TAT Names New Associates and Director of Sustainability
Award-winning architecture, planning, and interiors firm elevates experienced designers and marketing professional to leadership positions, as it continues to identify emerging talent and build a foundation for continued growth and expansion.
An influential leader in integrated architecture, planning, and interior design, The Architectural Team (TAT) has announced strategic promotions for three key team members. The newly elevated professionals are project manager Nathan Thomas, who has been named TATâs Director of Sustainability, as well as Meghann Van Dorn, who serves as Director of Interior Design, and Kelly Margeson, the firmâs Director of Marketing — both of whom have been named as Associates at the 95- person firm founded in 1971.
As part of a dedicated strategic effort to expand senior roles within TAT, these new appointments reflect a broadened emphasis on client relationships, integrated service offerings, and employee culture, and an acceleration of the firmâs focus on interior design and sustainability leadership. TAT has an extensive portfolio of high-profile works and a reputation as a sophisticated and thoughtful planner and designer of multifamily, mixed-use, and commercial developments, as well as senior and assisted living communities and historic preservation and adaptive reuse projects.
The firm is also known as an influential advocate for important issues such as sustainable design and building practices including Passive House, affordable and workforce housing, resilient waterfront development, and adaptive reuse. According to TATâs principals, the promotions of Van Dorn and Margeson to Associate and the appointment of Thomas as Director of Sustainability recognize the significant contributions that these leaders have made to the firmâs success. All three professionals bring value through client service, design thought leadership, and enhanced marketability of new projects as TAT forms new client relationships and expands its reach with existing clients. In their respective new roles, Thomas, Van Dorn, and Margeson, will continue their contributions alongside greater managerial, business development, and mentorship responsibilities.
Recent milestones for TAT include the completion of award-winning affordable Passive House multifamily developments such as Bostonâs Anne M. Lynch Homes at Old Colony; significant historic adaptive reuse projects, including the transformation of an iconic South Boston commercial property into a new condominium community combining renovation and new construction at 100 Shawmut; and the approaching completion of skyline-defining towers such as the Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences.
âAs such important members of our team leading three essential areas of TATâs practice, these professionals embody the dynamic nature of our firm. They also exemplify the opportunities that are possible thanks to TATâs culture, which offers the freedom and flexibility for professionals to grow within the firm,â notes TAT senior partner and design principal, Michael E. Liu, AIA, NCARB. âLooking ahead to a period of sustained growth for our firm with a diverse range of projects nationwide, the talent and commitment of these leaders â and their ability to work together and integrate our different practice areas — will enable us to succeed in using architecture to foster the kinds of strong communities that we find most rewarding and valuable.â
âWith their dedication to TATâs mission and core values, Nathan, Meghann, and Kelly will help lead our firm into the future by implementing robust sustainability practices, enhancing collaboration between our architecture and interiors teams, and creating the systems and protocols we need for continued employee engagement and client satisfaction,â says TAT senior partner and managing principal Michael D. Binette, AIA, NCARB.
âWeâre excited to recognize these three professionalsâ contributions to TATâs success, as well as their enthusiasm for the firmâs culture, their dedication to continued growth, and their pursuit of exciting new opportunities,â says TAT principal Edward R. Bradford, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP. âAs The Architectural Team continues to expand its leadership group, these three individuals will help create a foundation that can support the firmâs new generations of dedicated professionals and leaders.â
Full bios of the three executives follow below:
Nathan Thomas, AIA, CPHC, Director of Sustainability
A skilled project manager and an emerging national sustainability leader with a focus on cutting-edge approaches to multifamily housing, Nathan Thomas has earned a reputation as one of TATâs most dynamic professionals in his more than 10 years of experience with the firm.
After first joining the office as a student intern, since taking a full-time position in 2015, Thomas has shouldered a steadily increasing level of design, technical, and project leadership responsibility, offering a compelling example of the firmâs collaborative culture and focus on nurturing emerging talent. In his new role as Director of Sustainability, Thomas will spearhead TATâs sustainable planning and design initiatives across a range of building types and market sectors, including senior living, affordable and mixed-income housing, hospitality, and adaptive reuse. His current portfolio includes notable and award-winning project work, such as a 55-unit affordable Passive House community for seniors at Bostonâs Anne M. Lynch Homes at Old Colony, and the transformation of a landmarked former school in Worcester, Mass. into the nationally recognized Voke Lofts apartments.
A frequent presenter at national and regional sustainability events and often quoted in the media on topics related to Passive House design, sustainable construction practices, and the role of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations in commercial real estate, Thomas is recognized as a valuable resource on many of the building industryâs most important and timely subjects in publications such as Multi-Housing News, Passive House Accelerator, and Building Design + Construction magazine.
Meghann Van Dorn, IIDA, LEED AP ID+C, Associate and Director of Interior Design
A highly respected design leader with more than 15 yearsâ experience in multifamily and single-family residential, institutional, hospitality, and corporate workplace interiors, Meghann Van Dorn is known for her creative design vision, collaborative problem-solving abilities, and management and business development acumen. With a keen interest in sustainability and end-user wellbeing, TATâs clients look to Van Dorn as a key advisor on the latest design techniques for environmental benefits, wellness, and mindfulness, and she has offered valuable insight on these topics through podcast interviews and contributed to articles in leading design and real estate publications.
As TATâs Director of Interior Design, Van Dorn has led the firmâs extensive national roster of interiors work ranging from asset repositioning and adaptive reuse, to large-scale new construction for senior and assisted living, affordable rental, and luxury condominium housing. Highlights of Van Dornâs portfolio include 35 Garvey Street, a transformative mixed-income, transit- oriented multifamily development in Everett, Mass.; The Cove, a 17- story mixed-use community with 173 residential units and 16,000 square feet of commercial space in Worcester, Mass.; and Atwood, a 300-unit mixed-income community in Saugus, Mass. In her expanded role as TAT Associate, Van Dorn will help spearhead an even closer integration of the firmâs architecture and interiors teams, further enhancing its reputation for resourcefully meeting client objectives.
Kelly Margeson, BBA, Associate and Director of Marketing
Kelly Margesonâs background includes nearly a decade of experience in marketing, communications, and graphic design. Since joining TAT in 2018 as a marketing and graphic design specialist, Margeson has played an instrumental role in developing the firmâs corporate brand identity and projecting it to a public audience. In her current position as Director of Marketing, she collaborates closely with TATâs principals on business development and strategic marketing initiatives, and helps spearhead the development of communications and public relations efforts to amplify the firmâs brand and client engagement.
Leading a multi-disciplinary team of public relations experts, marketers, and graphic designers, Margeson has built TATâs relationships with New Englandâs premier architectural photographers, successfully collaborated with clients to win high-profile regional and national award recognition for TATâs project work, and helped lead the firm in its pursuit of major commissions in new markets as well as its creation of significant philanthropic endeavors. In her expanded role as an Associate, Margeson will take on new leadership responsibilities, working to involve TATâs full staff of designers and project managers more directly in strategic initiatives and forward-looking processes.
About The Architectural Team, Inc. (TAT)
For more than 50 years, The Architectural Team, Inc. (TAT), has been recognized for its thought leadership and diverse portfolio in architecture, interior design and master planning. Creating lasting transformation in the communities it serves, the 95-person firm has earned more than 200 awards for design excellence across a broad range of building types and programs. These include new construction of large-scale urban mixed-use developments, multifamily, commercial, waterfront and hospitality developments, assisted and senior living facilities, and community centers. TAT is also proud of its national reputation in the areas of historic preservation, rehabilitation and adaptive reuse and the hundreds of projects that have transformed neighborhoods across the United States, artfully restoring and reimagining neglected buildings for new uses while simultaneously preserving history. Building on its established reputation as a trusted partner in design, The Architectural Team looks forward to another 50 years of design innovation, client service and creative collaboration. For more information, please visit www.architecturalteam.com.
