PAYETTE partnered with 7 organizations in 2026 on our annual Day of Service: Breaktime, Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, The Elizabeth Peabody House, Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts, Greater Ashmont Main Street, Brighton Main Streets, and Greater Grove Hall Main Streets. Individuals from all areas of PAYETTE participated in the annual Day of Service: including architecture, building science, fabrication, interior design, landscape architecture, marketing, space strategies and design visualization. This diverse set of skills led to a range of design solutions for each project.
Sandrine Héroux, Sophie McKenzie, and Emily Chowdhury are each members of our in-house Fabrication team. Their day-to-day work centers on a simple question: what changes when design becomes something people can physically test?
These women challenge the notion of fabrication as a support service, framing it instead as an essential component of architectural authorship, a way to test ideas, share agency, and widen the boundaries of what architectural practice can include.
In our most recent blog, they discuss their individual paths in architecture and reflect on their experience using fabrication as a tool for fostering shared agency, community engagement and broadening the role of the architect. Link in bio!
#designalways #artofmaking #architecture #madamearchitect #womeninfabrication #fabrication #bostonarchitecture #bostonfabrication #archdaily #archisource
breaktime: new retail experience
In December 2024, Breaktime acquired a 34,000-square-foot, five-story building at 63 Franklin Street in Downtown Boston, allowing Breaktime’s to establish the Hub for Solving Young Adult Homelessness. While the Hub’s vision—co-locating job training, wraparound services, and health clinics—is revolutionary, the facility’s physical design must be elevated to truly fulfill our mission of dignity and empowerment. Breaktime sought PAYETTE’s services to design a retail experience for the new Resource Hub, and a complimenting donor wall.
massachusetts transgender political coalition: office renovations
MTPC recently moved into a 752 sq. ft. office suite and require expert support to design an efficient, inclusive, and welcoming office environment that can accommodate their growing operational needs while embodying our community-centered mission. A particular focus of this project is the 150 sq. ft. G.E.A.R. Boutique, a small office dedicated to MTPC’s Gender Euphoria and Affirmation Resources (G.E.A.R.) Program.
the elizabeth peabody house: a new community hub
This project aims to lay the groundwork for an upcoming transformation of the 2,000-squarefoot sanctuary into a flexible Community Hub that aligns with EPH’s mission and new strategic plan. With PAYETTE’s partnership, EPH wanted to develop conceptual layouts and design-forward visual renderings that demonstrate how the space can support daily programming, events, cultural activities, community meetings, and the numerous requests for space we receive.
Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts: Designing pet spaces
The Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts is looking to revamp the outdoor kennel area at the shelter, originally built in 1993. This project aims to restore and upgrade the outdoor kennels to create a safe, comfortable, and enriching environment for the dogs in APCSM’s care. Along with the dog kennels, the APCSM is also planning to enhance the existing cat lounge, an open, cage-free environment where adoptable cats and kittens reside while waiting to find their forever homes.
Greater Ashmont Main Streets: ashmont Mbta station transformation
GAMS is seeking design ideas for transforming the Ashmont MBTA station into a welcoming space for the community that encourages activity and celebrates the character of the neighborhood. The proposals should be minimally invasive and provide an outsized value with regards to scope and budget.
brighton main streets: veronica b. smith senior center outdoor space redesign
Brighton Main Streets was looking for design services to reimagine and redesign the outdoor space shared by the Veronica B. Smith Senior Center and the adjacent Brighton Common. This project will transform an underutilized paved area into a welcoming, accessible and flexible community asset featuring ample seating with tables, a small stage for performances and programming, a modest garden and low-level landscaping. This redesigned space will serve as a vibrant extension of the Senior Center and an activated gateway to the heavily used Brighton Common.
greater grove hall main streets: human-scaled housing
Greater Grove Hall Main Streets was seeking design services to explore how Boston’s small and irregular lots can be used to create new, human-scaled housing. The purpose of the project is to illustrate what types of alternative housing forms can realistically fit on these tiny parcels and how they can contribute to addressing Boston’s housing shortage.