Introducing Whitten's Newest Team Members

We are pleased to announce that designer Ian Parlin and designer Jimmy Strong have joined our team.

Ian grew up in Maine and has a love of the outdoors. From a young age, he was excited about drawing, building, and creating in general, whether it was learning to cook with his mother or building a deck with his father. Family trips to Portland and Boston inspired a passion for the built environment. Ian's love for the outdoors, desire to create, and avidity for architecture led to a strong dedication to creating buildings that are sensitive to their site and sustainable in their approach to the use of resources during construction and throughout the life of the building.

Ian holds degrees in Fine Arts as well as in Architecture from Rhode Island School of Design. During his time at RISD, Ian studied abroad in Glasgow, Scotland where he met his now-wife. After graduating from RISD, Ian lived in Edinburgh, Scotland for five years working primarily on restoration and adaptive re-use of historic buildings and enjoyed traveling throughout Great Britain and Europe. Upon returning to Maine, Ian's work has focused on energy-efficient, sustainable design, developing a strong understanding of building science and high-performance buildings.

Says principal Russ Tyson, "Ian has jumped right in and is already contributing meaningfully to our team. It's clear that his experience designing and detailing high-performance buildings in northern New England will bring increased value to our creative work."

Jimmy Strong hails from Thomaston, Maine, where he grew to appreciate the town's rich architectural styles, ranging from carpenter gothic to colonial revival. Jimmy's interest in design stems from his connection and attraction to the coast of Maine; his family has been in Thomaston for generations—his great-great-grandfather was a sea captain and built the home that his father was raised in on Knox Street. From an early age, Jimmy took inspiration from his natural surroundings and the coastal vernacular, constructed to withstand Maine's complex terrain and harsh climate.

Jimmy studied architecture at the University of Virginia, where he was involved in several student clubs and organizations, including the Virginia Architecture Magazine and the Raven Society. During the summer of 2018, Jimmy earned a scholarship to study abroad at Oxford University. Throughout his studies, Jimmy took a keen interest in the intimacy and scale of residential design. For his thesis, Jimmy proposed a transformation of his father's office into a full-time residence—a project that came to life in the Fall of 2020.

After graduating from UVA, Jimmy was hired by a large construction company based in the Mid-Atlantic. There, Jimmy gained valuable project management experience by overseeing the finishes of a 250,000-square-foot courthouse in Columbia, Maryland.

"We were immediately drawn to Jimmy's authentic love of architecture and his desire to design homes in Maine," says Russ. "He's brought a spirited can-do attitude to the challenges of our current remote work environment. We look forward to him bringing that same energy to our Old Port studio as soon as we're able to return."