Meet Cameron Carcelen | Architect + designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cameron Carcelen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cameron, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I always dreamed of working for a large architecture firm, collaborating with a dynamic team to design exciting, large-scale urban projects. Then, when my two kids came along I had terrible FOMO – fear of missing out on their childhood. I worked for a firm with good work-life balance for a while when they were very young, but always felt frustrated about missing school events.

During the pandemic, everything sort of came into focus; I realized that by starting my own architecture + design studio, I could have more control over my own calendar and my projects. In the few years since launching Ridge Architecture, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with absolutely wonderful clients. The projects are mostly residential – not at all the scale I thought I’d be working on before my kids came along – but they’re still exciting and I do get to collaborate with dynamic teams of builders, engineers, landscape architects, and other professionals.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Ridge Architecture is a design practice rooted in simplicity, sustainability, and craft. We’re most comfortable in jeans, and we always ask craftspeople for their input on the best way to realize a project. Consideration of the environment and natural resources plays into every decision.

We approach each project with open minds, and start by listening and observing. Our clients are collaborators. We work with them to establish project objectives, and throughout design and construction – to ensure objectives are being met.

We operate on the premise that the simplest solution is the best…and usually, the most elegant.

Our business is only a few years old, so we’re still figuring it all out! But we’ve found that a humble approach works best for us.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Attending excellent public schools was a huge advantage for me. I was so fortunate to benefit from my community’s investment in education, and to have teachers who truly believed in, and encouraged the students. Even though I was terrible at arithmetic, I had a math teacher, Mr. Larcom, who encouraged me to see the bigger picture with math – it isn’t all computation, it’s conceptual and poetic too! Whereas many young women who are weak math students avoid STEM careers, Mr. Larcom’s approach to math gave me the confidence to pursue architecture.

Website: https://www.ridgearchitecture.com/

Instagram: @ridgearchitecture

Image Credits
Head shot – Alexandra Tsocanos Interior shots – Nicholas Venezia Detail shots – Cameron Carcelen