Gwen Noyes

Gwen Noyes is a founding partner of GreenStaxx and has been a partner of Oaktree Development and its predecessor, Unihab Inc., since 1973, when Arthur Klipfel and she founded Unihab. An experienced communicator and a visionary for affordable housing, Gwen plays a significant role in developing GreenStaxx’s vision, strategy, and partnerships.  

Trained as an architect, she has been the designer and partner in charge of many complete renovations and new communities totaling several hundred units. Frequently working in neighborhoods apprehensive or resistant to change, Ms Noyes has gained substantial experience in successfully permitting Oaktree’s projects. She helps neighborhoods to envision the contribution that an Oaktree community will bring.

She also led the sociologically complex formation and development of the Cambridge Co-housing community, an award-winning and nationally acclaimed example of environmentally responsible design. Gwen and her husband, Arthur Klipfel, live in this community. 

Ms Noyes has a Master of Architecture degree (honors) from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College. She has lived and worked in Cambridge, MA, for thirty-eight years, though she enjoyed brief working stints in Japan, Denmark, and NYC. She has traveled extensively and served as an officer and President of the Board for the Cambridge Center for Adult Education.

She has also served as a founding trustee on the City of Cambridge’s Affordable Housing Trust. She is a Cambridge Friends' Meeting (Quaker) member, where she clerked for the EarthCare Witness Committee for many years.

Growing up on an organic farm in Illinois provided the 'germ' for Gwen's concern for the environment and has long found expression in the design of energy-efficient, transit-oriented, high-quality, multifamily housing that fosters a sense of community.