Home / Architecture

Architecture · High-end, hospitality & residential

Design and engineering for sophisticated solutions.

We consult alongside Class A architects and designers on luxury residential, hospitality and renovation projects, bringing technical depth, scan-verified conditions and Virtual Design & Construction to every decision.

Start a project →

PE-led design & engineeringSealed, filed or coordinated under our P.E.Licensed in NY, NJ, CT, PA, DE and FL (in progress)

Zoning · exoskeleton structural design

What we do

Technical architecture for complex projects.

Axonometric drawing of an existing building alteration

Existing building alteration · value-add

Technical consulting

Detailing, constructability and envelope expertise that extends a design architect’s team.

New buildings, renovations & additions

Ground-up new buildings, plus floor additions, enlargements and conversions of existing buildings planned from scanned conditions.

Zoning & DOB filings

Zoning analysis and filings with the NYC Department of Buildings, managed in-house.

Façade & envelope design

Restoration and new envelope design for brick, terra-cotta, masonry and curtain wall.

Project types

Where design ambition meets difficult existing buildings, tight lots and demanding approvals.

Luxury condo & apartment renovationsCombinations and gut renovations, drawn for board review and DOB filing.
Townhouse additions & gut renovationsRear and vertical additions, new floors and full gut renovations.
Roof terraces & rooftop additionsTerraces, bulkheads and rooftop rooms, framed for pavers and equipment.
Expanded cellars & basement heightsLowered cellars with underpinning, waterproofing and egress.
High-end hospitalityHotels, restaurants and amenity spaces, with design architects and interior designers.
CommercialRetail, office and mixed-use, from fit-outs to building-wide alterations.

32 Washington Square West · co-op renovation

Featured project

32 Washington Square West, pre-war co-op renovation.

A pre-war co-op apartment on Washington Square Park, designed in our office and filed under our professional engineer’s seal, with structure drawn alongside the architecture.

TypeCo-op renovation

LocationGreenwich Village

ScopeDesign, filing, structure

See all projects →

How a co-op or condo alteration gets approved

The same path for every apartment renovation we design, from first survey to the board’s closeout.

01Existing conditionsSurvey and 3D scan of the unit and the structure around it.
02Board alteration packageDrawings and scope for the co-op board and managing agent under the alteration agreement.
03Building reviewComments from the building’s reviewing architect or engineer answered and drawings revised.
04DOB NOW filingAlteration filing under our P.E. seal, objections resolved, permit issued.
05Construction & sign-offSite visits, RFIs and shop drawings through to sign-off and the board’s closeout.

Working with design architects

Architecture and structure, drawn in tandem.

As a PE-led design and engineering firm, we design the building and its structure in the same office, in the same model, on the same schedule, and every architectural set is sealed and filed by our professional engineer.

SDMassing, grid, spans

DDSystems, envelope, details

CDPermit & construction set

CARFIs, shop drawings, site

Constructability review at every phase, not just at bid.

01
One A/E team, no gaps between disciplines
Architectural and structural decisions are made together, so column grids, transfer levels, slab edges and façade supports are resolved before anyone draws around them.
02
Constructability from a verified base
Designs are tested against scanned existing conditions and one shared Virtual Design & Construction model, from schematic design through construction.
03
NYC code, zoning and filings in-house
Zoning, NYC Building Code compliance, DOB NOW filings, objections and LPC presentations, handled by the team that knows your drawings.
04
Built around the design architect
Design intent, materials and interiors stay with your team, wherever it is based. We adapt the documents to NYC code, not your concept.

Your design, approved in New York.

Design architects and interior designers from anywhere bring the vision. We bring code, zoning, structure and the DOB and LPC approvals.

Planning a project in New York?

Send us the design intent, early.

We’ll outline the zoning, code, structure and DOB path before the drawings are fixed.

Start a project →

NYC architectural deliverables

From zoning analysis to DOB approval, prepared in-house.

Every filing type for New York City projects, from interior alterations to new buildings and landmark approvals, prepared by the team that drew the project and filed under our professional engineer’s seal.

DOB NOW · Alteration

Alteration filings

Condo and apartment renovations, townhouse gut renovations and fit-outs that don’t change use, egress or occupancy.

Existing-conditions survey and drawings
Code compliance and filing set
Objection responses and permit

DOB NOW · Alt-CO

Alteration-CO filings

Changes of use, egress or occupancy that require a new or amended Certificate of Occupancy.

Use, egress and occupancy analysis
Full architectural and structural set
Sign-offs through to the new CO

DOB NOW · NB

New Building filings

Ground-up townhouses and buildings, from zoning envelope to permit set, with structure designed alongside.

Zoning and code analysis
Coordinated A + S drawing set
Filing, plan review and permit

Zoning Resolution

Zoning analysis

What you can build before you design it: floor area, height, setbacks and yards, including townhouse rear and vertical additions.

Zoning diagrams and FAR calculations
As-of-right envelope studies
Feasibility for acquisitions

Existing buildings

Rehabilitation & adaptive reuse

Bringing older buildings back into service, planned from scanned conditions and real structure.

3D scan and condition survey
Structural assessment and repair design
Cellar lowering, underpinning and conversions

Landmarks · LPC

Historic preservation presentations

Presentation packages for the Landmarks Preservation Commission on landmarked and historic-district buildings.

Existing and proposed drawings and renderings
Materials, details and restoration scope
Presentation and permit coordination

Parametric design & fabrication

Complex forms, made buildable.

For sculptural façades, curved stairs, screens and one-off elements, we use parametric tools to rationalize the geometry, then carry it through to fabrication-ready shop drawings.

Form-finding & rationalizationRhino and parametric scripting to turn a design gesture into buildable geometry.
PanelizationSurfaces broken into repeatable, fabricable parts with tagged pieces.
Shop drawingsFabrication-ready drawings and files for CNC, metal and millwork shops.
Structure built inSupports and connections engineered in the same model as the form.

Pavilion structure · parametric study

Software pipeline

One model, from first line to fabrication.

We work in the software architecture firms already use, so drawings and models move between offices without being rebuilt.

01 · Draft
CAD drafting
CADDWGVectors
Plans, sections, details and permit sets, exchanged with your office as DWG.
02 · Form
Form & parametrics
RhinoGrasshopperCustom scripting
Geometry and form-finding, with parametric definitions that update as the design changes.
03 · Model
BIM bridge
Rhino.Inside.RevitRevitCustom scripting
Rhino geometry carried live into Revit, so the BIM model is built from the design, not redrawn.
04 · Engineer
Structure
Tekla StructuresSTAAD.Pro
Analysis, steel and concrete detailing and connections, on the same geometry.
05 · Fabricate
Fabrication
Proprietary pluginsIn-house software
Panel unrolling, part tagging, shop drawings and CNC files generated from the model.

Related projects

More residential and hospitality work.

All projects →

730 Fifth Avenue · New York City

Aman New York

A design renovation filing for a condo unit owner, with design-led coordination with the owner’s interior designer, alongside our structural, façade and inspection work.

Design filing · condo unitView project →

Central Park South · New York City

Central Park South penthouse

Interior coordination model built on a full-floor 2.2 mm construction-grade point cloud, with scan-to-BIM for the design team.

Interior coordinationView project →

Washington Square Park · New York City

32 Washington Square West

Pre-war co-op apartment renovation: co-op board review set, DOB filing under our P.E. seal, mechanical and electrical service upgrades, and construction administration.

Co-op renovationView project →

FAQ

Questions design teams ask us.

Still have a question? Send it through our contact form.

Can a professional engineer file architectural drawings in New York City?

Yes. In New York City, a licensed professional engineer can prepare and file architectural drawings with the Department of Buildings. Every architectural set we produce is sealed and filed by our P.E.

Do you replace the design architect?

No. We work as the local design and engineering partner for architects and interior designers, including foreign firms working in New York. Design intent, materials and interiors stay with your team; we adapt the documents to NYC code, zoning and structure.

Which NYC filings do you handle?

Alteration, Alteration-CO and New Building filings in DOB NOW, zoning analysis, and presentation packages for the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Can you help with co-op and condo board approvals?

Yes. We prepare the drawings and scope the board and managing agent need under the alteration agreement, answer the building’s reviewing architect or engineer, then file with DOB.

Do you design the structure as well?

Yes. Structural engineering is done in the same office and the same model, so code changes and structure land together.

Where are you licensed?

NY, NJ, CT, PA, DE and FL (in progress), with offices in New York and Miami Beach.

Working on something high-end? Bring us in early.

We’re most valuable before the drawings are fixed.

Start a project