Design Ideas

Field of Vision: Guy Grassi

After more than five decades in the business, the highly accomplished architect shares his journey, how buildings impact people’s lives, and more.

For more than 50 years, Boston-based architect and president of Grassi Design Group, Guy Grassi, has done everything he can to make his work not about him. Or, put slightly differently, he’s been driven to find a way to put the process, and all the moving parts of architecture — from client hopes and dreams to building codes — first, and not make it about his art or vision.

“That's the magic of architecture,” Grassi said. “It's how do you make it all work?”

Grassi continued, “You're looking at a matrix of needs and requirements, and you're trying to come up with something that satisfies all of those things. There isn't really one way to do it. You can't just, or shouldn't, just apply your formulaic idea upon the site. You need to study the site, and study the needs, and study the requirements, and come up with a new way to do it.”

And since 1974, Grassi has been finding “a new way to do it” on project after project. From his large collection of work in Boston’s Back Bay to hotels and resorts across the country (to the Savannah-area lowcountry home featured here), his one-size-does-not-fit-all approach has been a hallmark of his work.

Grassi graciously took the time to participate in this “Field of Vision” feature, sharing his wisdom and philosophy on a wide range of topics, including what attention to detail brings to a project, how learning is still at the center of his career even five decades in, and why getting a picture of one of his projects sent to him is so meaningful.

Note: This is the first installment in the ongoing Marvin “Field of Vision” series. These stories will shine a light on some of America's architectural leaders, focusing on their history in the industry, design inspirations, lessons learned along the way, and more.

“That's the magic of architecture. It's how do you make it all work?”

Guy Grassi

Architect and President, Grassi Design Group

Q: What do you consider some of the foundational elements of your work?

A: I think that the foundation of what I do is to build. I consider my role to be about building buildings, and not about designing buildings. There are some architects that are more theoretical and ideological, and that's great. That's an approach, and that's a perfectly relevant and wholesome way to do business. I'm much more about actual construction and understanding the tectonics of the construction. How buildings go together, how they work, the process of building them. All of the compromises you have to make, all the considerations you have to take. The impact of buildings on the community, and on the people that use them.

I studied a lot in college on the social psychology of architecture. Because architecture impacts people's lives, whether it's an office building, a restaurant, a resort, or a home, it has a significant impact on people and their experiences and understanding that. And that's all part of building. Whether it's keeping the wind out or it's making people feel good about themselves, it's all part of the same process of building. So, that's really the foundational part of my practice.

Q: What’s something about your role that might seem like a little thing, but without this, it doesn't work?

A: What we try very hard to do with all of our clients, no matter who they are or what they're doing, is to help them through the whole process. Because the process of building can be daunting even if you're a professional builder, even if you're a real estate developer. It's hard. There are so many steps, so many permits, so many risks. It's a very complex process.

I like to wrap my head around all of it and understand the whole process from beginning to end. Then, view my role for my client as an advisor to help them make good decisions. And if I don't know the answer, point them to someone who does. If I don't know the best answer for the window decision, talk to the window people. If we don't know the best answer on the roofing, talk to professional roofers. That's their business; that's their livelihood. I love learning, and when I do that, I learn a ton.

[Learning is] part of my evolution as a designer. I've been doing it for over 50 years and I learn every day. I think I get better every year. The more I know, the more I learn, the better I get at it, and the more I can help my clients go through that process.

Q: What does attention to detail mean to you, your work, and your business?

A: I think the detailing of a building is what people see, feel, and touch, when you touch a doorknob, you sit on a sofa, and you look at the fireplace. When you're in the bathroom, you're looking at the mirror, at the cabinet knobs, at how the medicine cabinet works. That's the real experience that people have with architecture, is that see, feel, and touch of all the parts and pieces. To me, that's the foundation of the building. That's what makes it work. And it all has to be speaking in the same language as the rest of the architecture.

Q: What are some things you're glad you went through early in your career that helped guide you to where you are today?

A: I think in terms of my evolution as a designer, I had the good fortune to work in multiple different kinds of companies. My first job was for an interior designer who designed hotels, and I worked in the office there. I also worked for a structural engineering firm. I worked for an advertising agency, doing graphic design. I worked for a mechanical and electrical engineer. I worked for a couple of architects. I got to see a lot of the edges of architecture and the profession, and I think that was really helpful to me, to see that we're not the only one. Architects aren't the only people that are involved in this process.

When I was young, what I found is that I could learn a ton from people that actually built the stuff. So, I spent a lot of time with carpenters, plumbers, and roofers and asked them the questions. I also have built a lot of things with my own hands. And as I do that, I have to ask people questions and learn about how it works.

So, all of those experiences, looking outside the box at architecture, at all the folks that help is really the driver of a lot of the education for a young architect.

Q: The repeat nature of the business is so important. What is it about your work and your style that you think keeps people coming back to you?

A: My whole philosophy on our role is again, helping our clients go from the beginning to the end. It's not about my art as much as it is about that process of helping people get stuff built. I have my own philosophies, I have my own ways of doing business, but I think when you are primarily focused on your client and their happiness, they get that. They feel that. They sense that. And if your advice is not self-serving, but it's to help serve their interests, then you become an advisor, a consigliere.

And that's our role. That's the relationships that we form with our clients. And when we do that, they [take] me everywhere. So, I meet them in Boston and the next thing I know I'm building a house for them in California, or in Idaho, or in Houston. Or I'm building an office building in Florida or a resort in Key West. And that's the foundation of my whole firm and how we've grown over the years.

Q: At the end of the day, what gives you the most satisfaction? What's the most rewarding part of what you do?

A: I think the most rewarding part is to see what we've built used and last and create enjoyment. And whether it's a private club, or it's a resort hotel, or it's a vacation home, people send me pictures of them and their children, or them and their grandchildren. I get photos from people when they're on vacation and they're staying in a hotel we did. That's so gratifying to see people really using it, and enjoying it, and appreciating the effort that we've made. So, that's what really drives it for us.

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