OUR Approach

We see architecture as something greater than a building. We create spaces which connect to and enrich the lives of the people who use them.

We work closely with our clients, listening and discovering who they are so that we can uncover their spatial aspirations. We find that through this process we are able to create spaces that will last and be loved.

Simultaneously, we research regional and cultural precedents to discover opportunities for enriching an individual project.

It is through the combination of spatial design, research, and an understanding of place that we define our work. We see architecture as a collaboration. Not just a collaboration of clients, architects, and builders, but also a collaboration of site, landscape, and place.

Five Fields Collaborative

The name for the office, Five Fields Collaborative is a combination of two elements. The first is Five Fields which is the name of one of the major mid-century modern neighborhoods in Lexington, Massachusetts. The second is a nod to The Architects Collaborative which designed and developed the neighborhood in the 1950s.

Michael Schanbacher, AIA

Founding Principal

Michael has over 18 years of experience in architecture and design. Starting at a landscape architecture office shaped much of his approach to how architecture must be thought of in terms of it’s site and place. After working for many years at other offices on buildings ranging in scale from $150,000 to $100 million, he decided to return his focus to the modernist design that shaped much of his thought process.

Awards

2022

  • Boston Society of Architects Design Awards

    • Adams Street Branch Library - Honor Award for Design Excellence

    • Adams Street Branch Library - Interior Architecture Merit Award

  • Architizer A+ Awards

    • Adams Street Branch Library - Library Special Mention

  • AIANY Awards

    • Adams Street Branch Library - Merit Award

2021

  • Interior Design Magazine Best of the Year Awards

    • Adams Street Branch Library - Winner

2019

  • SARA National Award for Unbuilt Architecture

    • Adams Street Branch Library

  • SARANY Award of Honor

    • Adams Street Branch Library

2018

  • AIA National Design Awards

    • Five Fields Playstructure - Small Projects Winner

  • AIA New England - Ambition in a small project

    • Five Fields Playstructure - Citation

2017

  • Boston Society of Architects Design Awards

    • Five Fields Playstructure - Small Projects Honor Award

  • The Architect’s Newspaper

    • Five Fields Playstructure - Small Spaces Best of Design

  • Azure Magazine

    • Five Fields Playstructure - AZ Award

2016

  • Boston Society of Architects Design Awards

    • Shain Library - Merit Award

  • American Library Association | IIDA

    • Shain Library - Library Interior Design Award for outstanding Historical Renovation

2015

  • AIA New England

    • Shain Library - Preservation Award

2014

  • AIA Rhode Island

    • Andrews Commons

2013

  • Boston Society of Architects Design Awards

    • Dr. A.H. McCoy Federal Building - Design Excellence

  • The Chicago Atheneum

    • Dr A.H. McCoy Federal Building - Distinguished Buildings Award

  • AIA Mississippi

    • Dr. A.H. McCoy Federal Building

2005

  • American Society of Landscape Architects

    • Garden of Planes - National Honor Award