Skip to main content
All Posts By

Sandler AIA Admin

$300 and a Dream

By Blog

I had $300 in startup money when I first went into business. At the time, $300 was a lot of money! For me, it meant that I had the freedom to create something very special. As a young woman architect—which was rare in 1989—hanging my shingle in the quaint Western Massachusetts town of Stockbridge (home and inspiration to illustrator Norman Rockwell) was a proud moment. More than proud. It was THE moment for me, where I shut out the tiny, annoying choruses of self-doubt, and realized that my dream of “Pamela Sandler, Architect” was a tangible reality.

Of course, making dreams a reality requires a lot of work. Saying “yes” to just about any job that came down the pipeline during those early years was a must. In the years leading up to opening Pam Sandler AIA, I took on a lot of different jobs. One of my first jobs was designing a house in New Hampshire that had a stone wall running through it. I met the client at the hardware store, and I think I made $8 an hour on that job, but I was so thrilled. I once designed an oven exhaust hood for a Chinese restaurant to gain experience and money.

Pamela Sandler – doing what it takes to get the job done.

That’s how I got started. Most small business owners know that you do whatever it takes.

I designed a house for Tom Hoadley, the famous potter, and his wife Stephanie. He said, “I know exactly what I want,” and as he was talking about the design, I drew a sketch of what I thought it should be and put it in my pocket. Just a sketch. The whole house was a well-insulated cube, and I knew that the only way to change the interior space was to put everything askew, to not feel like one was living in a box. Tom was thrilled with outcome. He still lives in that house!

Pamela Sandler – the early years.

Along that path, those small design and sometimes odd jobs, I discovered the solid foundation of my mission: I want to bring my clients joy. The kind of joy that is the result of communication and a lot of conversation, and really getting to know who my clients are and how they live in their particular space. In fact, before I do any work for a client, I visit their primary residence. It may not be the space they hired me to design, but it is the space they live in day to day. People can tell me how they live, but in order to truly understand and feel the way they live it’s something an architect must see and experience.

Once I was visiting a client couple in their home in Philadelphia. The husband was a psychiatrist. I walked through their entire home, really running my hands over the place—you have to get personal with the space! As I was doing this, he was watching me, a little frustrated. Once he realized what I was doing, trying to get a real feel for the space he and his family called home, he relaxed and said, “Now I understand how personal you will get when working with us.”

I mean it. Whatever it takes to bring joy.

Pamela Sandler Completes Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program; Brings Special Needs Housing to Berkshire County

By Press

Pamela Sandler Completes Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program; Brings Special Needs Housing to Berkshire County

Pamela Sandler joins local small business owners to create new business opportunity in Berkshire County

Stockbridge, MA (June 12, 2017) – Pamela Sandler, founder of Pamela Sandler Architect, located in Stockbridge, MA, completed the 11 week, 100 plus hour Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, a national program created to help entrepreneurs develop jobs and economic opportunity by providing greater access to education, capital, and business support services. Ms. Sandler fine-tuned the firm’s business growth plan which, along with her residential and commercial full-service architecture, extends the firm’s reach by teaming with groups that develop appropriate housing for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and special needs adults in the northeast.

“Within seven years 500,000 ASD adults will require special needs housing. Currently, 80 percent of these adults live with their families,” noted Sandler. There are parental organizations, groups and governmental agencies that need expertise in the design and development of appropriate special needs housing. “My goal is to be able to answer the question so many parents with special needs children ask, ‘where will he or she live when I’m gone?’” continues Sandler.

Sandler, a mother of two ASD adults understands professionally as well as personally the residential requirements for special needs adults. “When designing full-time living spaces and communities there are considerations most firms would not naturally consider, such as creating visually calm living areas, sound proof rooms, spacious hallways as well as common areas that promote physical activity. The design should include appropriate ventilation and use all-green, non-toxic products. And of course, we need to create a sense of familiarity and security,” explains Sandler.

“The Goldman Sachs 10,000 small businesses program gave me the tools to learn more about the business side of my firm as well as support my passion to develop housing for ASD adults so that they can lead comfortable and productive adult lives.” Sandler continued, “I’m confident that the three months of work and networking will pay off for my firm’s residential and commercial projects as well benefit the special needs adults in the northeast.”

“We’re proud of our graduates of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Initiative. These entrepreneurs put forth incredible effort to complete this program and we are confident their efforts will continue in growing their businesses. We are excited to watch their many successes,” said Kerry Healey, President of Babson College.

Visit Pamela Sandler Architect for more information regarding Pamela Sandler’s offerings.

For additional information:

Pamela Sandler

Phone: 413.298.4227

Email: Pam@sandleraia.com

Website – www.sandleraia.com

Pamela Sandler accepts Goldman Sachs 10,000 small business certificate from Joy Schaaffe- Lead Faculty- 10,000 small businesses.

Pamela Sandler accepts Goldman Sachs 10,000 small business certificate from Joy Schaaffe- Lead Faculty- 10,000 small businesses.

Berkshire Trade and Commerce March 2017

By Press

Originally published in the March 2017 issue of Berkshire Trade and Commerce

BY: John Townes

Pamela Sandler was recently accepted to the 10,000 Small Businesses program offered by Goldman Sachs:

Sandler is owner and principal Pamela Sandler AIA, LEED AP, an architectural firm she established in 1989. With offices at 31 Main St. in Stockbridge, the firm provides residential and commercial design for new construction, restorations and renovations.

She said she first heard about 10,000 Small Businesses several years ago through a business associate in another area who had participated in the program. She was recently reacquainted with it by Kowalczyk through their mutual involvement in Women Upfront, and decided to apply.

“It’s a great gift of an opportunity,” said Sandler (who was reached while away on vacation just days before the program started.) She pointed that, although she has operated her own firm for over 25 years, she has never had the complete skill set needed to effectively plan for its growth.

“You don’t learn anything in architecture school about running a business,” she commented, adding that she looks forward to addressing that gap through the program’s intensive training and mentoring.

“The key thing I’m looking for from the program is being able to define the direction of my firm for the next 20 years,” Sandler said.

That, she added, is important not just for herself but also for the continued professional development of her staff of three full-time and one part-time employees.

“I have a great team, and I want this to have a positive impact on them, too,” she said.

Preview Massachusetts, February 2011: “View of Water, View of Woods”

By Press

Originially published in Preview Massachusetts, February 2011: “View of Water, View of Woods”

BY: Sarah Werthan Buttenwieser

PHOTOS: Paul Shoul

Displays Pamela Sandler’s thoughtful approach to solving smaller housing puzzles through environmentally-conscious design.

 

Berkshire Living, May 2010: “Sandler’s Lot”

By Press

Berkshire Living, May 2010: “Sandler’s Lot”

By Jeremy D. Goodwin

Features Pamela Sandler’s environmentally-conscious building practices, long before green was the new black.

Berkshire Living Home + Garden, Annual 2009: “Out of Africa”

By Press

Berkshire Living Home + Garden, Annual 2009: “Out of Africa”

By Lesley Ann Beck

Details a modern lakeside cottage designed to showcase treasured family collections.

Berkshire Living, September 2009: “Rocky Mountain High”

By Press

Berkshire Living, September 2009: “Rocky Mountain High”

By Bess Hochstein

Highlights the open spaces, rustic materials, and stunning vistas of a mountaintop home located in North Egremont, Massachusetts.

Berkshire Living Home + Garden, May 2008: “Green With A Twist”

By Press

Berkshire Living Home + Garden, May 2008: “Green With A Twist”

By Bess Hochstein

Details of the green building features of the extremely energy efficient home of Stephanie and Tom Hoadley.

Berkshire Living, November 2007: “Hot Property”

By Press

Berkshire Living, November 2007: “Hot Property”

By Christopher Newbound

Features a contemporary farmhouse in the Berkshires designed by Stockbridge, Massachusetts based architect, Pamela Sandler.