AUBURN – Historically, architectural firms have been divided into two camps: the creative, artsy architects and the scientific, systems-oriented engineers.

But at Harriman – one of the area’s oldest architectural firms – a new, interdisciplinary leadership team is poised to blend the two together, starting in the executive suite.

Ed Cormier, who has been president for 17 years, is “stepping down” to join two other principals in managing the 137-year-old company. Clifton W. Greim, a principal with the company’s mechanical department, will serve as president/CEO, while Patrick S. Costin, a principal within the architectural studio, will become chairman of the board. Cormier will oversee the day-to-day activities of the company as chief operating officer.

“In terms of the direction we are seeking to drive the firm, it all revolves around the notion of art and science merging,” said Costin.

Harriman is ditching the conventional model of having an architect create an aesthetic for a building and then leaving it up to the engineers to fit the systems within it. Instead, the two departments plan to work collaboratively from the outset, incorporating new technology – such as energy derived from fuel cells – into beautiful buildings. They expect the synergy will enhance innovation and produce environmentally friendly, sustainable buildings with efficiencies that can be documented.

The new structure formalizes what the company has been doing informally already. Harriman is now working with a client – incorporating fuel cell technology into a retail building – who hopes to see savings in electricity, heating costs, water use and other systems. The building could become a prototype for others in the client’s chain of stores, but the relationship won’t end there, said Cormier. The idea is that the Harriman team – artists and scientists – would continue to assess the building’s performance and look for more ways to improve it.

“It would be a circle of quality improvements,” said Cormier, who added that this interdisciplinary approach is likely to attract new clients “who understand that these gains are investing in a better future for their companies.”

Cormier said the corporate change was needed because, under the existing structure, all decisions have to pass over his desk.

“With the present structure, we couldn’t do any more … we couldn’t service more customers,” he said. “With this, there will be more mutual responsibility.”

The structural change is expected to be approved at the company’s annual meeting in April. Last year the firm reported $11.4 million in revenue – a 20 percent increase over its 2006 performance, said Cormier.

The well-known community figure will still be key in the firm, nourishing the many professional relationships he’s formed in his 27 years with Harriman, and sharing his experience.

“Historically when a president steps down, he goes out the door,” said Cormier. “And also going out the door is all that expertise and knowledge.”

Harriman’s new direction came as a result of a three-year visioning exercise to chart the company’s future. Cormier said that although Greim and Costin come from different disciplines, they share similar approaches and values.

“There was a kind of epiphany,” said Greim of the process. “When you distilled all the words … our core values we were in perfect alignment and the message was the same.”

Costin pointed out that Harriman’s commitment to sustainability isn’t just directed to its clients’ projects, but reflects a corporate, in-house philosophy as well.

“We’re improving our own performance,” he said. “We’re looking at our waste stream, our practices, to become greener … so that this isn’t just a veneer that we apply on top of specific client projects.”

The company, which is known for its expertise in designing educational, retail and health-care buildings, will continue to refine its expertise and focus on doing business with clients that share a similar holistic approach to design.

“We are growing in reputation as a design firm,” said Greim. “We want that to continue.”