For Sunday business section, with box listing some of the most notable harriman buildings (BIZharrimanbox1003)

Strong growth – by design
The architect of Auburn’s new city hall is a venerable Auburn firm that’s blooming in size and reputation across the state in part for its educational’ prowess.


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Structurally sound
A venerable Auburn architectural firm is growing in size and reputation throughout the state while keeping its focus on what works.

UBURN – Ed Cormier gazes approvingly out the deep, three-sided window that juts over the Court Street sidewalk below.

As traffic whizzes by, his eyes trace the window’s frame, then focus outside on the green space across the street. He turns on his heel and surveys the interior of the conference room that extends from the window.

His eyes are still smiling. With good reason.

As president of Harriman Associates, he has overseen the architectural firm’s growth into one of Maine’s largest, with 82 employees. Ten years ago the 134-year-old company did $35 million worth of construction. This year it will be $120 million.

Last year Harriman took home a fistful of national awards, primarily for its work in designing schools – a specialty niche that has brought it acclaim and several new accounts. It’s also becoming a leader in using technology and design that benefits the environment. And it has opened satellite offices in Portland and New Hampshire.

But Cormier’s reason for smiling this day is a lot closer to home. The conference room that meets his approval is just one room in the new Auburn Hall, an $8.7 million project that will be unveiled to the public in a couple of weeks.

The project reflects two of Harriman’s strengths, says Cormier: It recycles an old building into a modern, functional space and it stretches a buck to do it.

“I think we did well in terms of getting a lot for the money,” he said.

Blending style and substance

Cormier is joined on a tour of the building by Jeff Larimer, one of the principal architects of Auburn Hall. The project presented several challenges, including the renovation of the old Auburn Hall (built in 1865) and joining it with brand-new construction next door.

Together, the men point out some of the cost-saving features of the new building. The tile floors are made of porcelain. They considered granite tiles, but the cost difference was huge: $7 to $8 per square foot for porcelain; $10 to $12 per square foot for granite.

Likewise the mahogany panels that frame the public spaces on the first and second floors are a veneer buttressed by a solid-wood trim. Asked what the difference would have been if the panels were solid mahogany and Cormier just raises his eyebrows.

“I couldn’t even guess,” he said.

The impressive granite-looking columns that frame the entryway are actually made of precast concrete, an aggregate that was sandblasted to get the look of granite.

“We experimented with a lot of aggregates before we got the right color,” said Cormier.

The overall feeling of the building’s entrance and main lobby is grand. The warmth of the wood plays off the light accent paint and colorful floor tiles while multiple windows and a second-floor atrium create a sense of airy lightness.

The intent is to make the public feel welcome and worthwhile.

“A city hall needs to have a good presence,” said Cormier. “It’s not extravagant by any means.”

Step out of the public areas and the mood changes instantly. The new city building consolidates the administrative offices of both the municipal and school departments – the work areas are strictly functional.

But the design also encourages efficiency. The city and school technology and finance departments share space, and there is computer access for the public that will allow people to do research on their own. The second floor of the building is connected to the new Mechanics Row garage through a glass corridor, allowing people to park and zip into city hall without the hassle of street parking.

Larimer and Cormier are proud of the project.

Although it doesn’t fall into one of its four specialty niches, the city hall project reflects the company’s interest and commitment to its hometown.

“Part of our core purpose is to give back to the community,” said Cormier. “The new city hall is an example typical of the kind of development to bring downtowns back.”

Harriman underwrites several community projects; last spring it was the lead sponsor for the governor’s Creative Economy conference in Lewiston.

“The Creative Economy conference had 600 people show up at Bates Mill and you think That could be something pretty powerful,'” he said. “If you give back to your community and that helps your community grow, it will attract other people as well.”

Carving its niche

Go into nearly any community in Maine and you’ll find examples of Harriman’s work, said Cormier – not surprising for a 134-year-old company.

But if you want to see samples of its most recent work you should probably focus attention on health-care buildings, K-12 schools, higher-ed buildings and commercial retail, the company’s four specialty niches.

It has developed such expertise in K-12 design that Harriman principal Dan Cecil was asked to present at a KnowledgeWorks Foundation conference in Ohio last week. The foundation advocates designing schools to act as community centers. Ground-breaking Noble High School in North Berwick brought Harriman national attention for a design that incorporates traditional academic uses with community resources, such as day care and performing arts space.

“Noble High School just won its 14th award,” said Lisa Stevens, marketing manager for Harriman. She said the firm has received several school contracts in its wake.

The firm has been designing schools since the 1800s (such as Auburn’s Washburn School, built in 1892) and company leaders expect the design of K-12 buildings will keep them busy for years to come. Analysts estimate about $23 billion will be spent on new school construction over the next 10 years, said Stevens.

But the principals aren’t going to put all their eggs in one basket. Cormier pointed out that some architectural firms that specialized in hospital construction found themselves out of work when government regulations such as Maine’s Certificate of Need process chilled health-care expansions.

By maintaining diverse niches, the company can continue to expand, although that’s not necessarily the goal.

“Growth is important but not our primary focus. … We’re not looking at astronomical growth,” he said. “We want to maintain steady workload and keep the clients happy.”

In fact, the company has adopted a business strategy that’s about 180 degrees from where it was 10 years ago.

“Back then, we were trying to get as many clients as we could,” said Cormier. “But now we look at our clients, we want them to come back to us and to value our work. We make it a point to solve the problems. We’re building long-term relationships.”

Chief among them is Shaw’s supermarkets. Harriman has designed its stores for the last 20 years. The firm also has a 10-year relationship going with Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington.

“Between 70 and 80 percent of our business is repeat business,” said Stevens.

What’s old is new again

One area where the company plans to grow is in the design of LEED-certified buildings. LEED, an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a national program that promotes integrating green materials and energy efficiency into architectural design. Ten percent of Harriman’s staff are LEED certified, and Cormier said more are seeking the designation.

Some institutions, such as the University of Maine and the state’s Bureau of General Services, now require all new buildings to be LEED certified.

Although Auburn Hall is not an LEED project, it incorporated many of its ideas, including the use of new materials and the notion of recycling an old building into a new use.

“We did a lot of investigating upfront beforehand,” said Larimer. “Some people said we should tear it down and build a new one, but that’s not what we wanted.”

One of the greatest challenges was bringing the 139-year-old building up to code. Designers had to create an interior skeleton of concrete and steel and anchor it to the existing masonry walls. First they created vertical grooves in the original wall, then applied a four-inch layer of special concrete and faced that with a four-inch steel-studded wall.

“As a structural solution, it’s pretty unique,” said Larimer.

Wiring and utility cables run through the new skeleton; original windows were kept but updated with thermal panes. The top floor, which is suspended from the roof by giant trusses and rods, is largely unfinished so it can be tailored to the needs of future tenants. Cost for the project ran about $125 per square foot.

“Taking an 1865 building and making it something for 2005 was quite successful, I think,” said Cormier. “It’s the challenge of what we do, and what makes it so much fun.”