5 Under 40 Awards: Corey Papadopoli

Meet Corey Papadopoli one of New England Home’s 2015 “ 5 Under 40” winners.

Photograph by Bruce Rogovin

Connecticut’s public school system certainly did right by Corey Papadopoli: he credits his high school’s exceptional fine-arts program as a factor in his decision to pursue architecture. “I liked to draw and I liked math, and architecture seemed a good balance of both,” says Papadopoli, who studied architecture and urban design at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston.

Before joining Blue Hill, Maine-based Elliott + Elliott Architecture in 2006, Papadopoli spent five years with Peter Forbes, FAIA, Architects, living and working in Seal Harbor, Maine, in Puerto Rico, and in Florence, Italy. Although no longer surrounded by works of Michelangelo, Alberti, and the like, Papadopoli doesn’t lack for inspiration when pursuing his interest in merging vernacular forms with modern design. “This is something I learned a lot of in Italy and working with Peter, and have pushed at Elliott + Elliott as well,” he says. “Living in Maine, though the history is far shorter than that of Italy, there is an architectural history worth understanding, as it acknowledges not only the past but the climate and environment as well.” He notes that, while technology and the way we build have evolved, the natural environment has changed far less, and he stresses the importance of architecture’s connection to site.

Photograph by Tobin Peacock

Papadopoli’s work has been recognized with a number of honors, including a Maine AIA Honor Award for Architecture for his first project with Elliott + Elliott. His own house, which he designed and built, was featured in the “Maine Modern: 50 Years of Maine Modern Architecture” exhibition, in Portland. Now a senior associate at Elliott + Elliott Architecture, Papadopoli carries NCARB and LEED AP+ Homes certifications and has been instrumental in implementing the sustainable strategies now integrated into all of the firm’s projects.

Photograph by Corey Papadopoli

Corey Papadopoli and the other winners of New England Home’s “5 Under 40” award will be honored at a celebration at the Landry & Arcari Rugs & Carpeting Boston showroom on September 10, 2015. A highlight of the event will be the auctioning of custom hand-woven rugs designed by each of the “5 Under 40” winners. The starting point for Papadopoli’s rug was “the diverse and picturesque place that I have called home for the last fourteen years—Mount Desert Island. So often, as architects, we tend to focus on the big picture or overarching concept, losing sight of the small things. Yet it is within these seemingly insignificant moments that real beauty can be found” says Papadopoli. 

Click here purchase tickets to the annual "5 Under 40" celebration.