CBT Architects

Forty years after being founded by three like-minded architects, CBT remains focused on creating a strong culture where leadership is valued and creativity fosteredCBT Architects began as a part-time collaboration between three founding principals, Maurice Childs, Richard Bertman, and Charles Tseckares, and secured two early projects, one a small art gallery in Boston, the other, a Greek Orthodox Church in a suburb north of Boston. It was an important milestone for a new firm eager to have examples of its work to show other prospective clients, but before the design could be completed the project was called off when the church leaders couldnÔÇÖt agree on how to proceed. ÔÇ£We really scrambled,ÔÇØ recalls Tseckares. CBT recovered, thanks mainly to the hard work and ingenuity of its founders, taking on outsourcing work designing multi-family residential buildings for a local architect and simple jobs like home remodeling. It entered competitions and gained a reputation for being strong in adaptive reuse of historic buildings as well as historic preservation. ÔÇ£We did it mainly by hard work,ÔÇØ says Bertman. ÔÇ£When three people are willing to work late at night and on weekends to make something happen, you can accomplish a lot.ÔÇØ What kept the firm going through those lean times, he adds, was a shared belief that the three partners could create a firm that was different from the autocratic, top-down firms the principals had all experienced first-hand during their careers. ÔÇ£We all had a sense that architectural firms in those days were not very good employers. We thought we could create a firm that developed a culture where people would be self-motivated, rather than being pushed from the top. ItÔÇÖs a terrific differentiator for us even today.ÔÇØCBT Architects marked its 40th anniversary last year, and is now a firm with increasing national and international reach. Its areas of expertise include commercial, academic and institutional architecture, urban planning and design, interior design and graphic design. Its project credits include 111 Huntington Avenue in the Prudential Center, and the Columbus Center, a one million-square-foot mixed-use project in the heart of Boston. CBT has also helped restore historic public libraries across Massachusetts. It does interior design work for many of BostonÔÇÖs top law and financial services firms and its urban planning unit has done work in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Beirut, Lebanon, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Melbourne, Australia. ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs not porch additions any more,ÔÇØ says Tseckares. Growth has brought changes, but the firmÔÇÖs focus on its original philosophy remains. Everyone is invited to attend meetings to discuss new projects. ÔÇ£I remember being in a firm where only the architects attended such meetings,ÔÇØ says Tseckares. ÔÇ£There was this rigid divide, indicating that architects were more important than the rest of the people in the firm.ÔÇØ As it has grown, CBT has been careful to cultivate future leaders and employees who share the firmÔÇÖs ideals. ÔÇ£When we get new people who have been at other firms, we find ourselves constantly reassuring them that they donÔÇÖt need to wait for people to tell them what to do, that they can initiate things on their own,ÔÇØ says Bertman. ÔÇ£Periodically, we are told by employees that the firm is too democratic. We believe the administrative staff and the people in business development are as important as architects doing billable work. That belief is an important part of our culture.ÔÇØ Bertman and Tseckares are confident the firm can grow further by adapting to the changing environment. ÔÇ£The business has changed in that 40 years ago, no one complained when you built a new building,ÔÇØ says Tseckares. Today, convincing communities that a project is a good thing for them is a key part of an architectÔÇÖs work. CBT gained experience in that area helping to win public support for part of the massive Central Artery project that disrupted neighborhoods in Boston for more than a decade, turning around public opinion after a difficult start for the projectÔÇÖs leadership. ÔÇ£That was a major breakthrough at the time and it is something we continue to do today. Those are the types of skills we can employ in all our markets.ÔÇØ┬á