Their journey began when they met in the architecture studio at UMA. Élise, originally from Canada, found UMA to be the perfect fit. “It was a quality program and the people were welcoming and supportive, which was especially important for me as an international student,” she said. Ben, a Maine native, was drawn to the program’s hands-on approach and strong foundation in building science. “I knew I wanted to do something with construction or real estate,” he explained. “I appreciated how the program blended creativity with building science and practical design.”

Élise graduated in 2018, and, after Ben’s graduation in 2020, they launched their business. What began with house flips during a hot real estate market has grown into a full-service renovation and restoration company that focuses on historic preservation, general contracting, and investment property remodeling. 

Their work blends period craftsmanship with modern building practices, all while honoring the original character of the spaces they touch. Their first major project, a deteriorating 1875 Italianate home on Lincoln Street, became a defining moment. “It was a privilege to be able to save the home and restore it to its former glory while preserving and rehabilitating its original moldings, the grand staircase, marble fireplace and other important details.”

Since then, Élise and Ben continue to take on a variety of projects across Central Maine—transforming homes, restoring older spaces and retrofitting vintage structures without erasing their stories.

That thoughtful, respectful approach extends to how they collaborate with homeowners. “Every home already has a certain standard of craftsmanship,” said Élise, “and we work hard to match it.”

Beyond their restoration work, Élise and Ben are helping meet real needs in the communities they serve, not just by preserving history but also creating pathways to stability and belonging. Élise serves on the board of Row House, Inc., a local nonprofit dedicated to protecting Hallowell’s architectural and cultural heritage. Additionally, the pair renovate and manage rental properties to help meet local housing needs, and they are working to build modest, high-quality homes in Farmington to help older adults age in place comfortably. 

Through each project, they demonstrate how architecture can be a force for renewal by revitalizing spaces, supporting lives and strengthening the fabric of Maine communities. Thanks to alumni like Élise Bolduc and Ben Hitchcock, ±«˛Ń´ˇâ€™s impact continues to grow—one home, one family and one neighborhood at a time.

When Shannon “Mac” McNamara made the decision to start over, she didn’t know exactly where that path would lead. What she did know was that she was ready to build something — something bold, something purposeful, something that reflected who she really was.

Originally from upstate New York, Mac had already served as an Intelligence Specialist in the U.S. Naval Reserves and worked in government contracting as an imagery analyst. But during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, she took a leap of faith and enrolled at the Â鶹APP to pursue her passion for architecture and art history.

“I was drawn to UMA because of the flexibility and focus on real-world learning,” Mac said. “It gave me the opportunity to start fresh, and to do it on my own terms.”

That fresh start quickly evolved into something remarkable.

At UMA, Mac has thrived as both a student and a leader. She served as President of ±«˛Ń´ˇâ€™s chapter of the American Institute of Architecture Students, representing the university at national conferences and advocating for student voices — especially those from smaller, more intimate programs like ±«˛Ń´ˇâ€™s. Through her leadership, Mac helped shape a more inclusive and engaging experience for future architecture students.

Her academic achievements are just as impressive. In 2023, she earned top honors at ±«˛Ń´ˇâ€™s Student Research Conference, winning both the Top Presentation Award and the Top Qualitative Research Award for a paper exploring the portrayal of the female nude in art history and its ties to modern sexual assault culture. Her faculty mentor, art historian Dr. Amy Rahn, described her as “an outstanding researcher, writer, thinker, and community member; someone with both brilliance and generosity of spirit.”

But Mac’s impact extends beyond accolades. She embodies ±«˛Ń´ˇâ€™s mission to meet students where they are and help them grow into who they’re meant to be. Her story reflects the university’s belief in transformation, civic engagement, and the power of accessible education. She’s the kind of student who uses every opportunity — not just to advance her own future, but to uplift others.

Â鶹APP (UMA) architecture students Megan Brown, Nolan Cartwright, Eloisa DeGroote, Suzie Felix, Kelsey George, Rohan Glendinning, Kaden Harrison-Billiat, Brennan Loewen, Marie Lough and Nicholas Smart, lead by UMA Assistant Professor of Architecture Patrick Hansford, spent the fall 2024 semester participating in the Envision Resilience: Designs for Living in a Changing Climate program. Their work is now on exhibition at the Portland Public Library’s Community Gallery through March 15. 

Over five months, students from eight participating universities immersed themselves in the culture, values and history of Portland, South Portland and the Casco Bay Island communities, developing innovative designs that addressed challenges such as affordable housing, sea level rise, transportation, urban heat, equity, local industry and ecology. 

Participating institutions were Cornell University, Harvard University, the University at Buffalo, the Â鶹APP, the University of Michigan, the University of Virginia, Yale University and the program’s first international partner, the University of Toronto. 

The Envision Resilience Portland and South Portland Challenge brought together graduate and undergraduate students in urban planning, architecture, environmental justice and landscape architecture to connect with community stakeholders for an iterative process of researching, developing and proposing adaptive solutions for vulnerable sites along the cities’ coastlines. 

The team from UMA specifically selected a currently vacant lot on the far east end of Commercial Street, near the Narrow Gauge Railroad, Sun Life building and the entrance to the walking trail because of its development potential and close proximity to the downtown waterfront and residential areas in the east end.

Their projects included neighborhood revitalization, a community center, ferry terminal, light rail system, maritime center and adaptive reuse of an existing brick building. They also envisioned a redesign of the waterfront with parking garage towers, a transportation center, a fixed bi-cable transit system and a floating community of the future.

Teams from the other universities prepared similar projects in other areas of Portland, as well as recreation spaces, energy efficient building designs, housing, wetland and marine habitat restoration and dining and entertainment districts, to name a few.

There have been several previous Envision Resilience projects including Nantucket, MA (2021); Narragansett Bay, RI (2022); and New Bedford and Fairhaven, MA (2023).  

The 2024 Envision Resilience: Designs for Living in a Changing Climate exhibition will run through March 15 at the Portland Public Library, located at 5 Monument Square, Portland. Admission is free and the exhibition is open during library hours.

works to bring creative thinking to environmental and community challenges, elevate local industry and encourage innovation and resilience. Remain Nantucket engages in charitable work to support the evolution of a healthy year-round community across the island. Remain Ventures invests in buildings and mission-related businesses that strengthen Nantucket’s year-round economy and spark innovation that brings long-term value to the island’s residents. Both Remain Nantucket and Remain Ventures are funded by Wendy Schmidt and her husband Eric to support the local economy, community and environmental vitality of the island of Nantucket. 

Developed by Remain, the is a multi-university design studio and community engagement initiative that connects interdisciplinary student teams with coastal communities to envision adaptive and creative pathways forward in the face of climate change. 

serves as the civic and cultural center of their region in which generations of citizens are literate, informed and engaged. The Library provides trusted resources and accessible experiences that inspire imagination, curiosity, awareness, and learning. The Library embraces change and evolves to meet the needs of the community.

The Envision Resilience: Designs for Living in a Changing Climate exhibition is open now at the Portland Public Library’s Community Gallery through March 15. A free community open house will celebrate the exhibition on Friday, Feb. 7, in conjunction with .ĚýĚý

Over five months, students from eight participating universities immersed themselves in the culture, values and history of Portland, South Portland and the Casco Bay Island communities, developing innovative designs that addressed challenges such as affordable housing, sea level rise, transportation, urban heat, equity, local industry and ecology. Participating institutions were Cornell University, Harvard University, the University at Buffalo, the Â鶹APP, the University of Michigan, the University of Virginia, Yale University and the program’s first international partner, the University of Toronto. 

The Envision Resilience Portland and South Portland Challenge brought together these graduate and undergraduate students in urban planning, architecture, environmental justice and landscape architecture to connect with community stakeholders for an iterative process of researching, developing and proposing adaptive solutions for vulnerable sites along the cities’ coastlines. 

Curated by local artist Brian Smith, the exhibition features innovative architectural and landscape designs by student teams in the Envision Resilience Challenge—now in its fourth year—that emphasize nature-based solutions to sea level rise like living shorelines and green stormwater infrastructure, address challenges like housing through materiality and circular economies and reimagine infrastructure and transportation systems in a low-carbon future.

The Portland Public Library exhibition marks the first in a series of displays throughout Portland and South Portland that showcase the students’ design proposals from the fall 2024 semester.

The is a multi-university design studio and community engagement initiative developed by , connecting interdisciplinary student teams with coastal communities to envision creative pathways forward in the face of climate change. Remain is part of the philanthropic organizations and initiatives created and funded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt to work toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all.

Envision Resilience has, since its inception, engaged 30 student teams from 19 universities, involving 458 students and 86 community advisors across eight coastal communities, including Nantucket, MA (2021); Narragansett Bay, RI (2022); and New Bedford and Fairhaven, MA (2023).  

The Envision Resilience: Designs for Living in a Changing Climate exhibition will run through March 15, 2025 at the , located at 5 Monument Square, Portland. Admission is free and the exhibition is open during library hours.

Regarding his works included in the show, Luc said, “I am interested in how we use photography to understand what we see, and how we see. For the past several years I have been exploring ways to make photographic color studies of ambient or available light. I have always found the light that spills into a room through a window captivating, particularly the ever-changing light that casts onto the ceiling. Reflected sunlight carries the colors of the world outside onto the pale paint of the ceiling and walls. These photographs were taken of the light cast on the ceiling above windows throughout my house.”

Luc Demers is an artist living in Southern Maine. He holds a BFA in art from USM. While pursuing his personal work, he began working as a commercial photographer as well as shooting editorial work for The Casco Bay Weekly and The Maine Times. In 2010 he earned his MFA in Visual Art at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Currently, Demers is an exhibiting artist, freelance photographer, and is an educator in the first year sequence in ±«˛Ń´ˇâ€™s Architecture Department.

The Envision Resilience Challenge, a multi-university design studio and community engagement initiative founded by philanthropist Wendy Schmidt, announced today that its fourth year of programming will take place in Maine. Â鶹APP (UMA) has been selected as one of eight university partners to participate in this year’s challenge. Other participating universities include Cornell University, Harvard University, University at Buffalo, University of Michigan, University of Virginia, Yale University, and the program’s first international partner, University of Toronto.

±«˛Ń´ˇâ€™s Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) program offers the only professional architecture degree in Maine and the only public 5-year professional degree in northern New England. UMA teaches architecture through engagement, educating, and empowering students to explore, investigate, and analyze the built environment. Examples of how students engage in local communities, as well as its accreditation by the National Architectural Accrediting Board program can be found at uma.edu/barch.

Over 25 years ago, Professor Roger Richmond envisioned the architecture program as a two year-plus associate’s degree which grew to a full Bachelor of Arts degree in 2001. While maintaining high quality core values of Space, Scale, and Light, and the necessity to Design with Intention, the program began to use more advanced tools and language of architecture. The goal was always to best prepare graduates for further study, professional practice, or immediate employment, and to have successful graduates leave the University with an awareness of the importance of architecture in the development of society, and architecture’s power to affect the quality of individual lives.

Portland, South Portland, and the Casco Bay Islands have been chosen as study sites for the 2024 fall design studio, which will convene community stakeholders and teams of students studying architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, and environmental science. Like coastal communities around the world, Portland and South Portland are at the forefront of a changing climate. The Gulf of Maine waters are warming, and sea levels are rising at three to four times the global average. Winter storms this year have flooded downtowns, damaged wharves, washed away historic structures and set record high tides.

The 2024 Envision Resilience Portland and South Portland Challenge has worked with the local community to identify several sites that will be the focus of the student teams:

• Portland Working Waterfront
• Portland Industrial
• Portland Public Open Space & Parks
• South Portland Waterfront
• South Portland Industrial
• Casco Bay
• Casco Bay Islands

Building on the success of its previous challenges, the Envision Resilience Challenge will bring to the Greater Portland Region a leading network of students, faculty, and researchers to engage with municipal and community leaders, business owners, local stakeholders and nonprofit and science organizations. Student participants will spend the fall 2024 semester diving deep into local challenges, researching pathways forward, and proposing adaptive and imaginative solutions to the current and future impacts of climate change.

“Climate change is the defining issue of our time—but instead of fearing the future, this program asks us to reimagine the future we would like to see and then work toward it,” said Wendy Schmidt, founder of Remain. “The Envision Resilience program reminds us that when we collaborate and approach challenges with creativity, we can work toward a brighter future. The eight participating university teams bring the ability to merge spatial and social histories, community input and speculative futures that will become hopeful visions for Portland, Maine, and other communities facing similar challenges.”

“Being selected to participate in the 2024 Envision Resilience Portland and South Portland Challenge is a great honor. Our students are going to benefit greatly from the incredible resources that Remain provides as part of the Challenge Studio. The ability to collaborate with the other seven universities will be a great learning experience,” says UMA Professor of Architecture Patrick Hansford, a practicing architect with over 38 years of experience, whose most recent project was a shelter for victims of domestic violence and homelessness in his hometown of Troy, Ohio. “Our community design studio focuses on service. Being part of this year’s Envision Resilience Challenge will afford our students the opportunity to work with community partners in Portland and South Portland to address important issues facing Maine, New England and beyond.”

Following the fall semester design studio, the Envision Resilience Challenge facilitates community programming, events, and an exhibition to showcase the design outcomes to the region. To date, the program has worked with 346 students, 70 community advisors from eight coastal communities and 22 student teams from 13 universities. The public is invited to follow along throughout the duration of the challenge at and via social media (@envisionresiliencechallenge). To learn more about the previous studios, explore the design outcomes of the 2021 Nantucket, 2022 Narragansett Bay and 2023 New Bedford and Fairhaven student teams.

About the Â鶹APP

transforms the lives of students of every age and background across the State of Maine and beyond through access to high-quality distance and on-site education, excellence in student support, civic engagement, and professional and liberal arts programs.

About Remain

works to bring creative thinking to environmental and community challenges, elevate local industry and encourage innovation and resilience. Remain Nantucket engages in charitable work to support the evolution of a healthy year-round community across the island. Remain Ventures invests in buildings and mission-related businesses that strengthen Nantucket’s year-round economy and spark innovation that brings long-term value to the island’s residents. Both Remain Nantucket and Remain Ventures are funded by Wendy Schmidt and her husband Eric to support the local economy, community, and environmental vitality of the island of Nantucket.

The Â鶹APP (UMA) is proud to present the Architecture Student Show at the Danforth Art Gallery at ±«˛Ń´ˇâ€™s Augusta campus, 46 University Drive, Augusta, Maine, with an opening reception on Monday, November 6, 2023, 12-1 P.M.

The exhibit is “Making is Knowing”, and demonstrates the trajectory of student learning and achievement over their five years of ±«˛Ń´ˇâ€™s Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) program.

The reception will include refreshments and comments from architecture faculty. This event is free and open to all.

±«˛Ń´ˇâ€™s B.Arch. program offers the only professional architecture degree in Maine and the only public 5-year professional degree in northern New England. Its mission stresses the small classes, an integrated curriculum, and hands-on learning. The program is fully accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board.

Faculty in the architecture program teach architecture through engagement, educating, and empowering students to explore, investigate, and analyze the built environment. Engagement brings students into active contact with each other, their coursework, and our community partners. Since 2007, students have conducted 36 community-based projects with 22 different community partners. From working with the Augusta-based non-profit Bread of Life Ministries on designing housing for Homeless Veterans, to working with city managers on the master plan of Lewiston’s riverfront, students are exposed to the multiple needs and responsibilities facing today’s architectural designers.

Please join us for the November 6 opening reception of the exhibition.

Follow Danforth Gallery on Facebook and Instagram using the handle @UMADanforth, and visit the gallery’s website: .

On Thursday, May 11, at the annual AIA Maine Design Awards held at Bates Mill No.6 in Lewiston, Jessica Angelova, BArch ’22 was given a Commendation Award for her thesis project, “Unwalling Architecture.”

Jury Comments:
Border crossings are an enigma in the modern world. The need for control and security seems to oppose the desire for openness and transition. This project addresses the transitory nature of these spaces by wrapping the functions in a taught skin that seems to somehow speak to the dynamism and transition components of a border crossing. The use of the word quiet may be a misnomer, as border crossings tend to be noisy, somewhat chaotic places, that almost generate energy by providing a look into what lies beyond the border.

The UMA Bachelor of Architecture program congratulates Jessica on her award and her wonderful representation of UMA and the program.

The American Institutes of Architects (AIA) Maine Scholarship Fund was established at the Â鶹APP in 2012 with an initial donation from AIA Maine and the wider Maine Design community. The fund states that it shall be used, “for scholarship assistance to resident Maine students enrolled in the second year or higher of ±«˛Ń´ˇâ€™s Bachelor of Architecture degree program with at least a GPA of 3.0.”

This year’s winners along with Jury comments:

Housing

Barclay Finck ($1300)
Jury Comments: The project is well represented showing a strong consideration of both interior and exterior spaces. The spaces are clearly designed at various scales (individual, group, community). Good housing works when focused on the people living there and this project clearly does that throughout the design and process.

Angie Beaulieu ($500)
Jury Comments: This project shows solid research and development of a new program typology based on a local vernacular. It is a clear Maine solution for a Maine site. We would like to see representation of the architectural experience.

Sustainability

Xavier Gomez ($1300)
Jury Comments: This project starts with integration and consideration of sustainable solutions as central to its exploration. The project’s extensive research and defense of passive solar use is laudable.

Professionalism

Scott McCallister ($1000)
Jury Comments: As service to the community is considered a cornerstone of ±«˛Ń´ˇâ€™s view of the architectural profession, this award acknowledges Scott’s history of volunteerism and his work for the ARC department.