Princeton architects weather recession with restoration and re-use

You forget about intimidation when participating in the male-dominated construction end of architecture. It's about proving your competency.

By Nicole Mulvaney FOR THE TIMES

The 2009 recession sent hundreds of U.S. businesses into bankruptcy and millions of workers onto the unemployment rolls, but one Princeton architectural firm weathered the economic slump and has emerged stronger than ever.

I think that the experience of the downturn has made us both more resilient and creative in our approach to obtaining work, said Moira McClintock, managing partner in the firm, Ford 3 Architects.

We were also fortunate to have a focus on preservation and adaptive re-use projects, she said, noting recent preservation projects at Princeton and Rutgers universities and at the University of Pennsylvania.

Ford 3, which is marking its 10th anniversary this year, had its best year in 2008, when it began to establish itself among the businesses, high-end shops, restaurants and boutiques along Nassau Street in Princeton. But everything changed at the end of that year with the start of the recession.

Projects went on hold, there was little new work to pursue and what there was was of a much smaller scale, recalled McClintock. Ford 3 attempted to hold onto staff as long as possible by reducing hours and partner compensation but it had to let some employees go.

But some long-term clients enabled the business to stay afloat during that period and work its way back to the size it had prior to the recession, she said.

Given the significant costs associated with new architectural development, there has been an increased interest in re-use and restoration of existing buildings to modern standards of sustainability an area of expertise for Ford 3.

Ford 3 Architects sprouted from Ford Farewell Mills & Gatsch Architects in Princeton, the firm that brought its partners together.

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Princeton architects weather recession with restoration and re-use