Promoted: Lynn Petermann, AIA, LEED AP

In an ever-evolving profession, our advancing staff enriches the work and culture at PAYETTE while cultivating the talent, creativity and growth among the very project teams they make up. With great pleasure we announce the advancement of three staff members. We hope you’ll join us in celebrating their achievements.

Lynn Petermann, AIA, LEED AP
Promoted to Associate

Lynn joined PAYETTE in 2013 and brings five years of experience as a thoughtful practitioner in all aspects of building design from initial programming studies through construction. She strives to bring a high level of care to the field by making informed design decisions with an understanding rooted in the physical world, through an in-depth understanding of building science and experience in the construction field. Since joining the firm, Lynn has made significant contributions to projects at the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Kentucky, Salem State University and is an integral team member to the Building Science group’s work on thermal comfort. Lynn’s foundation and interest in investigating real world issues originated from her B.A. in Chemistry at Northwestern University and later led her to earn her M.Arch from the University of Texas at Austin in 2008. Lynn has also taught in the field of architecture as a studio instructor at the Boston Architectural College from 2012-2015.

What drew you to architecture?
I made the decision to attend architecture school after receiving my Chemistry undergraduate degree, and working for a few years within the field. From that experience, I knew I wanted a career that spanned between both, rigorous analytical tasks, as found in the field of chemistry, but also integrated my creative and artistic side. From the first studio course I took in architecture school, I was hooked. The field has become even richer for me since entering the working world in seeing the tangible difference we’re making for clients. That is something that wasn’t fully on my radar when entering school, but has become much more of a driver in my appreciation of the field.

Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration in both the built environment, in nature, and the intersection of the two. Working in downtown Boston and experiencing the city on foot is great. I love seeing vibrant public spaces within the city, and the Greenway, just a block from the office, is such a nice amenity to downtown Boston. I also really enjoy different landscapes and the changes in scale that you feel as a person – from the Maine coast, to the mountains in New Hampshire, to the open stretches of west Texas.

What is your favorite building or place?
A few summer’s ago, I took a 2-week weaving course at the Haystack Mountain School of Craft on a remote part of the Maine coast. It was designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes in 1960, and for architects, it is a must-see. Although I don’t think just seeing the place really does it justice. It is the activity of making, and the community that comes together for an intense yet rewarding period of time that really makes the place so special. The architecture is so integrally tied to not only to the activity but also in harmony with its site, and was really inspiring to witness.

Whom do you admire?
I’ll take the easy / architect approach to this question. I admire the work of Tod Williams and Billie Tsien. I have visited many of their projects from earlier work like The Neuroscience Institute in La Jolla to the recent Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. Not only do the scale and proportion of the spaces feel ‘right’, it is their finely crafted approach to materiality and details that is really admirable. The more that I’m in the field, I realize how difficult this is to pull off with such refinement.

What’s the latest book you read? 
I recently finished Elena Ferrante’s four book series, Neapolitan Novels. It follows the story of two female friends throughout their lives (one receives an education, the other does not). One of the women, as the narrator, details the arc of female friendship, and the different paths of their lives take. It is also intricately tied into the idea of place and how that shapes who they were within their life, and how that place changes over time.