Duncan S. Milne

I was brought up in a ministers family in rural Connecticut with long summers in coastal Maine. It was a childhood filled with family, nature, music, art and many good people.

Long distance running developed in high school and carried on through Colgate University as Cross Country and Track captain, receiving the 1970 Colgate Scholar/Athlete award. Later marathon successes followed. At Colgate the major focus was Anthropology and Fine Arts.

The Masters program in Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania was a high point, the biggest influence was Louis Kahn.

Following graduate school, I worked for 16 years in various New Haven, Connecticut area architectural firms including the following:

Jay Alpert, Architect
Kevin Roche John Dinkaloo and Associates
Roth and Moore, Architects
Caesar Pelli and Associates
Kosinski Architects
Swanson Architects

Each office experience brought added skills and perspective. Since 1989, I have been self-employed doing mainly residential work and welcoming other opportunities in commercial work, planning, artwork, woodworking, etc.

I work on my own which suits me and the nature of residential work, being able to be quick afoot with minimal overhead and communication gaps. I deal directly with the client in all stages, including doing the work from beginning to end.

I embrace the whole project from the first design through all its detail developments, to the final construction. Design is a continuous process, not frozen at any stage. Drawing for me is an essential tool, the hand being a direct extension of the mind.

The portfolio following is set up to show the richness of this design process in all its phases. I hope the passion and quality is evident.

--- remember that old shirt that feels just right. Not fancy, just right.
--- remember that place in the sun, a perfect place to sit or take a nap.
--- remember that place or color that moved us to forgetfulness.

These are the types of harmonies which I seek for myself and my clients. It is a subtle search for elegance without necessitating extravagance, often ending with modest means. The quality of design is more related to care than the outright cost or complexity of materials.

Since the 1970s consciousness of energy use, siting sophistication, and harmony with nature have been a constant theme for me.

This is illustrated by my design work for the first LEED/Green house in southeastern Connecticut receiving a silver rating. See the Mystic House in the portfolio and a further description is in an article from TheDay.com.

In addition to very good insulation, good siting and passive solar gain, the house has an active geo-thermal heating and cooling system plus supplemental solar hot water.

Wholeness with our world is a constant focus in my work.

I hope these thoughts and passions are evident in the varied portfolio that follows.

During the several recessions since the 1970s, I have filled in the slack with carpentry and woodworking. Woodworking started in childhood with bird houses and evolved to boats and a guesthouse at age 16, then eventually bigger and finer things as shown in the Woodworking portfolio. This detail knowledge is another building block in the process of my architectural work.

Likewise, artwork started in early childhood and has continued with many classes and projects, picking up momentum these past 10 years. I invite you to see some examples of that work in the Artwork portfolio and Metalworking portfolio. I welcome any opportunities that may arise.

My wife and I live in Durham, Connecticut along historic Main Street. We completely renovated the 1840s Durham Academy as a wonderful home, workplace and life style. The 3 children are off on their own.