Here’s To The Year Ahead!

We are proud to say that 2015 was another productive and successful year here at SOMMA Studios. With the New Year now well underway, we thought we’d take a few moments to share with you some of the exciting projects we look forward to working on (and/or completing) in 2016.

30 Maplewood Ave.

It’s no secret that we have a soft spot for urban renewal and mixed-use development. Bringing new life to old, historic structures is part of our company’s DNA. On the horizon, is the completion of our project at 30 Maplewood Ave, which involved the transformation of this old, outdated administrative building into an exciting and vibrant mixed-use space that will be home to new restaurants, condominiums, and COVE, Portsmouth’s newest and most exciting hub for cooperative working.

This has been a tremendously rewarding project for us in a number of ways. Not only has it been a ton of fun to design a fresh, new interior for this beautiful, old brick building, but it also feels great to contribute to bringing new life to Portsmouth’s blossoming North End.

We’re excited to see that Bubby’s Delicatessen is off to a great start, and in the coming months we look forward to the grand opening of COVE, (which also means a brand spankin’ new office for us!) as well as the completion of the beautiful new condominiums upstairs.

Parkside

After more than two years of planning and construction, we are proud to announce that late-Spring will bring the completion of Parkside at the base of the Memorial Bridge in Portsmouth’s waterfront. With a design that has been referred to as “innovative yet respectful,” this beautiful new building seeks to both embellish the surrounding cityscape, while honoring the historic sensibilities of its location. The style of the building incorporates many classical New England Victorian elements, such as heavily corbelled eave lines and soaring chimneys, but also displays many contemporary flourishes, such as the penthouse structure that punctuates the roof. As one of our larger recent commercial projects, we have very much enjoyed the opportunity to work alongside so many talented professionals to bring this incredible new development to life. Keep posted to hear of the ribbon cutting ceremony and come down and celebrate with us!

Partnership with Student Housing Leaders

Another exciting piece of news for 2016, is the strengthening of our partnership with Stoneridge Development and JSN Associates, two leading companies in the market of student housing. Our mission together is to continue to design and build inspiring student housing to improve both the aesthetic and the function of housing on today’s college campuses. Having already worked together on some exciting projects at UNH and Keene State, we are now poised to bring our work to the national level. Our next two projects will bring us to Chattanooga, Tennessee and Tallahassee, Florida. We are very excited about this growing success and the opportunity to bring more great design to campuses across the country.

Residential Focus

We’re excited to continue to expand our work in the residential sector this year.  SOMMA was recently awarded a contract to design an elegant new planned community in the historic town of Exeter, NH. This is a brand new project for us, and a great opportunity to work in a niche that will broaden our scope of work.  We will be posting more details as work on this begins to unfold.

Furthermore, we look to continue our work with individuals in creating their dream homes through architectural design from the ground up or additions, remodels, and landscape splashes to improve your current residence.

 

Here’s to a prosperous 2016. We look forward to working with you on all of your design goals in the coming year!