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Starting in 1962, when the first two Williams-designed mountainside homes went on sale at Hawk Mountain in Pittsfield, Robert Carl Williams Associates, P.C. has gone on to design the better part of a thousand buildings of all description, primarily in Vermont, but also across the country and around the world.

At the same time, the firm has stayed true to its original mission, operating even now from a secluded farmhouse on Upper Michigan Road in Pittsfield, which also serves as home for Robert Williams.

“From the outset, I wanted to make my life and my work one thing,” states Williams. “Working out of my home is a very natural extension. I’ve done it since 1960.”

Creating functional and comfortable home environments has been the primary goal of Williams, his current partner and company president Daniel Pratt, and their staff, from the start. In his company’s statement of purpose, Williams defines the home as a place that “deeply influences the quality of personal life, a precious possession where we spend most of our lives.”

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Green Before Green Was a Buzzword

Spring 2009 Rutland Magazine
Written by: Cassie Horner

Robert Carl Williams moved to Vermont in the 1960s because he loved the beauty of the place he had come to know as a college student. “I discovered how incredibly beautiful it was,” he says. Tennessee-born and raised, he had graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in architecture.

“My reason for coming to Vermont in the early 60′s was really philosophical,” he explains. “I wanted to build better communities and not enter into the rat race of the city.”

The elements of architecture and his deep appreciation for his adopted landscape led Williams to develop a vision that still guides the firm he founded. Describing the Hawk projects he initiated in five Vermont communities, he says “We were everything that embodies green before there was any buzzword. We designed fundamentally around the environment – every tree, every rock.” He borrowed from the European style of not building in the valleys on tillable land by building on the mountains. He planned roads by walking the land so there was the least amount of impact. He wrote covenants to protect the homeowners by preserving and protecting the land.

“Robert Carl Williams came here in the 1960s and created the Hawk community and we built five of those communities,” says Daniel Pratt, President. “We were green even before the concept of green. We preserved trees and farmland. Green is now very big news.”

This applies to the diversity of projects the firm handles in locations as close as Pittsfield, the town where their office is located, and all around New England to as far as Tucson, Arizona and the Caribbean. The work ranges from renovations and additions to new homes and commercial reclamations. They are renovating a 200-year old stone farmhouse in Pennsylvania that includes a glass addition – the fourth project for this client. They are renovating a small cottage on Silver Lake in New Hampshire where the client grew up so she to preserve the character of the place. They worked on the restoration of the Brandon Vermont town hall. Another project is an approximately 3,500-square foot house in Pittsford, designed for one-floor living and barrier-free access.

“People refer to us as the country doctor who fixes what hurts,” Williams says.

Pratt, who joined the firm in 1980, had an early connection to Vermont. “I grew up able to see the Vermont hills from a small community in New York – Hudson Falls,” he says.  “In my bedroom , I could see the mountains.” He was a farm boy, “Sublet to my uncle by my engineer father” to help with herd of about 130 dairy cows. “The property was not mine but I knew every rock and pasture.” After high school, he went to SUNY Buffalo to become an industrial arts teacher. He worked for an architecture firm doing drafting, and later worked in the ski industry for a company that build tramways. In 1995, he became a partner at RCW Associates.

“This was a way at that time to turn things over to a man who had sensitivity and expertise and honesty.” Williams comments. “Now we’ve been in business a long time together. He’s now president of the company and I am allowed to come and go and work when I’m here since architecture is what I enjoy and my wife and I travel five months of the year as we sail around the world.”

Williams retains his philosophical outlook and social conciousness that has influenced his work. “We are in deep trouble relative to energy awareness in this country,” he saus. “We are going to see a tightening up over the next uears. Oil supplies are in a state of decline. The government has declined to recognize that so we are quite far behind. To wake everybody up is going to be a major problem. This opens up a very long subject of where we are going as a nation regarting energy requirements.”

He stands in the midst of this subject as an architect. “Our part in that is to make homes as energy-efficient as possible. Every architecture firm alive today has to be on top of that.”

This awareness fits in with the shift from homes 4,000 to 7,000-square feet to homes more the 4,00 or slightly less range. “The rend now is to smaller homes,” Pratt says.

Another trend is a return to a country look. “In the early years everyone wanted rustic,” notes Williams. “Over time they became more sophisticated. Now we are coming back around to rustic.”

One thing that remains constant is the firm’s commitment to respecting the sense of place and the elements that make place what it is. The concept of green is a guiding force. “When we started doing it, it made sense, and we’re still doing it,” says Williams. “we have a long story here.”

New Home in Pittsford, Vermont

This home, designed for  couple who retired to Vermont to be near their family, was created to harmonize with its setting in a former pasture tucked onto the side of a hill with beautiful views. “They wanted a New Endland home,” explains Daniel Pratt, President of Robert Carl Williams Associates. “I did the design. Melanie Paskevich executed the construction documents and put on her own touchest.” Harrington Custom Building of West Rutland was the general contractor. The approximately 3,600-square foot house has three levels, but is arranged for living on one level with the guest quarters upstairs and down. “The home has every amenity you would want: pantry, separate laundry, master suite, an entry with drawers for mittens and hats and cubbies for scarves,” Pratt comments. “The front entry connects the guest and family entries.” The house features barrier free access, with one-level living intended to meet the needs of people as they age.

Green elements of the home that make it very energy-efficient (it is an Energy-Star home) include the insulation, fluorescent light fixtures, the glass, and an integrated air system and the doors.

Paskevich explains, “The customers had a budget which we stuck to. It came in right on target.” One of her favorite parts of the house is the office situated off the living room to take advantage of the scenery. “The views are gorgeous. The nice little office captures the views,” she says. “and the screen porch is wonderful. I’d live out there.”

Commercial/Residential Renovation: The Kazon Building (West Rutland, VT)

The Kazon building on Marble Street was in a state of severe disrepair when Robert Carl Williams Associates was contracted to bring it back to life with a major renovation project. I its new incarnation, the former dress manufacturing site is home to NeighborWorks of Western Vermont, the agency that owns the building, and apartments. NeighborWorks, a non-profit, was founded in 1986 to revitalize the area left in dire straits after the closing of the marble quarry.

The design created by Robert Carl Williams Associates highlights the beauty of the structure, both inside and out. For example, the floor in the apartments were left as they were so you can still see the places wherre the machines were. “We kept the old factory windows,” says Daniel Pratt, President of Robert Carl Williams Associates. “We kept the ceilings. We made an effore to use local materials. We do that in all of our projects.”

The Kazon building restoration involved collaboration with NeighborWorks of Western Vermont, Efficiency Vermont, and the Vermont Division of Historic Preservation. It was a Brown fields project – part of a federal program that evaluates and cleans up under-used or abandoned industrial or commercial sites where there are potential or existing enviornmental contaminants.

“We took a building that was falling down and instead of tearing it down, we gave it a whole new life, “Pratt says.

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL
-Member of the American Institute of Architects since 1986
-Registered architect since 1985 (Vermont)
-State University of New York, College at Buffalo, B.S. 1970

CIVIC
-Rutland Region Transportation Council, inception to 2003
-West Rutland Planning Commission, 1976 to 1990, Chairman 1985-1990
-Rutland Regional Planning Commission, Mid 70′s to mid 80′s
-Rotary Member late 1970′s to present; Past President Rutland Rotary South
  1995-96

WORKS of DANIEL J. PRATT
Daniel has been with the firm of Robert Carl Williams Associates since October 1980, starting as Chief of Design and was responsible for design, production and supervision of many homes and commercial projects as well as the master plan of Salt Ash Hawk Mountain Sectors 2 and 3 from 1980. In 1985 he became a registered architect in Vermont and became president of the firm in 1995. Daniel has led the firm’s expansion into major ski resort work, commercial complexes and great homes of both New England and Adirondack character.

Spending summers in a cabin built by his grandfather on Lake George NY has greatly influenced Daniel’s penchant for the Adirondack style that is represented in many of the mountain and lake homes he has penned over the years. He has also expanded his architectural talents to include the designing of affordable housing, restoration of factory buildings, Habitat for Humanity homes and starter New England home designs for families of four to nine members.

Daniel has extensive knowledge in architecture from his various work experiences that date back to 1969 where he served as a designer for the offices in the legislative building at Rockefeller Plaza in Albany, New York. He worked as a designer, project supervisor and consultant from 1970-1975 that involved public and private schools, banks, offices, multi-family homes, hospitals and major renovations. Daniel taught architectural drafting and design at the Rutland Area Vocational Technical School from 1975-1979 and co-authored the curriculum for Architectural and Engineering Drawing for use in public schools for the Vermont State Department of Education.

In January of 1979 Daniel joined Nuova Agudio of North America, a tramway manufacturer, and became a wire rope designer under the direction and training of Ugo Carlevaro the inventor of the detachable ski lift. He assisted in the manufacture and installation of the Cannon Mountain Tramway.

Design is Daniel’s passion whether it is a heated pet house with a screen porch or a multi- million dollar estate or a commercial project. Of the many commercial projects designed by Daniel, creating the unique Killington Gondola Base Station and its bridge across U.S. Route 4 and VT Route 100 in Killington, VT is among his most interesting resort renovation and upgrade.

The Design Process:

• A conference with the architect and client will accomplish an understanding of the project, its scope and objectives.
• A site visit will serve to better understand the relationship of the landscape and setting into which the architecture will be placed.
• For renovation projects, a review of the existing structure will first take place.
• A thorough review and definition of the needs, requirements and desires of the client.
• A preliminary discussion and agreement between client and architect of the economic scope of the project.
• Schematic design sketches will be developed for review and discussion with the client. It is in this stage that the project concept is born and developed. The client will have ample opportunity to express their ideas as well as modify and redefine their wishes.
• Design development drawings will correct the schematic concept along with taking into account the client’s input.
• Upon completion of the design development, a cost estimate is prepared by the architect so the client and architect can again evaluate the economic scope of the project as a result of the design development.
• If necessary, alterations to the design can be made at this stage in order to align the project design with the budget.
• After the approval of the design development stage, the architect will next prepare the detailed construction drawings and specifications required for construction of the project.
• Selecting the contractor: The architect, by agreement of the client, will select two or more contractors in order to obtain competitive pricing for the construction of the project. In some cases, it might be appropriate for the client to enter directly into a contract with a single builder of choice on a negotiated bid basis.
• The architect will make site visits during the process of construction in order to approve construction requisitions for the client. Site visits also serve in reporting to the client on the progress of the work and assisting the contractor where necessary. We feel that the inspection role of the architect during project construction is an important factor in the success of the project.

• Upon completion of the Design Development, a cost estimate is prepared by the architect so the client and architect can again evaluate the economic scope of the project as a result of the design development.
• If necessary, alterations to the design can be made at this stage in order to align the project design with the desiid budget.
• After the approval of the Design Development stage, the architect will next prepare the detailed construction drawings and specifications required for construction pricing.
• The architect and the owner, by agreement, will select two or more contractors in order to obtain competitive pricing for the construction of the project. In some cases, it might be appropriate for the owner to enter directly into a contract with a single builder of choice on a negotiated bid basis.
• The architect will make site visits during the process of construction in order to approve construction requisitions when requested by the owner. Site visits also serve in reporting to the owner on the progress of the work and assisting the builder where necessary. We feel that the inspection role of the architect during project construction is an important factor in the success of the project.
  

Hawk colonies vary in size from 165 acres containing 43 homes, to 1000 acres with several hundred homes at build-out. The Salt Ash Colony contains a combination of detached homes and condominium units as well as common facilities. It is the latest Hawk community and is ongoing.

Sunrise Colony is comprised of condominiums set on the slopes of Killington Resort. The remaining three colonies are located in the White River Valley among the rich natural resources of the Green Mountains.

Robert Williams created the Hawk organization and its community concept and for eighteen years (1962-1980) served as its president and chief executive officer. Approximately 350 homes and 40 condominiums have been constructed thus far in five Hawk communities.

The services of Hawk include:

1. Project site selection and acquisition.
2. The creating of the marketing concept for architectural development and master planning.
3. Design and construction of project infra-structure – roads, utilities, etc.
4. The homes, custom designed for each client.
5. Organization and management of an in-house construction force of 100 persons.
6. Sales and marketing programs to national and international markets.
7. Property and rental management of Hawk’s residential and commercial properties.
8. Executive organization unifying the various development disciplines with associated cost control of financial and personnel management.

The resultant Hawk “product” is a complete “turn-key” organization with follow-up rental and property management.

In 1980, Robert Williams sold his interest in the Hawk enterprises while retaining full architectural control of the home designs.  

EDUCATION AND HISTORICAL
-Harvard Graduate School of Design, B.A in Architecture
-University of Tennessee, B.S. in Civil Engineering
-Retired Captain of the US Air Force, fighter pilot
-Member NCARB – National Council of Architectural Registrations Boards
-Registered architect since 1962 in Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts
-Member of Who’s Who in the National Register of Executives and Professionals

WORKS of ROBERT CARL WILLIAMS
President and founder of the Hawk Mountain Corporation the first green approach to sustained development in Vermont, setting aside large portions of the colonies as common land, not to be built upon but preserved.

Robert Williams who is a civil engineer of the University of Tennessee and an architect of the Harvard’s Graduate School of Design founded the Hawk Mountain Corporation and his architectural firm based on the philosophy of preserving the natural environment. The current, so called, “Green Technology” followed later as a popular and necessary means to preserving our planet.

Robert served for eighteen years as president of Hawk, creating five complete colonies in central Vermont, inclusive of land acquisition, environmental approvals, property management, the Hawk construction company, master planning, and architectural design of all homes including construction of all homes, encompassing approximately 500 units within the colonies over 45 years.

The colonies by name are: Hawk Mountain in Pittsfield, Timber Hawk in Stockbridge, Great Hawk in Rochester, Sunrise in Killington, and Salt Ash in Plymouth.

Hawk employed 125 persons in 1980. Included in the design of the colonies were restaurants, commercial facilities, sports centers, theaters, a summer camp for children, hotels and networks of common land in all the colonies with nature trails winding through the home sites and colonies.

Robert sold his interest in the Hawk Mountain Corporation in 1980 and started Robert Carl Williams Associates, P.C. in central Vermont. He retained all rights to architectural and land planning design for the colonies in addition to providing architectural services primarily in Vermont and the neighboring states.

More recent work includes the Ski Shack commercial addition in Killington Vermont; the expansion and renovation of several Killington Ski Resort base lodge facilities; an addition and renovation of the Inner Traditions Publishing Company in Rochester Vermont and the Wilcox Pharmacy in Rutland Vermont; along with numerous renovations and approximately 20 original home designs a year.

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL
Member of the American Institute of Architects since 2006
Registered Architect, State of Vermont since 1998
University of Virginia – School of Architecture, B.S. Architecture 1982
Currently pursuing LEED AP Certification

CIVIC
Rochester High School Senior Project Mentor, Rochester VT 2008, 2009
Rutland Middle School Math Mentor, Rutland VT 2004
Cub Scout Leader, Troop 104, Rutland VT 1996-2000

WORK EXPERIENCE
Steve joined the firm in 1992 and is now a Senior Architect. He became a registered architect in 1998. He has been instrumental in designing a wide variety of residential and commercial buildings in the region including the north entry addition to the Grace Congregational Church; barrier-free access addition to the United Methodist Church; many private residences; additions and renovations for Rutland High School and Advanced Animations; and numerous projects for the Killington Ski Resort including the Skyeship Base Station.

Steve’s work has taken him to several locations outside of Vermont, including the design of the architectural interiors of a waterfront residence in Bermuda; the expansion and upgrade of an 1829 Stone Farmhouse in Pennsylvania; and currently an extensive renovation of a lakeside home in New Hampshire

Prior to joining the firm, Steve managed the design division for Hawk Mountain Development Corporation in Plymouth Vermont from 1983 to 1991. His responsibilities included contractor supervision, estimating, schematic design, construction documents and administration, client relations and sales.

Steve is currently pursuing LEED AP Certification.