Form + Place

Form + Place is a Newton, Massachusetts-based architecture and planning firm founded in 2011 with the goal of helping private, non-profit and public-sector clients formulate initial development visions and bring them to reality through a creative and collaborative design process. Whether in urban, transit-oriented suburban or more rural contexts, our approach to solving the complexities of mixed-use development often focuses on layering in the tenets of experiential placemaking. We have found that the key to unlocking the development potential of each unique site is often driven by purposeful integration with the surrounding community at a variety of scales. We refer to this as the placemaking "continuum". Having practiced together professionally for over 20 years, Form + Place's principals Michael Wang, John Rufo and Mike Manship have designed and executed numerous master plans and large-scale mixed-use projects. Form + Place helps clients strategize unique approaches to the entitlements process that includes crafting new zoning regulations, design guidelines and development standards, as well as leading extensive community outreach efforts, all of which are integral to the successful implementation of our planning and feasibility work. Whether involving adaptive reuse or ground-up development, our broad range of expertise in planning, permitting, architectural design, documentation and project management spans across a wide range of typologies including retail, office, residential, institutional and hospitality work. Form + Place's active portfolio of work includes projects in communities throughout New England and the Northeast. As a small and growing firm, our collaborative design process allows us to work intimately with our clients to identify the most-efficient development strategies. In recent years, our work with private sector clients has ranged from the repositioning of small-scale retail / mixed-use buildings along a key commercial corridor to the design of a new urban casino prototype, and the master planning of a 2 million square foot riverfront mill complex. Public sector efforts have included assisting communities with zoning redesign efforts to authoring complete master plans for center business districts. Our dynamic approach to visioning and our passion for good design and placemaking has resulted in successful solutions for a broad range of clients and communities.