Celebrating New Architects: Nick Lavita

Nick Lavita recently joined the firm’s ranks of registered architects. Today we celebrate his accomplishments.

Nick joined PAYETTE in 2007 after graduating magna cum laude with a B. Arch from Syracuse University. Since joining the firm he has worked on the Wesleyan Molecular Life Sciences Building, Princeton Frick Chemistry Building and Georgetown Regents Hall. He led the exterior design for the CNS Teaching and Research Greenhouse at UMass Amherst, where the laboratories were a modern reinterpretation of a New England barn and also played off traditional greenhouse forms. For the New Science Center at Amherst College, he led an integrated MEP coordination effort and was heavily involved with building users and design of the laboratory spaces. Nick has been active in the firm’s Core Science Group, Design Technology efforts related to BIM, and is the coach for the PAYETTE softball team. He has also taught studio and design principles courses at the Boston Architectural College, primarily with first year students, and remains active as a studio critic.

What inspires you?
Getting to that point in design where everything falls into place. It is so exciting getting to a synergistic design solution that promotes the goals of the client, enhances the environment of the day to day users, and supports the folks maintaining the building, all while making beautiful spaces.    

What is the best part of your job?
Creative problem solving. It’s so much of what we do – from the scale of working through how a detail is put together to the big picture parti of a building. It’s through problem solving that we as architects have the opportunity to design a building that when it’s completed, is better than anyone could have imagined.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned so far?
Mentorship. I’ve been very lucky throughout my career to have some great mentors who have taught me how to be a professional architect. It’s something I try to pass on to my colleagues on a daily basis. 

The sky is the limit: if you could design or redesign anything, what would it be?
A house for my family.