why emerald?
Evading placelessness.
Encouraging sustainability.
Building a brand.
Evading placelessness.
Story time! In 2014, Megan moved from a small town in Northern NY to the city of Boston, where she initially felt a sense of placelessness. Everything was busy and moving, and she hadn’t yet found a place that felt meaningful or familiar. The following year as part of a studio project, she discovered Arnold Arboretum - a museum of trees - which is free to the public. It immediately became her new favorite place to escape, to explore, and to think. She enjoyed this safe haven both alone and with close friends. She felt the comfort of having a place that was “hers” even for a few moments and one that could be shared with others - which is a feeling that drove her toward a career in architecture in the first place. She later learned that her haven was the “end” to a chain of linked parks designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, which are woven through the city and known as Boston’s Emerald Necklace. The Emerald design team is dedicated to creating spaces that can provide similar significance and meaning to our clients that was once experienced by Megan at the Arnold Arboretum.
Encouraging sustainability.
Emerald is green, right? “Green design” is a frequent point of discussion in the A&E industry, and for good reason. Design teams around the world are pushing to create buildings that are friendly to the environment and promote a more sustainable future. The design values of the Emerald Team resonate with this effort. We feel that it is our responsibility as a designers of the built environment to not only care about and for the Planet, but also to be its advocate - to teach others, and offer design solutions that provide durability and sustainability for future generations.
Building a brand.
Our team is passionate about building something genuine and meaningful. The Emerald brand is meant to represent this passion. Passion for beautiful building design, for the environment, and for standing behind something intentionally and carefully curated. We see the Emerald Team continuously growing and expanding in multiple facets. While it does, we will continue to design meaningful spaces, better the environment, teach others about our passions, and hopefully - if we’re doing those things right - build a network of genuine connections along the way.
THE MERGE
THE MERGE
The History
Downing Construction was founded by Zach Downing in 2017. In seven years, he turned a one-man-band working on small residential renovations into a team of 4+, alongside a group of trusted, dedicated subs working on full homes and modular public work.
Many of the clients he built relationships with along the way often asked for design help. Megan Downing, Zach’s wife, became the go-to for all things design on most Downing Construction jobs.
Megan dreamed of building a larger design team. She founded Emerald House Studio in 2021, which became an LLC in 2023 after receiving her license to practice architecture.
Downing Construction and Emerald House Studio completed projects together, as well as separately over the past two years.
In October 2024 they have officially become one larger team to bring simplicity, well-rounded expertise, and a higher level of collaboration to our clients. As Emerald Design Build, we will continue to grow the business and guide the team toward exciting projects, new challenges, and long-lasting buildings.
