About Us

Why hire an Architect?

Many people think of hiring an architect as an extra expense or a luxury. At Terrapin Architecture, we always try to look at your project as a whole, taking into account the big financial picture. Looked at in this way, one of the many roles the architect can play in the project is to assure that money is spent in the most efficient way, and to assure that you come out of the design and construction process with a valuable asset. One of our goals is to provide a building of greater value, for the same budget amount, than would otherwise have been achieved.

How do we approach this? First, it must be recognized that "value" can mean many things, and the meaning is not always limited to its financial aspect. So, our first job is to get to know you well enough to know what is important to you. Our highest priority is to provide value to you by taking your concepts and ideas, and figuring out how to really make them work well: bringing them to life in a way that is aesthetically pleasing, and can be built within your budget. Drawing upon our experience in both the architectural and construction industries, we help you figure out cost-efficient and material-efficient ways of creating the spaces you want and need. Perhaps more importantly, we help you figure out how to avoid duplicated and wasted space—or effort.

We provide clear, detailed information to builders so that they can do their job efficiently without stopping constantly to ask questions or figure things out. In addition, part of our bias is that whatever “value” means to you, we believe that it always has a financial component. So, we always strive to provide you with a property that, if it is ever sold, will command a premium price on the basis of the quality and appeal of the building and its surroundings.

Design Philosophy

The underlying idea behind all our design work is that well-designed buildings can enrich the quality of life of their users. We start by focusing on the basic building blocks of architecture:

clear organization of space,
comfortable proportions,
a harmonious relationship between architectural space and the structural elements that support and define it,
comfortable relationship with natural light and views,
energy efficiency

The ancient art of Feng Shui is concerned, among other things, with issues of comfort and flow, and we use these principals in our design work to help us create living and working environments that function well and feel good.

We feel that good stewardship of our planet is very important and have always designed with a high level of energy efficiency in mind. One of our staff, Jesse Thomas, has recently become a Passive House Institute certified consultant, trained in the operation of Passive House energy use analysis software. This has increased our knowledge of effective energy efficiency strategies whether or not Passive House certification is a prerequisite for a given project.

We design from a place of great knowledge and understanding of the construction process. We know how to detail your building in a way that will be straightforward and efficient to construct. We understand the importance of schedule and budget, and we consider your satisfaction with your project, from beginning to end, to be the most important measure of our success.

What do we provide?

Terrapin Architecture takes pride in tailoring our design services to our clients' needs and the specific situation. What do you need from an architect? We provide services ranging from a simple design consultation, to a few details and calculations to help you get your project through the permit process, to full architectural services. In all cases, we will strive to give you good advice and help you to make your project as successful as possible.

Typically, what we refer to as “full architectural services” looks something like this:

First, an initial meeting at our office where we become acquainted, you find out who we are and how we work, and we learn some things about you and your project. (No Charge)

If you decide to proceed, you sign a design agreement and send us a small retainer.

The design process begins, and will generally include:
Initial meeting at site and more information gathering about your project;
We provide a written program document, you check it and we revise per your input;
Design sketches and a back-and-forth design process between us and you;
Finalization of Schematic Design, and establishment of schematic building budget;
If you have not already chosen a builder, we will assist you in selecting one;
Development of design drawings, input from structural engineer and other consultants;
Budget check by selected builder;
Development of construction drawings;
Permit submittal, plan check process and any required changes or corrections;
Issuance of permit & commencement of construction, check building location on site;
Consultation throughout the construction process, and return of your retainer as the construction draws to a close;
Celebration with you when the project is complete!

The “products” you will receive from us during this process include:

Program document;
Financial update summary for the project on monthly basis;
Design sketches: often drawn in pencil, usually scaled 1/8” = 1’-0”
Schematic design set: 1/8” scale, floor plans and 4 building elevations, plus site plan at appropriate scale;
Design Development set: Site plan, plus ¼” scale floor plans, elevations, building cross-sections, framing plans, 3D computer model of building exterior;
Permit check set: Similar to design development set but with more detail on each sheet, also construction details and electrical plans;
Stamped permit set and structural calculations, specification booklet if needed. (For residential plans, we try to incorporate specifications into the plans as much as possible.)
Supplemental drawings and sketches as needed during construction;
Notes on all meetings during construction process.

Richard Berg, Architect

Richard Berg received his B.A. in Architecture from the University of Washington in 1979. As part of his studies he attended as well as served as a teaching assistant for the Architecture in Rome program.

Following graduation, Richard joined Ibsen Nelsen and Associates in Seattle, where he worked on projects such as the Museum of Flight, the Inn at the Market, the Stewart House mixed-use project at Pike Place Market, and the Merrill Court luxury townhouses in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He decided to return to school in 1983, attaining a Master of Architecture degree with honors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, while interning at the firm of Imre & Anthony Halasz, Inc. in Boston.

After graduation from MIT, he joined Whitaker Architecture & Planning, Inc. There he worked as a designer, architectural project manager and occasionally as a project manager for the firm’s construction side, Whitaker Construction Corp. Moving back to Seattle in 1988, he managed the architectural division of Glory International, Inc., a Japanese real-estate development firm that focused on vacation homes and resort projects in both Japan and the U.S. In 1991 he acquired his Washington State Architecture license and accepted a position as Project Architect with Timbercraft Homes, Inc. here in Port Townsend. At Timbercraft he was responsible for the design of all their timber-framed projects, which included houses and commercial buildings located mostly in western Washington, with occasional projects elsewhere in the US and Japan.

In 1997, he founded Richard Berg Architects here in Port Townsend. In 2001 the business expanded and was incorporated. A bookkeeper was hired as well as the firm’s first full-time designer and draftsman. In June of 2005 the firm moved to a new 1000 square-foot office space, designed by Richard, where it currently practices at 719 Taylor Street. With the dawn of the 2010’s decade, Richard Berg Architects is transforming into Terrapin Architecture. This new collaboration between Richard Berg and Eric Kuzma will take advantage of their combined expertise and talent in design, construction knowledge, timber-framing, and historic preservation.

Richard currently serves on Port Townsend’s Historic Preservation Committee, a design review and advisory board for the City’s National Landmark Historic District, is Vice Chairman of the Board of the Jefferson Community School, a 6th – 12th grade school located in a historic downtown Port Townsend building, focused on expeditionary learning, and is also on the Board of the Port Townsend School of Woodworking and Preservation Trades. In the past, he has served as Chair of the Port Townsend Planning Commission and on the Design Review Committee for Port Townsend’s commercial zoning districts.

Eric Kuzma, Architect AIA

Eric Kuzma received his five year Bachelor of Architecture degree, along with a Philosophy minor, from Syracuse University in 1997. His studies included a five month program abroad in Florence, Italy, as well as course work in Historic Preservation. Eric’s interest in timber framing extends back to his university career, with the design of a timber framed Russian Orthodox Church as his senior thesis.

He has worked in a variety of construction related trades, traveled extensively overseas, through-hiked the Appalachian Trail and as an Eagle Scout served as an assistant scoutmaster in the B.S.A. before becoming a timber framer at Hardwick Post & Beam in Massachusetts. There he became proficient in traditional timber-frame design and fabrication.

In 2002 Eric joined Richard Berg Architects as the firm’s first full time employee. There he completed his NCARB required internship and was responsible for the design of a number of custom residences. In 2006 he left the firm to design and build his own timber frame home. He maintained a successful residential design service in Port Townsend, became a licensed Washington State Architect, a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and in 2010 joined together with Richard Berg to form Terrapin Architecture.

Eric has served as a volunteer on the Port Townsend Historic Preservation Committee and is working toward acquiring his US Green Building Council, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (L.E.E.D.) certification. He is an avid hiker, volleyball player and part of the local sailboat racing community.

Amy I. Dahlberg, Project Manager

Amy received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology (in 1985) and a Master of Architecture (in 1990) from the University of Houston. Following graduation she joined the Gensler architectural firm. At Gensler she became a registered architect, was promoted to associate and worked in their Houston, New York, Washington D.C. and Seattle offices primarily on commercial interiors. Amy took a year-long leave of absence in 2001 and moved to Sweden where she enjoyed immersing herself in her great grandparents' culture and language.

In 2005 Amy moved to Port Townsend and joined Richard Berg Architects. She quickly became a key member of the team, taking a lead role in several custom home projects, and eventually serving as the project manager on the new sanctuary and addition to the Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (due to open in Port Townsend in early 2010). Amy serves as a member of the Design review committee for Port Townsend’s commercial zoning districts, and can be seen from time to time in local recitals and performances.

Jesse Thomas, Project Manager

Born on San Juan Island and raised in Port Townsend, son of a fisherman and an environmental scientist, Jesse is perfectly at home here on the Quimper peninsula. His upbringing has endowed him with a certain sensitivity to the place, its architecture and its people. Jesse taught himself computer aided design, and began drafting for Richard Berg Architects in 2002. He enjoys working with clients, striving to design structures of refined simplicity which are closely rooted in nature and respectful of this environment we all share.

Jesse continues to work to expand his horizons within the profession. He is currently on hiatus from Evergreen State College where he had been studying architecture, with a special emphasis on sustainable & spiritual design, and has recently become certified as a Passive House Consultant. (Passive House is a design method developed in Germany which utilizes a proprietary software program to do a very detailed analysis of heat loss and energy usage to create homes which use about 1/10 the energy of a comparable American house).

Jesse currently leads the Passive House design team at Terrapin Architecture and we are pleased to be the first Jefferson County architectural firm to offer the Passive House package as a part of our design services.