About

Firm

J.B. Nicholson Architecture, llc is a general architectural practice in Lansdowne PA for the design, depiction, and construction document production of residential, commercial, and landscape projects.

Services

Architectural Design, Documentation, & Contract Management Services.

• New Construction

• Additions & Renovations

• Kitchen and Bathroom design

• Landscape / Hardscape design

• Outbuildings, Garden Structures

• Energy Consulting

• Material Palette & Décor Selection

Architectural Illustration, Project Visualization, Building & Site Portraiture

• Architectural Renderings or Building Portraits in Watercolor, Ink, Pastel, Graphite, and other media.

• 3d CAD visualization / modeling.

Philosophy

Per Ben Nicholson

Aedificium Aptetur: Let the building be adapted & made fit.

I understand that architecture is a service oriented business. As such, the architect must listen to the client’s project goals (aesthetic, financial, energy performance, etc…) and then work, collaboratively, balancing a myriad of constraints, to make the project achieve these goals as much as possible.

I have experienced a few different ways clients engage an architect. Some clients seek to dictate the design to the architect. Perhaps they are already well versed in design but lack an architect’s required credentials or technical knowledge. Other clients may wish to be told what to build, relying completely on the architect’s design vision and problem solving expertise. Lastly, others may actively engage in a collaborative design process with their architect, providing input, ideas, and constructive feedback while simultaneously giving due consideration to the architect’s expert opinion and design sense. While all approaches can work, in my experience, the latter almost always produces the best end-result. I write this to stress that I have had experience working in all of these modes and through the process the client’s input is always valued.

I believe it is important to be well-versed in period styles and formal archetypes, beaux-arts to bau-haus, while at the same time, be equipped to respond to contemporary challenges; budget, building technologies, construction methods, and energy efficiency/environmental impact concerns. Many architects attempt to purvey signature or fashionable styles without regard for the project’s architectural context, which is to say, the locally prevailing building methods, forms, and stylistic articulation. However, I believe that it is important to be able and willing to design in harmony with the context, when it is called for, as opposed to simply juxtaposing it. This is not to say that juxtaposition of a new addition or building vs. old context is not a valid approach, but rather, a contextualist's approach is too often passed over yet is an equally valid if not more successful approach.

While some of the stylistic embellishments on this website may suggest I have a leaning toward late 19th century gilded age architecture (A truth I will not deny), I do not limit my design repertoire to prescriptive solutions from the past. Rather, the right style for your project can be your choice, dependent on architectural context, budget, desired building method, or emergent through the design process. I respect that every project has different variables, & that ideal design solutions are never merely poured out of a can.

Lastly, as a US Green Building Council  LEED accredited professional, I believe that the volatile trends in the pricing of energy and raw materials combined with an ever more global economy make it an exceedingly wise approach that any new buildings and/or additions/renovations to existing buildings implement the best budgeted-for building practices concerning energy performance and lifecycle costs.

People

Jesse Benjamin (Ben) Nicholson, Architect, LEED AP , NCARB certified and presently licensed in PA

Bio: Ben has been drawing, painting, sketching, dreaming-up and designing cars, boats, trains, bikes, and last but not least, buildings, since he could draw. His upbringing was permeated with both the visual arts and mechanical knowledge having painters and engineer/inventors for family.  Ben attended the Syracuse University School of Architecture and graduated with numerous accolades, including the James Britton Memorial Award and the ARCC King Student Medal for Excellence in Architectural and Environmental Design Research.

Prior to founding J.B. Nicholson Architecture, he worked in offices large and small and on a diverse array of commercial, preservation, and residential projects up and down the Eastern Seaboard; from 100 square foot remodels to +100,000 square foot commercial projects. Ben was also the rendering & concept design artist for previous employers and continues to provide architectural illustration, concept development, and building portraiture services for his own and others’ projects.

Ben is also an avid organic vegetable gardener, electric bike enthusiast, weekend carpenter, and sunfish racer.