Good Neighbor Podcast: North Shore
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of North Shore
Good Neighbor Podcast: North Shore
EP #74 - Architectural Innovation Meets Environmental Responsibility
Meet Nicholas Paolucci, founder of Mass Architect, a forward-thinking firm revolutionizing residential design in Massachusetts with speed, affordability, and sustainability at its core. From his education at Auburn University to launching his own firm in 2016, Nicholas has carved out a unique space in the industry as a solo practitioner focused on efficient, personalized service. Specializing in home additions, renovations, and new construction, Mass Architect brings a level of care and agility often missing from larger firms. Nicholas shares how launching his business during a deeply personal time—proposing to his wife and facing his father's illness—helped shape the resilience and purpose behind his entrepreneurial journey.
Nicholas also sets Mass Architect apart through a deep commitment to sustainability. As a LEED Accredited Professional working toward Passive House certification, he champions energy-efficient designs that align with evolving codes and environmental needs. With an emphasis on tight building envelopes, superior insulation, and renewable energy systems, his work goes beyond aesthetics to create homes that are both beautiful and responsible. Whether you're dreaming of a renovation or simply inspired by sustainable innovation, Nicholas offers a compelling look at how thoughtful design can build a better future—one home at a time.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Yvonne Godfrey.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Today, I have the distinct pleasure of introducing Nicholas Paolucci. He is the owner and founder of Mass Architect. Nick, how are you doing today?
Speaker 3:I'm great. How are you?
Speaker 2:I am fantastic enjoying this beautiful day, this beautiful weather. So, nick, can you tell our listeners about your company please?
Speaker 3:Sure, thank you for having me on. Mass Architect is a small architectural firm. Mass Architect is a small architectural firm. I'm the owner and the operator. We provide design and construction drawings for single family residential additions, renovations and new homes, and I started the business in 2016 in Revere and ended up moving to Milton about five years ago and kind of grown each year, and we still serve the North Shore and all over Massachusetts.
Speaker 2:Beautiful. And what's the backstory? How did you get into this business, Nick?
Speaker 3:Well, I went down to Auburn University for school. They had a good architecture college down there at the time. They had a good architecture college down there at the time and I loved it there. But came back home and decided to work in the Boston area at a couple smaller firms and once I kind of passed my exams and got licensed on my own, I started Mass Architect and it's been about nine years so it's running smooth and strong.
Speaker 2:Wonderful beautiful.
Speaker 3:So what are some myths or misconceptions that you've discovered in your industry, nick? I think architects and engineers in general get kind of a bad rep for being slow and overpriced, and I just kind of try to be the opposite of that and produce drawings quickly and on time under budget. It's just me, so I can typically do things quicker and less expensive with less overhead. And, yeah, I just try to be different than the bigger firms around there.
Speaker 2:Okay, thanks. Thanks for sharing that. So outside of work, what do you do for fun, nick?
Speaker 3:Outside of work. I have a three-year-old and now a six-month-old, so I like to spend time with them whenever I can, and I'm actually the chef in our house, so I try to come up with new concoctions and see what they'll eat. And, yeah, I've started to like it more and more. And yeah, I've started to like it more and more. But I mean before kids we liked to travel and go to the beach and ski, and after kids it's a little less of that but so fun.
Speaker 2:Those are adorable ages as well. Yeah, yeah, they're cute, so changing gears. Nick, can you describe one hardship?
Speaker 3:or one of life's challenge that you rose above and can now say because of it you're stronger, you're better, what comes to your mind? Starting out my business, it was the same time I was proposing to my wife and quitting my job and I spent about half my bank account on the ring and no income coming in besides a couple of small projects that I just started. And my father at the same had a heart attack and just a lot of stress all at once and my wife kind of carried me through it and the business kind of took off from there surprisingly, but my dad ended up coming through and everything's all good at the end of it.
Speaker 2:Beautiful, beautiful. That could be a stressful time in anyone's life with any parent. So, nick, can you please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about Mass Architect.
Speaker 3:One thing I try to come across as I'm a lead accredited professional, so that's the leadership in energy and environmental design. I'm also taking a course to become a passive house certified designer and I'm sure most of your listeners don't know what those things are, but I think it's the future of designing and building homes and with the new mass energy codes and getting rid of fossil fuels and being more environmentally friendly. That's kind of what I'm trying to push the business toward in the future.
Speaker 2:Beautiful, beautiful. Can you be a little bit more descriptive?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I mean it mostly revolves around making these houses tighter, the building envelopes, with better insulation, windows, mechanical systems and using more renewable energy, so we're not contributing to global warming and all the harsh effects of polluting the air and kind of trying to keep the world a healthy place to live in.
Speaker 2:Okay, thank you for that. So how can our listeners learn more about Mass Architect Nick? Do you have a website?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I just actually redid the website and it's looking a lot more professional than it did, so I encourage people to go look at that. Take a look at my projects, my portfolio and a lot of new online reviews to check out as well.
Speaker 2:Beautiful. So, nick, we really appreciate you being on the show with us today. We wish you and your business all the very best moving forward.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much. I appreciate you having me all the very best moving forward. Thank you so much I appreciate you having me.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpnorthshorecom. That's gnpnorthshorecom, or call 857-703-9406.