Greenbook: A Local Guide to Chesapeake Living - Issue 8 | Page 16

Barrel Vault Room designed by Purple
Cherry Architects for a residential design
on Melvin Road in Annapolis

pany that is a little bit bigger, you have
to be willing to let go and to collaborate
with other people. My first hires were all
young people and I felt like I was building a team, a business. I wasn’t scared
at all until the day I hired someone with
twenty years experience!
My second hire was a part time office
manager. I am a big believer in systems
and in hiring people to work within their
gifts. To have an architect do invoicing
is not to use their gift. When I am surrounded by talented people who are
each using their gifts, then I have the
space to do my very best work. I have always been entrepreneurial, so I just put
the right team in place and worked hard
and did a good job and used my gifts.
GB: WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR
FAVORITE PROJECTS FROM YOUR
CAREER?
CPC: When clients allow you to be
creative, when somebody allows you
to just go for it: that is the epitome of
architecture for me. It doesn’t mean
you don’t limit yourself, but that you
are being asked to do your best. Those
times when my clients allow me to express my skills and passion through
16

GREENBOOK | SUMMER 2016

design are my favorite.
I am especially proud of our work
for non-profits. We just finished Hospice of the Chesapeake. Hospice is on a
whole new journey to educate the public
on palliative care. They are pioneering
ways to help patients before the end of
life. We made a very warm, welcoming,
comforting and inspirational building
and met the budget goals of the organization. It is not easy to make a beautiful
building when you have a tight budget.
I take a lot of pride in that. We also had
to find ways to build deeply spiritual
places without overtly mentioning any
deity. Two artists were able to articulate
my vision in the chapel, or meditation
room, which is truly beautiful.
Opportunity Builders is a 42,000
square foot rehabilitation and vocational day facility for adults with disabilities.
Non-profits have a real challenge in establishing a presence and therefore in
raising money. Having an actual headquarters and a building is the number
one thing for public recognition that a
non-profit organization can do. Opportunity Builders used to be housed in a
warehouse. They had been providing
amazing services in Anne Arundel

County for thirty to forty years, but nobody knew about them. It was the same
for Arundel Lodge. Both of these projects helped put important community
organizations on the map, literally, and
in a better position to serve clients.
I am just finishing up one of my all
time favorite projects. We were hired as
consultants to design The Pilot School, a
K-8 progressive, green private school in
Delaware that will be completed in early
2017. Every non-profit is challenged by
budget, but this particular project had
the desire and willingness to create the
best space for the children. It was close
to my heart.
GB: WHAT ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE
RESIDENTIAL DESIGNS?
CPC: In particular I recall designing
a 14,000 square foot home on Melvin
Road. The first thing we built on the
property was a large detached structure
to house a collection of automobiles
and motorcycles. Behind that we were
honored and blessed to design a magnificent home. The clients allowed us
to explore and integrate our creativity
on every single level of three floors and
that is very unusual. In custom residen-