ireen Schlaegel: M.B.A. (equivalent) University of Lüneburg, Germany

Approach

Our clients are the key to our design process.

A successful design organizes spaces, materials, and design elements to enhance the client’s life. Therefore, the more closely we can work with the client, the better we can fit the final design to their visions.

We encourage our clients to bring us their ideas and expectations, to share their needs and preference, and to describe how they live. With these images and ideas in mind, together we develop a program and a target budget for the project. We continue to seek our clients’ feedback as we refine the initial schemes into a final plan.

We also feel that a successful design is handsome, practical, and complements the natural features of the site. We encourage energy efficiency, and stay abreast of new building technology and practices.

All of us in the office are experienced and have broad design backgrounds. We share a solid understanding of construction and have been working in Maine for many years. We have established long term relationships with many local builders, trades people, and consultants, who have helped us on over 200 projects.

We keep our eyes open when designing: we see the traditional work that surrounds us, and the possibilities and new concepts that the future brings.