People

Laura Blau, AIA, CPHC, CPHB

Principal

Laura has over 35 years of experience in design and construction. Prior to becoming an architect, she was an award-winning fine arts painter and sculptor, and her architectural work reflects her sensitivity to aesthetics. Her commitment to sustainable design and science-based, conservation-first approaches to low-carbon design is underscored by her certifications as a Certified Passive House Consultant and a Passive House Builder. She brings her expertise in both design and constructability to every aspect of her work.

Laura holds a Master of Architecture degree with honors from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts degree (Summa Cum Laude) from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. During her fine arts career, she exhibited her sculpture and paintings in shows in Paris, New York, and Minneapolis. Laura has taught art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the Moore College of Art in Philadelphia.

Her grandfather, the late Frazier Forman Peters, was a well-known New England architect from whom she inherited her initial passion for the field of architecture. She co-authored Frazier Forman Peters: Westport’s Legacy in Stone, published in 2014 by the Westport Historical Society.

She is a regular speaker at major conferences on passive building and sustainable design, at venues such as PhiusCon, GreenBuild, IFMA World Workplace, AIA Conferences, and EEBA Expo.  She has taught architectural design as an adjunct professor for the Tyler School of Art’s Architecture Program at Temple University and Philadelphia University’s School of Architecture and Design. Additionally, she has served on numerous university juries, think tanks, and advocacy groups in the area. Laura performs expert witness services for plaintiffs.

Prior to founding BluPath Design, Laura was the project architect at MGA Partners for the award-winning lobby renovation of the Byrne Federal Courthouse in Philadelphia, which received the AIA Pennsylvania Merit Award in 2003 and the National GSA Design Excellence Award Citation for First Impressions in 2002.

While at Ewing Cole Cherry Brott, Architects in Philadelphia, she served as the project architect for Fellowship Village, a $20 million senior assisted living complex in Liberty Corners, New Jersey. She helped introduce “Edenizing” principles to the firm.

At Francis, Coffman, Foley, Hoffman Architects in Philadelphia, Laura was an interior design project manager for the McNeil Consumer Products Campus in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.

Laura founded Blau Design Inc., a residential interior and design-build firm that operated from 1988 to 2000, specializing in projects for clients seeking to incorporate extensive art collections into their living spaces.

Paul Thompson AIA, CPHC, NCARB

Principal

Paul has over 35 years of experience as an architect and is an early adopter and expert in sustainable, science-based design. He became a CPHC (Phius Certified Consultant) in 2011. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Utah, a master’s in architecture from the University of Virginia, and is NCARB certified.  He has taught architectural design and structures as an adjunct faculty member at Philadelphia University’s School of Architecture and Design and at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art, Architecture Program. He has also served as a visiting critic on numerous architecture program reviews in the Philadelphia area, including Drexel University and Temple University.

Prior to founding BluPath with Laura Blau in 2003, Paul was a senior architect at MGA Partners in Philadelphia. He was the project manager for the construction of the LEED Silver-rated School of Music and Performing Arts Center at West Chester University, a significant addition and renovation of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, and a high-rise dormitory for the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

From 2013 to 2021, Paul served as a principal at IEI Architects, a 20-person, woman-owned commercial interiors, facilities planning, and architecture firm in Philadelphia. He was the architect and project manager for significant projects, including the historic restoration and addition to the Curtis Institute of Music, renovations to the AutoPark at Independence Mall, renovations to the historic Camden Courthouse, construction administration services for renovations to the historic Philadelphia Public Services Building (former Inquirer Building), and a custom designed single-family home with an ocean view in Ventnor, NJ.

He was also the project architect for several award-winning projects, including the 2001 University of Pennsylvania Commencement Ceremony Stage, the Harrisonburg Virginia US Courthouse interior renovation, and the new Children’s Museum of the Desert in Palm Springs, California.

While at William Kite Architects in Providence, Rhode Island, Paul served as the project architect for numerous residential projects, including the Carcieri Residence, a custom-designed home featured in Rhode Island Monthly and Home Magazine.