April 2026
Image taken during Camp Billings site visit - kitchen equipment is waiting to be installed!
Dearest friends,
Here’s to flowers blooming and birds chirping while you sip your morning coffee. March was conference month over in Graphite Land. Our team conquered JLC and the NESEA BuildingEnergy Boston 2026 events. We also made our way to Camp Billings to take a look at the construction process in time for the campers to make their way this summer, and are excited for a new crop of projects coming our way this year.
Happy Spring!
Warmly,
Andrew and the Graphite Team
GRAPHITE UPDATE: Conference Season!
A flashback to March in conference-land, Graphite split the team to make time for both JLC Live (by the Journal of Light Construction) and NESEA’s BuildingEnergy Boston Conference. They both felt like great places to nerd out with other people who care about comfortable homes, building science, and the challenges of wood-framed buildings. The sessions were about practical ways to improve residential design and construction, from energy performance and durability, to smarter details on site. Plus, it was just nice to reconnect with like-minded folks and swap ideas.
GRAPHITE WISDOM: Windows!
We’re currently working on a barn rehab project in Vermont that has a vision of an expansive curtainwall system with views overlooking the mountains. We are engaging Loewen windows to learn more about their systems, and love the look and feel of their Timber Curtain Wall. It seems a great time to re-engage with our Canadian window friends. While they don’t deliver Passive House-levels of performance, the quality and materials of the Loewen are hard to beat. We’re looking forward to our first round of pricing and design feedback.
PROJECT UPDATE: Camp Billings
Estes & Gallup are making great progress at Camp Billings! With the summer season coming up fast, the crew is installing kitchen equipment and finsihed floors, buttoning up the details for the interiors. Our goal- to bring this 100 year old camp up to standards in structure and equipment, to improve the kitchen experience, connect the campers even more strongly with staff, and to make it feel just like it always did. We’re on schedule so far, thanks to strong work by the Camp Committee, owners rep Casey, and our Construction crew led by James. Thanks, all! We’re looking forward to the boisterous joy of summer in this special place.
GRAPHITE FRIENDS: R. Roman Interiors x Ross Design and Fabrication
We had a great time meeting with Ross Design + Fabrication and R. Roman Interiors at the Ross shop in Florence this month. We’re interested in finding ways to collaborate with the artists and fabricators of this team on future projects, and excited by the prospects of custom metalwork. If only we needed some custom motorcycle parts, too…
GRAPHITE COMMUNITY: Portfolio Fair at UMass-Amherst
This month, as the weather started to loosen up, Graphite took a stroll down the street to UMass Amherst School of Architecture to share some insight with eager students. Everyone remembers being a student at some point, so it was great to boost their hopes! Good luck to all of the students!
