Who We Are

Sarah Holland is a registered architect with over 20 years of experience. She worked with several firms in New England before starting her own private practice in 1991. Sarah graduated from the Boston Architectural Center and the State University of New York at Buffalo and attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Through-out her career she has pursued an interest in solar design, energy efficiency, and environmentally friendly building. She was president of the Maine Solar Energy Association in 1991 and helped found a Maine based group called Builders and Architects for Sustainable Environments (B.A.S.E.) in 1993. Sarah has lived in Camden, Maine for 18 years with her husband Peter Jones, a potter, cave explorer, and photographer.

David Foley has worked in environmental building since 1980 as a designer, builder, researcher and teacher. He worked for several architecture firms before joining forces with Sarah. He has a Masters in Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley, a Masters of Professional Studies in Resource Economics from the University of Maine, and a Bachelor of Arts in Community Design from Dartmouth College. He was the 1994 recipient of the German Marshall Fund to study green building techniques in Europe. He is currently teaching an on-line course entitled “Sustainability as a Way of Thinking” through the Boston Architectural Center. David lives in Northport, Maine with his wife Judy Berk a communications director for an environmental group.

We formed Holland & Foley Architecture in 1994, and have worked on numerous residential, institutional and commercial projects. We maintain good working relationships with consultants and collaborators in our region, allowing us to form customized teams for larger or more complex projects.

Where We Work

We work in Northport, Maine in a small, efficient, passive solar space that David built. Our office overlooks a large organic garden with a glimpse of the ocean a few miles away.

We're based in mid-coast Maine, on the Western side of Penobscot Bay. We're at about 44 degrees north latitude. The winters are long and cold--a temperature near -20°F isn't unusual. Our soils are shallow and stony, with granite ledge. The predominant building material is wood. Our weather is unpredictable, but our friends and neighbors are reliable.

We do most of our work in Maine, usually within a 2 to 3 hour drive from where we live. We've also done projects in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, and Wisconsin.

We're best suited for work in regions and climates like our own. There are fine architects in places like Miami and Tuscon--we're happy to let them work in the places that they know best. Also, since we like to remain involved during construction, projects far from our home are a special challenge.

If you're considering us for a project outside of Maine, let's talk. It may be possible for us to refer you to a colleague in your region or to team with them for your project. With computer-generated drawings, electronic files and e-mail, long-distance work has become a little easier.

Sarah working on a sketch.

David doing site work in the field.

Where we work.