Andrew Franz Architect PLLC

After 15 years in Nomad, we're moving a few blocks south to 20W20 for more space, great views, and abundant northern light—hello, Flatiron!

The process of moving has sparked reflection on the projects we've completed and the growth they've inspired. Hillside House, Shared Office, Manhattan Penthouse, East End House, Hill Office, Meadow Beach House, Tribeca Loft, La Marina…These standout projects over the past 15 years illustrate our commitment to integrating interiors and architecture to create one cohesive experience with meticulous consideration of light, materiality, craft, and proportion and our love of working with wood to create inviting and sometimes sensual experiences.

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This top floor historic Soho loft is being transformed into a light-filled, open space to house an expansive art collection and studio space. Nearing completion, we are excited to see the rich palette of material finishes being revealed. 

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Construction is ready for winter at our NYC penthouse apartment. After 9 months of infrastructure, walls are closed, windows are in, and finishes are starting to appear. The design for this penthouse renovation opens up a formerly enclosed pavilion with new full height, retractable wood doors that will connect the living areas to wrap around planted terraces. A new 1,000-square-foot upper-level addition will house the primary bedroom suite, including a luxurious bathroom. Both floors will be surrounded by lush, planted terraces.

SEE MORE HERE

We are excited to see both our Chelsea Apartment and West Village Apartment projects included in the NY Times story "Living Rooms are for Living". 

READ STORY HERE

Architectural Digest features AFA in write up on the best NY Architects on the AD PRO Directory We are delighted to be included!

READ ARTICLE HERE

AFA is thrilled to be welcomed into the AD PRO Directory, a curated list of Architectural Digest-approved list of talent!

CHECK OUT OUR PROFILE HERE

Aesthetica Magazine recently interviewed AFA's founder, Design Director and Principal Andrew Franz about our practice and approach, highlighting some of our recent projects including the Fire Island House. We were also excited to share some news about current projects and what's next for AFA.

READ INTERVIEW HERE

Demolition is underway for a NYC penthouse apartment that re-envisions a 3,700-square-foot glass enclosed museum-like pavilion into a warmly welcoming home. New full height, retractable wood doors will connect the public rooms to the spacious planted terraces that surround the residence, blurring the indoors and outdoors.

SEE PROJECT HERE

Among our latest urban residences is the newly completed Washington Square Park Pied-a-Terre in New York City’s West Village. This 1,400-square-foot abode was transformed to reflect the client’s chic personal style. Abundant curves and texture were introduced to an otherwise rectilinear 50's apartment.

AFA’s design team continues its warm-weather designs with a new tropical, ocean-front residence focused on shaded outdoor living. Here, a series of independent pavilions with generous porches are nestled into the natural landscape to maximize outdoor experiences and communal gathering of family and friends.

SEE PROJECT HERE

AFA is delighted and honored that our Shared Office won the 2023 NYCxDesign awards in the Coworking Office category. Many thanks to NYCxDesign and Interior Design magazine! Interior Design reveals the 2023 NYCxDESIGN Awards winners here. 

SEE PROJECT HERE

AFA is thrilled to announce that Shared Office is a finalist for the 2023 NYCxDesign awards in the Coworking Office category.

Interior Design reveals the 2023 NYCxDESIGN Awards finalists here. "Now in its eighth year, the NYCxDESIGN Awards honor the talent and diversity of New York City designers, makers, and manufacturers by celebrating their most outstanding projects and products. The city’s much anticipated awards program spotlights a breadth of design excellence, from architecture and interiors to products and accessories.”

Principal Andrew Franz of AFA recently participated on the jury for ARCHITECT magazine's 19th annual Light & Architecture Design Awards. 

The 10 winning projects include “a history-rich theater in London to a digitally advanced mall in Wuhan, China, exemplifying lighting design that works in symbiosis with both its surrounding architecture and community. Whether sensitive to period details, workspace needs, or the latest in sustainable LED technology, this class of winners serves as both a beacon to the profession and a testament to the artistry of lighting design.”

The awards are featured in the Jan/Feb print issue of ARCHITECT and online here.

We've been asked a lot lately to reflect on design trends for 2023 so we wanted to share some of our thoughts. Whether a result of the pandemic or an extension of the organic movement, clients are seeking more natural and handcrafted surfaces and our designs are responding with curved stucco walls, warm light wood tones, soft color palettes and lots of texture.. 

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

The Chelsea Loft in NYC, is featured in the Thames & Hudson book "Reclaimed - New Homes from old materials" by Penny Craswell.  Marked by natural materials, this apartment is made with close to 100% reclaimed wood, including flooring, cabinetry, a custom storage wall separating the public and private domains, and a built-in sofa and storage unit created for the entry area.

We are thrilled to announce the completion of the Shared Office project in Manhattan. This 17,000-square-foot penthouse workplace and adjoining roof deck houses multiple companies with copious natural light from every direction.

Our East End House project is featured in the Rizzoli book "The Ultimate Bath" by Barbara Sallick. Filled with richly layered and entirely original spaces, it will inspire anyone who has an appreciation for how unique elements combine to create one beautiful whole.

Demolition is well underway for an expansive ocean-front apartment renovation in North MIami Beach that is designed to pair south Florida’s colorful, modernist architectural history with a sense of domestic intimacy.

CHECK IT OUT HERE

We are thrilled to be heading south for the winter. Our newest project on the boards is a full floor residence in one of North Miami Beaches' most desirable buildings.

SEE MORE HERE

Join us! AFA currently has open positions for Interior Designers. We are seeking an experienced Senior Interior Designer with a minimum of 7-10 years of professional experience as well as a Junior Interior Designer with 2-3 years of experience.

SENIOR INTERIOR DESIGNER 

JUNIOR INTERIOR DESIGNER

Architizer chatted with Andrew Franz Architect PLLC on the design of the East End House, a long-lasting, high-performance stucture with minimal presence on its site.

CHECK IT OUT HERE

We are very happy that our Union Settlement-Washington Houses Community Center has been named a 2022 NYCxDESIGN Awards Finalist in the Kids' Zone category. 

SEE MORE HERE

SEE PROJECT HERE

We are excited that our Fire Island House - a renovaton, restoration, and additions to a mid-century beach home - is nominated for the Archdaily Building of the Year awards in the House category. 

SEE MORE HERE

SEE PROJECT HERE

We are thrilled to see our renovation of Union Settlement's Washington Houses Community Center featured in Interior Design magazine! The project modernized the worn, outdated 60's NYCHA-owned facility with new classrooms, offices, and public spaces and updated infrastructure, windows, roof into a bright, colorful, and welcoming space for the community.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

SEE PROJECT HERE

While generously sized homes are undoubtedly a luxury in NYC, they are by no means the only way to live comfortably. Even as the coronavirus pandemic has forced us to reconsider the quality of our living spaces due to the amount of time many of us now spend at home, one could argue that a compact, thoughtfully-designed apartment can be just as comfortable as one with more square footage. Two of our recent projects are the epitome of compact, cozy, yet functional homes that challenge the belief that bigger is better.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

The September 15 ribbon cutting of Union Settlement’s newly renovated Washington Houses Community Center in East Harlem, revealed inspiring, bright, and welcoming spaces for the neighborhood’s youth and seniors. 

SEE PRESS RELEASE HERE

SEE PROJECT HERE

Rapid progress this second time around… Sadly, our Hillside House burned down-to-the-ground, three months from completion. We are now breathing new life into it with twice the labor force in order to build each volume concurrently and complete construction for next summer. Do overs aren’t fun, but the progress is healing the wounds and we are happy to see the house taking shape once again. 

SEE MORE HERE

SEE PROJECT HERE

Our Fire Island House is featured in Preservation, a magazine by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This project was a team effort to restore a beautiful 1965 house originally designed by modern architect Horace Gifford. Check out the interview with the homeowner HERE. 

SEE PROJECT HERE

While COVID has forced a vacancy rate for many offices, we are thrilled to be working on a 17,000-SF shared penthouse office with a roof deck. Construction for this project started in December 2020 with occupancy slated for September 2021.

SEE PROJECT HERE

We are very pleased with how construction is progressing for Union Settlement’s Washington Houses Community Center. The project broke ground in the fall of 2020 with completion scheduled for mid March 2021.

The project is now fully framed with interior finishes, millwork, and glazing being installed. It’s a celebration of youthful color!

READ MORE HERE

SEE PROJECT HERE

We are so pleased that AIA Long Island Chapter awarded both our East End House and Fire Island House projects with Commendations as part of their 56th Annual Archi Awards.

SEE THE EAST END HOUSE PROJECT HERE.

SEE THE FIRE ISLAND HOUSE PROJECT HERE

We are grateful to be an Interior Design magazine BoY Awards Honoree with our Fire Island House. What an honor to be amongst all these beautiful projects!

SEE PROJECT HERE

We are very excited that our Fire Island House received a 2020 Architect's Newspaper Best of Design Award. This project restores a 1965 modern masterpiece house by architect Horace Gifford and is respectfully renovated to include a new guest house, pool, exterior stair, and entry pavilion, as well as a new path and landscaping in collaboration with Peter Dunham, Jamie Bush, and Tania Compton.

SEE PROJECT HERE.

The Hillside House with its impressive stone walls and cantilevered glazed living room, now surrounded by beautiful fall foliage, is fully framed and sheathed and siding and interior finishes have commenced. 

READ MORE HERE.

We are thrilled to be included in the Wallpaper's October 2020 issue. Guest edited by Design Emergency — a collaboration between Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator at MoMA, and design critic and author Alice Rawsthorn — this issue covers design as a vehicle to impact social change and justice as well as so many leaders of the current Covid-19 crisis. We are truly honored to be amongst such great company and work.

SEE ARTICLE HERE

SEE PROJECT HERE

We are so pleased to see both our Tribeca Loft project and the Upper West Side Duplex in the beautiful new book "Urban Oasis" by Rebecca Gross and published by Images Publishing. And, we are very excited to see Tribeca Loft on the cover!

SEE MORE HERE

We are thrilled that our Fire Island House project is featured in the beautiful book "Summer to Summer: Houses by the Sea", by Jennifer Ash Rudick, photography by Tria Giovan, and published by Vendome Press. 

SEE CHAPTER HERE

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As coronavirus-related restrictions ease up around the world, the architectural profession, among many others, is attempting to prepare itself for a comparatively unknown future. Architecture has always been slow to keep up with technology, society, and today’s revolutions; yet somehow the profession adapted successfully during the unstable times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, even though remote and digital working methods became implemented practically overnight, the question remains whether and how architecture firms will adjust after the pandemic. Keeping in mind that coronavirus is nowhere near vanishing from our lives, the architectural profession, our peers, and clients cannot simply revert back to how it was prior to the pandemic.

READ FULL POST HERE

We are very excited to be featured on Architizer.com. Check out the article to learn more about AFA’s take on how the current pandemic is accelerating the evolution of the home as a workplace, and how the future of offices as we knew them may be forever changed.

SEE ARTICLE HERE

As the home becomes the epicenter of life for so many Americans, domestic design and architecture is in the spotlight now more than ever. This crisis is not only revalidating the importance of having a home to go to in times like this, but it is asking us to question the nature of our dwellings — whether they are comfortable, functional, efficient, and even inspiring to us. With eyes open for "silver linings" in this time of social distancing, we're reacquainting ourselves with the things we value most about HOME. 

Reflecting our continued expansion into cultural and institutional markets, Andrew Franz Architect has been engaged for a second time by Union Settlement, this time to design a major renovation of the Washington Houses Community Center, an 11,000-square-foot, one-story facility with multiple uses located in Manhattan’s East Harlem neighborhood. 

SEE PRESS RELEASE HERE

We’re hopping on the train and starting a blog. We’ve spoken about it internally for many months: “Why? What? How? For whom? From what perspective?“ There are already so many out there.

However, it was in reading last summer that I felt inspired to commit to the purpose. There is no obvious thread or reason here, but I felt inspired. It wasn’t his projects or resume that spoke to me; it was his person, philosophy and process.  While I never worked with him and only met him once, his documented approach and the anecdotes of his process resonated deeply, describing the spirit in which we approach the process of design and the built environment.

Construction is progressing for Hillside House, a new modern country house in upstate New York, with the foundation walls poured for winter framing.

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We are starting to see some exciting progress at the construction site for a new modern country house in upstate New York perched on a hillside overlooking an expansive valley.

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We are in the middle of construction for this mixed-use building located in downtown Nashville adjacent to the trendy Gulch neighborhood. The project is the renovation of the second floor loft living space and a new rooftop addition with two exterior wood decks for outdoor living and entertaining.

Construction is nearing completion for this freight entrance and loading dock renovation project. Responding to a shift in user patterns in this converted Beaux Arts manufacturing building following the extension of the #7 subway line to nearby Hudson Yards, we repurposed the back of house entry into a second pedestrian lobby, separating the still-active loading dock area from the newly adopted tenant access with a new glass and steel partitions.

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Our Flatiron Loft renovation and rooftop addition is progressing and the terrace is starting to take shape.

In a recent Commercial Architecture article, Andrew Franz discusses the future of office design. Though he believes the open-plan office is here to stay, he thinks it’s a matter of finding the right balance and to incorporate a variety of more intimate spaces to accommodate different working modes.

Andrew Franz Architect is pleased to announce the promotion of Anne Mason Kemper to the level of Associate. This new appointment responds to AFA’s growth into cultural, institutional, and commercial markets, as well as new large-scale commissions for residential clients. Congratulations Anne!

Our Tribeca Loft project is featured in the beautiful new book by Braun Publishing titled "When a Factory Becomes a Home - Adaptive Reuse for Living." 

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We are thrilled to announce that our Hill Office is recognized as a 2018 Interior Design Magazine Best of Year Finalist in the Office Renovation category! This project restores and modernizes a former publisher’s executive suite in a 1913 Beaux-Arts building near Manhattan’s Hudson Yards neighborhood into a connected and transparent workplace. Read more about this project's transformation here.

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Andrew Franz Architect is designing a new, shared house in the hills of Upstate New York.  This high-performance house is built as two volumes around a central, lodgelike shared space, which serves the two families along with extended guests.

The East End House, a serene, year-round retreat nestled into the landscape, reached substantial completion this past summer. We can't wait to see the house next summer when the landscaping is in full bloom!

This full-floor loft with a new rooftop addition and terrace is one of several projects now under construction. AFA’s design for this gut renovation features a porous terracotta-screened cube that organizes the otherwise open interior. A new steel-and-wood stair provides access to the outdoor space.

We are thrilled that our recently completed Hill Office project is shortlisted for the World Interior News Awards in the Workspace Interiors category! The winners will be announced at the annual WIN Awards taking place on Monday 19 November at the London Hilton Bankside. 

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We are happy to see our Soho Penthouse project featured on dwell.com! Read the article here.

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Andrew Franz comments on the benefits of green roofs in the New York Times article "The Living Roof Takes Root". Read the article here.

We are happy to announce that our recently completed Hill Office project has been named a finalist for the NYCxDesign Awards! Presented by Interior Design and ICFF, winners and honorees will be announced on May 21.

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Come work with us! Andrew Franz Architect is always looking for talented, enthusiastic, and dedicated people to join our team. We are currently hiring an Intermediate Architectural Designer (3 or more years of professional experience).

Andrew Franz presents the Hill Office as part of the AIANY Interiors Committee Speed Presentations, this year revolving around the theme of "Wellness."

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We are thrilled to see our Hill Office project featured in Interior Design magazine's Big Ideas!

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Great interview with Andrew Franz in Interior Design Magazine: 10 Questions With... Andrew Franz.

To read the interview, go here

AFA's recently completed Meadow Beach House is featured in the new book "The American House" published by Images Publishing. 

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Construction is moving along for this house on Long Island's east end. Perched on a bluff overlooking the water, this will be a serene year-round retreat. The design incorporates regional materials and minimal massing in response to the fragile location while passive house strategies such as natural ventilation will create a low impact building.

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AFA featured in the new book Warehouse Home, authored by Sophia Bush and published by Thames & Hudson. See more here.

With the foundation in place and the steel going in, construction is moving along for this year-round retreat on Long Island’s East End. This new two-story house is slated for completion in the summer of 2018. 

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We are thrilled to see our Meadow Beach House project featured in Architectural Digest!

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This new seaside house on Martha’s Vineyard was conceived as a casual and comfortable modern cottage. The home is inspired by the spirit of Victorian beachside cottage vernacular with an overlay of Scandinavian modernism and responds to the sundrenched light and calming views of the beach and meadow. We are thrilled to share a few images!

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Perched on a bluff overlooking the water, this house on Long Island’s East End will be a serene year-round retreat. The living spaces are designed to open outwards toward cool breezes and lapping waves during summer, or orient inwards toward warm, soft cedar paneling and a cozy two-sided fireplace in winter. A green roof will provide visual reward and environmental benefit. 

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Andrew Franz Architect is always looking for talented, enthusiastic, and dedicated people to join our team. We are currently hiring for an Architectural Designer with 2-3 years of professional experience.

Our Tribeca Loft project is included in the recently published Taschen book “Rooftops: Islands in the Sky” by noted critic Philip Jodidio!

Construction is underway! This historic double-height loft penthouse in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards neighborhood is being transformed into a bright and distinctive open workplace. Stay tuned.

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June 2016 - AFA featured in two new publications:

"Kaleidoscope - Living in Color and Patterns" by Gestalten. See the feature here.

"Living Roofs" by teNeues. See the feature here.

Construction for this Beach House is wrapping up!

Excited to share a sneak peek of this project from our recent trip up the coast. The house will be ready for move in just in time for Memorial Day weekend.

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After an intense but rewarding year of design, construction will commence in the first quarter of 2016 for this workplace project. This renovation will transform a 35,000 square-foot double-height space in a historic west side building into a large, collaborative workplace.

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We're thrilled to be working with New York Cruise Lines, Inc. on Fish Bar at North River Landing, a new floating lounge and restaurant.

The three-story indoor-outdoor venue is housed within a 10,000-square-foot yacht located at Pier 81 on the Hudson River. Adjacent to the burgeoning Hudson Yards and midtown west neighborhoods, Pier 81 represents the culmination of developments along the Hudson River serving this new and growing neighborhood of young professionals, residents and visitors alike.

Tribeca Loft featured in the April issue of IDEAT.

Very excited that Tribeca Loft has been selected as a Finalist in the Architizer A+ Awards Residential: Apartment Category! 

Tribeca Loft is featured as the cover story in Metropolitan magazine in Malaysia.

Very excited to share that our Tribeca Loft was recognized by Residential Architect Magazine's Design Awards in the Residential Interiors category! Check it out here.

Our Tribeca Loft project is the cover story in Brazilian magazine Revista Decor! 

Thrilled to see Tribeca Loft as the cover story of the June 2015 issue of the Swedish magazine House! See the article here.

Tribeca Loft featured in the October 2014 issue of Dwell. To see the article, click here.

Tribeca Loft featured in the February 2015 issue of Architectural Digest Germany. To see the article online, click here.

Harperly Hall Residence featured in the October 2014 issue of Veranda.