Case Studies
These case studies explore a range of urban programmatic strategies and massing typologies, each responding to a distinct architectural and zoning condition within the evolving fabric of Manhattan. The investigations include an infill condition, two corner sites, and a free-standing tower opportunity — each serving as a unique framework through which issues of density, light, program distribution, and urban presence could be examined.
Our office was retained by multiple owner and investor groups to undertake zoning and feasibility studies for a series of development sites throughout Manhattan and Long Island City. The resulting three-dimensional studies emerged directly from these zoning analyses, transforming regulatory parameters into architectural propositions. Beyond their technical function, the studies became an important design research initiative within our practice — establishing a working methodology and formal vocabulary for larger-scale program assemblies and vertical urban systems.
The infill tower investigated a commercial office program within the constraints of a tightly bounded urban condition, exploring efficiency, daylight access by the introduction of multi floor green atrium volumes and the tectonic expression of a more relaxed corporate environment. One corner tower in midtown examined residential occupancy as an urban marker, leveraging dual frontage conditions to maximize light, views, and civic presence at the street intersection.
One corner tower in midtown examined residential occupancy as an urban marker, leveraging dual frontage conditions to maximize light, views, and civic presence at the street intersection.
The other corner site was for a mixed-use tower and explored a more complex sectional organization, with a hotel program occupying the lower volumes beneath a significant transparent carved void, while residential functions rise above the incision. The architectural “cut” becomes both an urban gesture and a spatial device — articulating programmatic transition, visual permeability, and collective identity within the tower form.
The free-standing mixed-use tower studied the potential of a residential opportunity with views in all directions, exploring the tower as a vertically layered / flowing urban condition where transparency and shifting sectional variation relationships produce a dynamic dialogue between skyline presence and the surrounding city.
In contrast to the urban investigations, the smaller-scale residential study examines a single-family house overlooking Nantucket Sound in Cape Cod. The project explores the landscape, horizon, and material intimacy through a quieter architectural language rooted in light, atmosphere, and coastal habitation. The program for a family of 4 with an in-law component, suggested an operational gesture of pulling a traditional Cape house apart with the more public spaces occupying the void.
This residential tower redefines urban living by integrating contemporary technology, expansive amenities, and refined architectural design to establish a distinctive luxury identity within Long Island City. Responding to the site's unique through-block condition, the project organizes a tower, landscaped courtyard, and complementary street-front volumes into a cohesive composition that strengthens both the wide and narrow street environments. Floor-to-ceiling curtain wall, generous ceiling heights, operable windows, and expansive outdoor spaces maximize natural light, privacy, and panoramic views of New York City's most iconic skyline and waterfront landmarks.
Situated on a secluded 1.5-acre hillside property in Montecito, California, this contemporary residence is carefully positioned to capture sweeping views of Butterfly Beach and the Santa Ynez Mountains while remaining discreetly concealed from public view. The heavily wooded site and its gentle topography establish a natural framework for a home that is deeply connected to its landscape, balancing privacy with expansive visual openness.
Located on a one-acre site in Avila Beach on California's Central Coast, this 3,000-square-foot beach-inspired residence is oriented to capture second-floor views of the Point San Luis Lighthouse. The home's modern, minimalist palette combines white-tinted poured-in-place concrete with expansive clear glass curtain walls framed in white aluminum, creating a refined and yet contextual architectural expression. Composed as a series of interlocking volumes, the design embraces an indoor-outdoor lifestyle by dissolving the boundary between interior living spaces and the surrounding coastal landscape.
