Flavin Architects
Boston-based architects designing beautifully crafted, naturally modern homes. The work is designed to tread lightly on the earth.
STUDIO PHILOSOPHY
Natural Modernism
The work of Flavin Architects is deeply rooted in the context in which our projects are sited; we call this approach to design Natural Modernism. The firm designs buildings that relate beautifully to their surroundings, with sculpted lines and timeless materials. With an aim to blur the distinction between inside and out, we use transparency and axial views to draw the eye to the natural world. We make innovative use of cutting-edge materials and techniques to conserve energy, water and the natural systems present on the site. The success of our projects depends on strong relationships and teamwork. Flavin Architects seeks to understand our clients' intentions so that we can translate these goals into a design tailored to them. Our hand-rendered drawings, models and computer simulations work together to ensure that our clients understand how a concept will work and accurately convey the project's look and feel when built.
Principal Heather Souza joined Sarah Lawson and Bruce Irving of on Builder’s Notebook, their podcast on home renovation and construction.
Heather shares her insight as a principal at Flavin Architects on how the firm’s refined design process has helped her support clients’ unique lifestyles through redesigning space, as well as the infrastructure and material issues that come with renovating houses in New England.
Visit the link in our bio to listen to episode 38 of Builder’s Notebook titled “Reclaiming the 1980s-2000s Home.”
Thank you to our collaborators on these featured projects.
Bridging the Pastconstruction
Webb Structural Services
RJZ Engineering
Snelling & Hamel Associates
Photography by
Styling by .bourlot
Wales House
The Ralph S. Osmond Co.
Perkins Custom Contracting
Lynch Landscape & Tree Service
Webb Structural Services
Photography by
Cliff House
P.M. Gallagher Builders
Webb Structural Services
Photography by
09/16/2026
West Gloucester House. This Cape Ann, MA project was designed for our clients on a steep site overlooking the Annisquam River. This early sketch of Colin's shows his vision for an interior staircase with a stainless steel mesh guard and solid wood treads, as well as the pantry hall elevation and its context.
Thank you to our collaborators on this project.
Atsu Gunther Design
Webb Structural Services
Sun Engineering
The Morin-Cameron Group
Kelley Welding
Photography by
At our recent photoshoot in Cambridge, MA, this renovation project features updated sightlines and an improved indoor-outdoor connection with the reinvented landscape created in collaboration with Wagner Hodgson.
Thank you to our collaborators on this project.
Brookes + Hill Custom Builders
Wagner Hodgson
Styling by Fernanda Bourlot simplemente_blanco
Photography by Nat Rea
09/11/2026
During a visit to the West Coast, Colin’s sketch of Tassajara Zen Mountain Center captures a quiet corner of the monastery, tucked deep into the Ventana Wilderness of California's Los Padres National Forest.
Founded in 1967 by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and the San Francisco Zen Center, this is the oldest Japanese Sōtō Zen monastery in the United States and the first Zen training monastery built outside of Asia, reached today by a rugged 14-mile dirt road into Carmel Valley.
09/09/2026
Tiered Modern. Located on a south-facing lot in Newton, MA, this modern home and terrace sit set back from the street to frame a quiet approach through the landscaped entry.
We sited the house to both address privacy needs of our client and to take advantage of sunlight. Working with , the aesthetically pleasing solar panel system maximizes space and sustainable electricity production.
Thank you to our collaborators on this project.
Haven Builders
Everett M. Brooks Co
Webb Structural Services
Suburban HVAC
Nine Points Woodworking
Styling by .bourlot
Photography by
Steinert House. We are honored to be restoring this 1965 Cambridge, MA home designed by F. Frederick Bruck, a German émigré who studied under Walter Gropius at Harvard. Our work updates the home’s original systems and clarifies Bruck’s design intent, while adding a lap pool, cabana, and roof terrace to the site.
Thank you to our collaborators on this project.
Columbia Design Group
Rosati Acoustics + Multimedia
09/02/2026
Colin captured the views of these hillside towns while traveling through Italy this summer, sketching the rooftops, towers, and landscape of Montevettolini and Seregno.
08/31/2026
Courtyard House. This home sits on a sloped, wooded lot, accessed by a winding driveway. A board-form concrete plinth echoes the surrounding woodland’s texture, while mahogany screens and vertical battens create a strikingly modern facade at the north-facing exterior.
Thank you to our collaborators on this project.
construction
Rehl Gardens
Scaglione Woodworks
Fusion Home Systems
Photography by
Burke House. Sited near a natural spring in Wellesley, MA, this 1959 butterfly-roof home by J. Robert Wolf Jr. was designed as a floating treehouse. Our renovation added a guest suite and expanded deck, while new material selections and a refreshed exterior paint scheme draw out the home’s original floating, suspended quality.
Thank you to our collaborators on this project.
Stillwater B&R, LLC
Landscape Collaborative
Webb Structural Services
RJZ Engineering
Snelling & Hamel Associates
Styling by Fernanda Bourlot simplemente_blanco
Photography by Nat Rea
08/26/2026
Hobart's Landing House. Our current project near the North River in Norwell, MA is designed to sit tucked into its wooded site, following the slope of the landscape. Low-profile European windows open the home to river views in three different bays.
Thank you to our collaborators on this project.
Webb Structural Services
Morse Engineering
RJZ Engineering
Next Electric Systems
South Shore Energy Raters
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Telephone
Address
175 Portland Street #6
Boston, MA
02114
Opening Hours
| Monday | 8am - 5pm |
| Tuesday | 8am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 8am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 8am - 5pm |
| Friday | 8am - 5pm |