Derby
Square
Architects
"DESIGN SHOULD CENTER AROUND THE USER AND BE EVER MINDFUL OF ITS CONTEXT. IT IS THE CREATIVE INTERPLAY BETWEEN CLIENT, ARCHITECT, AND ENVIRONMENT THAT CREATES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR GOOD ARCHITECTURE."
- BILL PETERSON
OUR FIRM
Derby Square Architects Inc. provides personalized design services for each project. With our design philosophy, we focus on the client and not ourselves. We take the time to learn about our clients and perform thorough research for each project to ensure we offer nothing but thoughtful and effective design proposals built on a foundation of the client’s expectations and the characteristics of the end user and project site. Our core values as a firm include a healthy balance of home and work life, perpetual self improvement, and mutually beneficial and financially practical business relationships.
OUR PEOPLE
RICHARD GRIFFIN
Principal
With over 30 years of experience as an architect, Richard co-founded Derby Square Architects, a consortium of architects in Downtown Salem. Richard originally established Richard Griffin Architects in 1998 in Salem, where he began offering architectural design services for local residents and small businesses. Richard earned a M. Arch., at Clemson University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Human Ecology, College of the Atlantic. He also studied at Washington University, St. Louis and University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
AIA
ALEXANDRA KONTSEVAIA PETERSON
Interior Designer, Project Manager
Ksana was first inspired to pursue architecture while living in Prague, Czech as a teenager. Years later she earned a B. Arch from the Boston Architectural College where she began to build her architectural skill set. Over the last eight years she has worked in a variety of settings from retail design to urban planning to comprehensive design research. With each project she offers a healthy dose of optimism supported by rigorous research and planning. Ksana has travelled extensively throughout North America, Europe, and Eastern Asia, where she soaks up all architecture, design, and culture there is available to her, which gives her a wide array of inspirations to pull from in her design process.
Assoc. IIDA
NATHAN BONAIUTO
Nathan is an experienced designer and project manager who brings a dynamic skillset to the firm. Nathan previously worked for our predessor firm, Richard Griffin Architect and later to for STA Design before returning to work with us at DSA. Nathan earned his undergraduate and graduate M. Arch degree at Roger Williams University.
Project Manager
CPHC
WILLIAM PETERSON
Principal
Bill attained his B. Arch degree from the Boston Architectural College. In his 18 plus years of experience he has designed multi-family housing, public safety facilities, town halls, various civic buildings, and historic preservation projects. He has also been part of commercial mixed use, retail, and restaurant developments.
Bill is a comissioned officer, Captain, in the 102d Civil Engineer Sqaudron in the Massachusetts Air National Guard working on engineering, planning, and design of base facilities.
AIA, NCARB
KARLA NIETZSCH TINKJIAN
Project Designer
Karla is an experienced and thoughtful designer and drafter and top producer at DSA. Karla previously worked for one of the firm’s predecesors, Richard Griffin Architects, from 2013 to 2016, after working at a variety of design firms in both the Boston area as well as Minas Gerais, Brazil where she was raised and educated in architecture.
Karla has her construction supervisors license in Massachusetts and is a LEED Accrediated Professional.
LEED AP, CS
MATTHEW MILLER
Matthew is a native New Englander who briefly became a Chicagoan before returning to the Northshore of Boston. He Holds a B.Arch / Digital Design Specialization from Illinois Institute of Technology. He worked previously at Holabird & Root doing Academic, Commercial and Chicago Housing Authority work. Matthew has additional experience as a development consultant, estimator and fabricator.
Project Designer