Tsoi/Kobus Awarded

Cambridge, MA – Cambridge-based Tsoi/Kobus & Associates is the winner of Contract magazine’s “Inspirations Award” for their pro-bono renovation of Putnam Place, a group home for foster teens in Dorchester. The award was presented in April and includes a $5,000 grant to Cambridge Family & Children’s Services, which oversees the home.

Cambridge, MA – Cambridge-based Tsoi/Kobus & Associates is the winner of Contract magazine’s “Inspirations Award” for their pro-bono renovation of Putnam Place, a group home for foster teens in Dorchester. The award was presented in April and includes a $5,000 grant to Cambridge Family & Children’s Services, which oversees the home.

The winning project originated in September 2008 when TK&A founders Rick Kobus and Ed Tsoi decided to mark their firm’s 25th anniversary by providing free design and renovation services to a local non-profit. With the help of the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, TK&A selected Putnam Place.

The boys who live there are transitioning to life on their own in the adult world, and the house is meant to provide a supportive home environment. Unfortunately, its primary gathering space was a damp, dark, and cluttered basement. TK&A saw an opportunity to make a demonstrable difference in the boys’ quality of life.

The renovation process began with a series of meetings between the teens living at Putnam Place and TK&A’s architects and interior designers. A wish list of improvements was established, and with project partner Commodore Builders of Newton on board, the year-long transformation of the basement into an attractive and welcoming lounge, study space, woodworking shop, laundry room, and state-of-the-art recording studio was underway.

“The boys at Putnam Place never had a place to call their own before,” says TK&A designer Keisy Marquez. “This new space gives them an alternative to the streets and provides them a safe place to gain new skills, pursue hobbies, and just hang out.”