Collaborative to the Core

When Abraham Ahmad began experimenting with video game design as a teenager, he had no idea it was a skillset he could turn into a career path. He was drawn to creating his own levels using 3DS Max – the software he now uses to bring Revit models to life. Abe went on to earn his BS in Architectural Engineering Technology from Farmingdale State College, then beginning his career as a 3D artist for architecture firm Thomas Juul-Hansen. At Workshop/APD, he enjoys entering the design process after drawing sets are complete, creating the first lifelike rendering of a new project that generates excitement from both the designers and the clients. In his free time, Abe can be found practicing jiu jitsu, playing with his black lab, and, of course, enjoying a video game or two.

Adam has been immersed in architecture since age twelve, when he began learning construction, management and design from his family. Today, he guides Workshop/APD projects of all types from concept through completion, coordinating details and communications seamlessly. He keenly evaluates elements at all scales to bring a project from abstract design to final product. Adam draws inspiration from art, music and film and their ability to express and visualize the intangible. He finds motivation and innovation through collaboration with his team. A graduate of Stonehill College in Massachusetts and New Jersey Institute of Technology, Adam holds a BA in fine art and a Master of Architecture.

Executive assistant Alexis Corrao is used to working in a fast-paced, creative  work environment. Lexi’s own creative studies include a decade of Irish step dancing and a BS in Dance Education from Hofstra University,  and she is a certified New York State Dance Educator. Following college, she taught at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts High School in Hartford, Connecticut, where she initially started her pre-professional dance studies. She also danced professionally with a modern dance company. Previously an assistant at a New York real estate investment firm, Lexi now combines her creative background and administrative experience to support founding principal Andrew Kotchen and the team in bringing Workshop/APD’s artistic vision to life. She is especially interested in the way textures, materials, forms, and shapes bring a space to life and build unique narratives through interior design.

Alicia Barrera’s design roots reach back to a childhood spent upgrading her home with her mother and grandmother, a former fashion designer. She went on to study Architecture and Urban Studies at SUNY Binghamton, while studying interior design in the summer at NYSID and Pratt. Through years in high-end residential design, Alicia developed a minimal, eclectic style informed by Scandinavian design. Alicia’s design process involves in-depth exploration to find inspiration for each project, focusing on every detail of a space until it reflects the client’s unique desires and skillfully blends old and new.

From interior elevations and 3D modelling to presentations and site plans, Amanda brings a detail-oriented approach to all aspects of her highly-customized design work. She enjoys the unique challenges presented by each new project, working to create a synergetic balance between aesthetics and technical elements. Inspired by nature, Amanda appreciates architecture that honors its environment and believes that good design engages the exterior landscape to enhance the mood of interior space. A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, she holds a Bachelor of Architecture.

Andrew Kline views the built environment as a catalyst for connection, capable of evoking emotions and meaningful human interaction. Early in his career, this perspective drew him to hospitality and retail design, and it has guided his later work on award-winning hotels and restaurants, luxury residences, multi-family developments, and products. He relishes the freedom to move fluidly between design verticals and project typologies, developing designs based on a unique set of conditions – as opposed to a singular, static firm aesthetic – and centering visitors’ and inhabitants’ experiences.

As a principal at Workshop/APD, he leads a multidisciplinary team of architects, interior designers and product designers. As a leader, he is known for fostering seamless collaboration, drawing on each team member’s skills and experience and pushing the boundaries of design to inspire the best outcome. He is passionate about breaking down the barriers to good design, pursuing projects that are immersive, approachable, and livable, with each essential element distilled down to the purest expression of their unique narrative. He champions a creative process guided by a fully realized conceptual narrative, a lens through which all design decisions are filtered, resulting in a unified creative direction from site, to structure, to space, furnishings, fittings, and even branding. This approach has shaped a range of celebrated projects including Michelin Key recipients 1 Hotel Nashville and Faraway Martha’s Vineyard, and the new Moxy Banff.

For 25 years, Andrew Kotchen’s distinct aesthetic vision has shaped Workshop/APD’s remarkable portfolio of projects across North America and abroad. Under his leadership, the award-winning architecture and design firm has expanded to a vertically integrated, 90-person team with offices in New York City, Minneapolis, and Greenwich, CT, and teams in Nantucket, Palm Beach, Phoenix, Boston, and Denver. Site specific, modern and meticulously crafted, its projects include luxury residences; groundbreaking multi-family developments such as 70 Charlton, The Printing House, and Hawthorne Park; amenity rich social living projects from Denver and Miami to Phoenix and Houston; Hotels including AutoCamp and Faraway Martha’s Vineyard, and design products developed in partnership with the industry’s leading manufacturers.

Andrew’s work is defined by a distinctive sense of place and purpose, delving into a project’s unique location and history to inform its details at every scale. This approach yields highly customized spaces across diverse contexts, and provides Andrew and his team with new ideas, sources and inspiration to fuel and evolve the firm’s work.

Though he earned a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Utah, Andrew Mickelson always planned on a career in architecture. After focusing on the technical aspects of building construction during undergrad, Andrew came to New York looking  to tap into his creativity. He went on to earn his Master of Architecture from Pratt Institute, and began working in luxury residential and commercial design. His passions and experience align with Workshop/APD’s attention to detail, material selections, and personalizing spaces to reflect clients’ lifestyles – visually, sensorially, and programmatically. Andrew finds renovations and adaptive reuse projects provocative, especially when he can impose order on disorder to create a functional, contextual – but unexpected – end result. Perpetually in awe of the mountains’ natural beauty, he recharges by skiing and backpacking.

Ansley Wilson joins Workshop/APD as the studio coordinator for Studio 1, serving as a crucial point person for designers and project managers within the team and the rest of the office. With a BFA in Interior Design from Virginia Commonwealth University, Ansley is no stranger to the design world, and its unique language, rhythms, and people. With an astonishing ability to organize and see tasks through with precision, she has quickly become an integral part of her team. Ansley keeps a finger on the pulse of the studio and the industry, serving as a connector between people, schedules, and materials.

Anyuan Zhou first entered the world of architecture and design while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in agriculture at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China. His focus on landscape design, and years studying ecosystems on a larger scale in school, eventually led Anyuan to an exploration of more intimate and detailed spaces. He went on to earn a Master of Architecture at the University of Michigan, later moving to New York City to cut his teeth at award-winning firms SO-IL, Thomas Juul Hansen, and Rockwell Group.  With a wealth of residential and hospitality experience, Anyuan is constantly inventing ways to surprise and delight through unexpected details.

A natural-born artist, Becca Kim has always been passionate about eye-catching design. As Brand Designer at Workshop/APD, she brings her creative skillset to a range of client and internal projects. With past roles in creative agencies and tech startups, she has gained experience with graphic design, creative direction, social media, photography, and styling. Becca’s collaborative approach to branding is all about bringing a visual identity to life across various mediums, translating a story and mission into assets that work seamlessly together. Rebecca has an Associates in Communication Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Workshop Collection National Sales Manager Ben Paciello began his career in furniture in 2004 as interim manager at the Ralph Lauren Home Chicago flagship store. In 2011, he made the jump to becoming the first store-based operations manager for Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. Over the years, he developed a passion not only for the design world, but also for the relationship-building aspect of a career helping trade clients to create spaces that uniquely reflect their voice. Ben serves as the first point of contact for Workshop Collection, overseeing the NYC showroom and other sales channels, and guiding clients through the specification process from start to finish. Ben also collaborates with Workshop/APD’s product design and development team on a wide range of responsibilities and projects, from the development of order and customization SOP to systems implementation, client outreach and order fulfilment. Outside of supporting designers, Ben spends his leisure time spectating his husband’s triathlons, working on his home in Catskill, NY, and playing with his dog, Arthur.

From micro to macro, Ben Tulman looks at every project holistically to create beautifully integrated results. Though he originally considered pursuing a career in engineering he fell into architecture at Tulane University, where he earned a Master of Architecture with a minor in social innovation and entrepreneurship. The school’s immersive 5-year program brought Ben onsite and into the community and its culture, driving his interest in planning, sustainable design and architecture’s ability to impact the greater good. Ben carries all of these things into his work on both residential and commercial projects today, thinking critically about whatever challenges arise, pouring love and creativity into his work to make the client’s dream a reality.

Brook equates his role as a design director to that of a composer, applying a creative and functional vision to our practice and projects, providing clear direction to move work forward and ensuring and elevating the quality of all design at Workshop/APD.  He loves creating harmony between a well-designed space and its inhabitants, and applies an intuitive approach and sharp eye to designs that achieve this critical balance.

His childhood passion for designing dream homes led to a five-year BS in Architecture from the University of Houston, a program that refined his understanding of architecture and fostered a deeper appreciation for the intimate details of the space. His broad professional experience spans nearly two decades and includes work at every scale, from casinos, shopping malls, hotels, restaurants and corporate projects to luxurious private homes and apartments. Brook finds great satisfaction in physically building his ideas and seeing them come to fruition in as little as a season.  A 14-year veteran of Workshop/APD, he bridges the gap between high end residential and development work, driving creative direction and developing solutions to complex architectural and design challenges, helping clients to realize projects that suit their unique needs and desires.

Since he was a small child, Bryan Kam has had a mind for design possibilities. Bryan’s interest in residential design blossomed while exploring the different ways he and his family could live in his hometown of Taipei, Taiwan. He later moved to New York to attend Pratt Institute, earning a Bachelor of Architecture before eventually settling in Los Angeles to begin his career. Today, Bryan’s passion lies in maximizing a space’s potential through carefully executed layouts and an emphasis on details. He loves New York City’s density, and finds inspiration in the constant exposed to new ideas.

Studio Coordinator Caitlin Burdick feels at home amongst creatives, helping them move projects forward with organization and logistical support. With a background in coordination roles – first at a merch design company, and then for a florist – Caitlin discovered a penchant for detail-oriented work that supports the big picture. For the Workshop/APD interior design team, she manages schedules, deliveries, installations and much more. Caitlin earned her BFA in Visual Communication with a minor in Art History from the University of Oklahoma and enjoys working on graphic design projects for friends and family in her free time.

Celia Heenan comes to our interior design studio with two years of high-end residential experience and a BS in Interior Design from Philadelphia University. However, her design journey started much earlier, drawing floorplans as a child instead of coloring in books. As soon as she could, Celia began taking classes on design, exploring every facet from sourcing to psychology. At Workshop/APD, Celia supports residential interiors throughout the design process, applying a theoretical lens for the project to each furnishing and finish.

Hailing from a family of NYC real estate developers, designer Charlie Verni grew up knowing one day he’d make his own mark on the city. After completing his Bachelor of Architecture at Hobart College, Charlie went straight on to complete a Master of Architecture at Pratt Institute. Perpetually drawn to residential projects, Charlie has honed an aptitude for contextual design, from Brooklyn brownstones to ground-up homes in Palm Beach. With each new project, he enjoys the diversity of client’s wishes and shares in their excitement as the design comes to life. In his spare time, Charlie enjoys building furniture, playing guitar, and spending weekends upstate.

Christian Oanda grew up around video games and animated films during his childhood in Nairobi, Kenya, resulting in a fascination with animation and video game environment design. These interests led him to the US to pursue an undergraduate architecture degree from Syracuse University. Today, he applies his interest in digital design to his work on hospitality and high-end residential projects at Workshop/APD, using 3D software to help visualize a captivating end result. An avid designer and musician, Christian aspires to advance architectural and design practices across Africa by highlighting and incorporating the continent’s endless regional artistic influences in his work.

As managing director of Workshop/APD’s Technical Design Studio, Colin Murtaugh focuses on the building science and construction methods behind our work, bringing his intimate knowledge of architectural technology to a wide range of projects. Colin got an early start in construction in his teens, followed by a BFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master of Architecture from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and has been an essential member of the Workshop/APD team since 2015. Armed with a deep understanding of building systems and strong technical skills, he works closely with architectural project teams at each phase of the design process to ensure a rigorous and thoughtful approach to complex architectural conditions. Colin is passionate about technological advances and education and has served as an adjunct professor at the City College of New York, teaching BIM software to graduate students. When not focused on architectural design, he can be found at the beach, playing soccer, watching soccer, or discussing soccer.

As accounts manager, Daisy oversees and tracks funds and expenses, provides billing and purchase reports for clients, and makes purchases as needed, providing indispensable support to the interior design team. A seamless multitasker, Daisy applies the diverse experience she has gained in roles managing the reception, scheduling and bookkeeping at a nail salon; working as a personal assistant; and serving as operations manager for an event planning company. While she has a natural affinity for numbers, she loves the interconnected nature of Workshop/APD, which exposes her to all aspects of our work and allows her to learn more about the inner workings of interior design each day. A graduate of Stonybrook University in New York, Daisy holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing management with a minor in psychology.

Daniel Relyea is passionate about traditional materials and construction, and the innovative ways that both can be applied to modern residential architecture and design. Most recently a Senior Associate at Ike Kligerman Barkley Architects, he has spent the last two decades immersed in every detail of the design process from pencil sketches to complex development sets. He approaches each project’s design challenges as a starting point, finding novel, functional solutions and then enhancing the resulting spaces and structures through detailing. As a Senior Project Manager at Workshop/APD he is focused on a wide range of high-end residential projects ranging from the modernization of an Aspen retreat to a ground-up Nantucket compound, collaborating internally with architectural and design teams and overseeing external consultants to bring projects to completion. Daniel holds a bachelor of science in engineering from The George Washington University and a Masters of Architecture from Boston Architectural College.

Dara Jin, previously a two-time Workshop/APD intern, joined the firm full time after earning her Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University in 2022. Embodying a passion for people-centric design, Dara’s senior thesis project focused on community-building in the Cyrildene neighborhood – a Chinese enclave in Johannesburg, South Africa, earning Best Creative Thesis and the James A. Britton Memorial Award awards for her work. As a designer at Workshop/APD, Dara enjoys seeing the impact that the built environment has on inhabitants and the ability to directly impact that space with her ideas. Dara’s design leans toward the elegant and simple, infused with quiet moves that make a big impact.

Since joining Workshop/APD in 2013, David McEachin has contributed to the firm’s evolution in brand, mission and vision. Today, he serves as brand steward for all visual assets and photography across branding, business development, and marketing. David has been instrumental in creating our branding service offering, collaborating with architects and designers to craft a holistic process to create brand and identity packages for our clients. As the firm grows, David continues to cultivate a sense of community within the team – as a longtime employee, he has a deep understanding of our values, and a historic knowledge of what has made us into the firm we are today. With vast knowledge of the Workshop/APD archive, David displays a commitment to telling the firm’s story through photography, video, web and digital, branding and more. A keen follower of design in and out of the office, David’s encyclopedic grasp of the industry makes him a vital member of the team. A graduate of Columbia College in Chicago, he holds a BFA in advertising art direction.

As an interior design manager, Deana develops and executes unique residential and hospitality interiors. She particularly enjoys work that allows her to dive even further behind the scenes and channel her diverse interests towards creating meaningful, lasting experiences. A world traveler and foodie with a background in the restaurant industry, she finds inspiration in global art and architecture, imbuing her work with a love for different cultures, tastes, and people. A graduate of Syracuse University, Deana holds a BFA in environmental and interior design.

Inspired by the beauty of his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, Drew felt called to become an architect at an early age. He attended Southern Polytechnic State University in Atlanta, where he earned a Bachelor of Architecture with a minor in business administration. As a graduating senior he was also the recipient of the Alpha Rho Chi Medal, in recognition of his leadership and service. His career began in Atlanta, where he focused on residential design before coming to Resolution: 4 Architecture in New York. With a decade of experience in award-winning residential projects, he has developed a skill for blending modern contemporary elements with a warm, inviting atmosphere. He also understands how to effectively manage projects and navigate the complexities of construction, ensuring a smooth process from concept to completion. Drew enjoys connecting with other architects and students to guide them through the ins and outs of licensure and the industry. He has shared his insights on various industry podcasts and served as a keynote speaker at the 2019 Young Architect Conference.

Product designer Dwight Wu found his calling at the intersection of engineering and art – but not before trying his hand as a cook, a personal trainer, and a photographer in his native Taipei, Taiwan. After earning a degree in electrical engineering, Dwight came to New York to earn a Master of Industrial Design at Pratt Institute. Though much of his role involves complex problem solving and execution, his favorite projects allow him to work with people who share a similar vision and a passion for bringing that vision to life. Dwight brings a fresh perspective to custom client product and Workshop Collection designs alike. A multihyphenate through and through, Dwight enjoys listening to jazz, training friends, and shooting street photography.

Years of doodling houses in the margins of his middle school notebooks drove Dylan Kessler to a high school summer architecture course at Roger Williams University, where he eventually earned a BS in architecture. But, earning his Master of Architecture from the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture at Taliesin was particularly formative. His time in the desert – worlds away from his childhood in New Jersey – and the program’s extensive international travel, has imbued his work with a sustainable, organic quality and global perspective. Before coming to Workshop/APD he worked on restaurants, international hotels and resorts at Rockwell Group, and on residential and cultural projects with studioMDA. Today, his work is defined by an innate understanding of a project’s purpose and end user, as well as a contemporary aesthetic. Dylan enjoys  pushing the limits of design through technology working in BIM, Revit, Rhino and Enscape and exploring new technologies.

Assistant project manager Emily Ellison joined Workshop/APD with a head start, having a unique blend of experiences from the fields of hospitality, event planning, and interior design sales. Originally from Jackson, Mississippi, Emily earned her B.S. in Hospitality Management from the University of Mississippi before moving to New York City. Both efficient and detail-oriented, she has made herself an indispensable part of our interiors team. With an appreciation for design and a mind for logistics, Emily works with designers to get each project across the finish line with ease.

From the outset, Workshop/APD’s vertically integrated approach was what drew designer Ethan Reichel to the firm. Ethan believes that high-quality work is best produced through a comprehensive approach, and his background serves as evidence. He earned his BA in environmental design with a minor in graphic design, and certificate in renewables from CU Boulder, and then his Master of Architecture from CU Denver. Ethan went on to work on a wide range of projects at Studio Completive, Stantec and DTJ Design in Colorado before heading East to join our team. The iterative design process has always inspired Ethan, and he looks forward to bringing more projects to life at Workshop/APD.

Though she often dreamed of designing homes as a child, design came later for Fran Fang. With a degree in advertising and marketing from Chinese Culture University in Taiwan and a master’s degree in transportation geography from SUNY Buffalo, she eventually made her way to Pratt Institute to pursue her passion with an interior design degree. In her time at top firms including Wimberly, Tihany and Foster & Partners and in her own practice she has realized restaurant, hotels, and social lounges, relishing the opportunity to create a unique personality and narrative for each project. Fran takes a broad view of every project thanks to her education in geography communications, applying both a contextual and branding lens to a project’s interiors. She enjoys the opportunity to explore project design at all scales at Workshop/APD, where she collaborates with a diverse team of specialists as a single team on residential and hospitality projects.

As a child in Dallas, Texas, Grace Voorheis would often visit open houses with her mother – a real estate agent – brainstorming ways to improve each space. At Tulane University, she later earned dual degrees in architecture and real estate, but ultimately pursued a career in interior design. Grace dove head-first into residential work at a homebuilder in Dallas, managing projects from design, to construction, to installation, before transitioning to a high-end interiors firms with a focus on soft finishes. At Workshop/APD, Grace works to design homes that simplify and beautify clients’ day-to-day lives, applying all of her diverse education and experience to her projects.

Hunter Suraci’s dedication, organization and discipline began with her 15-year ballet career and early roles in fashion PR. Although she enjoyed her internship at brands like Moschino under Jeremy Scott, she liked the idea of using her skillset and laser-focused mind to assist in making a single person’s life easier. This led her to becoming an assistant at Coldwell Banker Town and Country Properties. These experiences taught her to be extraordinarily resourceful and nimble, able to see how each small task contributes to the big picture. As Executive Assistant to Matt Berman, Hunter’s data-driven approach is part of what keeps things at Workshop/APD running.

Halfway through a Bachelor of Science in architectural engineering at the University of Kansas, Tyler discovered a passion for architectural design as well. It was an ah-ha moment that led him to pursue a second BS in architecture, completing the two demanding five-year programs concurrently.  Drawn to Workshop/APD in its earliest days by the opportunity to work on a project from its inception through to completion, he is known for a unique ability to draw upon his background in architecture and engineering to skillfully manage every aspect of a ground-up project. Tyler’s interest in – and technical mastery of – architectural design and visualization tools have been a driving force in pinnacle Workshop/APD residential projects including 111 Leroy Street, instantly-recognizable NYC apartments in NYC’s Printing House and on Central Park West, as well as an iconic renovation of an 1800s Aspen, CO miner’s cabin. He also contributed to Workshop/APD’s winning entry in Brad Pitt’s 2006 Global Green sustainable design competition. Today, Tyler’s primary focus is on ground-up construction, from schematic design to design development and construction administration. In each of his projects he relishes the opportunity to evolve traditional exterior details in compelling, modern ways. For nearly four years Tyler has been dedicated to the reinvention of a 1920s Tudor residence on the Greenwich, CT waterfront, deconstructing and reimagining the classic home’s aesthetics, functionality and efficiency in a modern way. Tyler is certified in passive design, and enjoys connecting with nature. A recent transplant to New York’s Hudson Valley, he spends his free time outdoors, kayaking, hiking and climbing in the surrounding area.

Jaron Popko always knew his future was in architecture. As a child, he would ask his parents for books containing drawings of elevations and floorplans, studying them and earmarking his favorites. After earning a B.S. in Architecture and Master of Architecture from the University of Cincinnati, Jaron returned to his native Pittsburgh, where he spent eight years at AE7 tackling large-scale international projects. As a senior designer at Workshop/APD, he brings a mastery of space, light and sculptural forms to residential and hospitality projects.

Jeremy Morton applies a unique vision and broad interior architecture and project management experience to his projects at Workshop/APD. With eight years of experience in high-end residential and hospitality design, he is involved from concept programming, massing and project narrative, to interior architectural design, material selections and branding elements. A native of Maui, Hawaii, Jeremy has always loved New York for its diversity and cultural complexity, which he now examines and incorporates to enrich his designs. Through his interests in art and photography he has learned to absorb his environment and examine every detail, taking a progressive, open minded approach to every project. Jeremy’s work is inviting and livable, characterized by clean lines and layered curated colors and textures applied to contemporary forms. Jeremy holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Drexel University.

Though he was raised just miles from the American furniture mecca of High Point, North Carolina, Workshop/APD furniture designer Joel Edmondson discovered design through elective courses like woodworking while pursuing a degree in business administration at North Carolina’s Appalachian State University. Location, timing – the media had recently begun to place a broader emphasis on architecture and design – and a newfound passion for furniture converged, leading Joel to SCAD for a master’s degree in fine arts in furniture. Throughout his career, he has applied his business acumen and creativity to produce successful furniture designs at all scales for a wide range of leading trade and consumer brands, both as an in-house designer and in his own practice. Whether it is a luxury gallery piece or a design intended for mass production, Joel is adept at finding the resources necessary to create a unique product that is beautiful and functional, but also efficient and economical. He brings a timeless, modern approach and a reverence for craft to his work, and he particularly enjoys seeing a piece come to life through the process.

For over a decade, John Grinstead has overseen day-to-day project details from conception through client move-in as a senior project manager. He has dedicated much of his time at Workshop/APD to key historical renovation projects, which allow him to delve deeply into design development and creative problem solving within this complex discipline. The first member of Workshop/APD’s Colorado outpost, he has also been instrumental in expanding the firm’s practice in the mountain region and beyond, not only building upon its regional capabilities but ensuring that our team remains on the cutting edge of sustainable design. John deftly manages a growing team, collaborating to ensure that the design intent is perfectly realized, down to the smallest detail.  He is constantly inspired by his two children, and nature’s colors, forms and function, and sees architecture as an opportunity to achieve a legacy through the highest form of art. A graduate of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, John holds a Bachelor of Architecture.

Jonah is Workshop/APD’s lead brand evangelist, developing business strategy and catalyzing more meaningful relationships within the industry in order to identify and secure projects that are aligned with our design philosophy. As a child, Jonah was influenced by his grandmother’s modernist aesthetic, igniting a passion for architecture and design and a keen awareness of architecture’s effect on our lives. In his five years at Architizer, he ran the digital design resource’s business development and sales. Today Jonah brings a unique ability to converse about the intricacies of architecture and design to his role, as well as an infectious enthusiasm for projects of every type and scale. Passionate about Workshop/APD’s holistic, vertically integrated approach, he truly enjoys contributing to the firm’s growth by  building connections and serving as a resource for the team and the greater architecture and design industry. A graduate of Tufts University in Massachusetts, Jonah holds a dual BA in political science and architectural studies.

If there’s a problem, Jonathan Kirby will solve it. From client concerns to contractor relations, his ability to consistently and efficiently troubleshoot makes Jonathan an invaluable part of the Workshop/APD team. No matter the scale, meeting the needs of clients, collaborators and teammates gives Jonathan a sense of achievement – especially as our firm continues to grow. Jonathan’s diverse background includes design for higher education, commercial interiors, and high-end residential projects. At Workshop/APD, he has expanded his portfolio to support hospitality projects across North America as well. Jonathan enjoys managing and manipulating the flow of light through a space, changing throughout the day. Jonathan holds a Bachelors in Architecture and a Masters in Architecture from Ball State University, and enjoys playing recreational league softball In his free time.

Jonathan Perkins earned his BFA from the Pratt Institute and started out in the retail and hospitality sectors working for brands such as Dolce & Gabbana and Equinox Fitness. Wanting a develop a closer relationship with clients, he shifted into residential interior design becoming intimately familiar with clients’ needs. Variety drives Jonathan as a designer; he moves quickly between projects, with an appreciation for the differences that each new day brings. Born and raised in New York, Jonathan was a former junior tennis player and still plays daily.

As an architectural designer at Workshop/APD, Jongseok works on a wide variety of residential, hospitality and development projects, handling everything from pre-design to construction administration. With a keen interest in the way different forms can shape human experience and the combination of methodology, he constantly seeks the perfect unity of technical and aesthetic design. Often inspired by the works of other modern architects, he enjoys exploring the various construction techniques and scales that high-end residential properties allow for. A graduate of Kookmin University in Korea and University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Jongseok holds a Bachelor and Master of Architecture.

Katie Lanski has long been fascinated with buildings, and her experience designing everything from an African embassy to a Miami mixed-use development has given her diverse global perspective. Katie is currently focused on a social living projects at Workshop/APD, creating spaces with an experiential quality where people can come together for work or play. Her role includes collaboration with partners and consultants to bring projects to life, designing interior layouts, and construction administration. In all of these roles, Katie is a problem solver, seeing a space as a puzzle that can fit together ideally for the occupant. Katie’s inspiration comes from her daily exploration of New York City, gathering details and sensations from the structures and spaces around her.

Project manager Kelsey Odom’s path took a sharp turn as an aspiring doctor and undergraduate student at UT Austin. Feeling a lack of creativity in the medical field, Kelsey was inspired by her first visit to UT’s school of architecture and soon pivoted to pursue a degree in design. After obtaining a Bachelor of Architecture she began a career in high-end residential and hospitality design, eventually managing marquee projects including Armani’s flagship store & restaurant while at COOKFOX. Kelsey doesn’t shy away from discomfort, from professional design explorations to personal time, when she can be found tending to an apiary or climbing mountains.

Ken brings 14 years of accounting experience to Workshop/APD, where he oversees every financial detail.  His complex day-to-day responsibilities include managing the books, handling and tracking expenses, coordinating client invoices, and assisting with budgeting and forecasting to ensure a solid financial future. Though experienced in finance, Ken is new to work in a creative industry, and he enjoys seeing firsthand the creative, collaborative work he supports and contributes to. Naturally, his favorite projects are the expensive ones. Ken finds inspiration in his creative surroundings and enjoys teaching others about Excel and the fun, easy world of accounting. A graduate of Colorado State University in Pueblo, Ken holds a Bachelor of Science and Business Administration in accounting, with a minor in art.

Kendall Coleman has been interested in interior design since her high school days in East Hampton, NY, where she worked in retail selling home décor. Taking on small projects for friends and family and going all out in her college dorm room at George Washington University, she later seized every opportunity to gain design experience. While earning a BA in Liberal Arts, she studied interiors, architecture, and art history in pursuit of a well-rounded design education. Kendall is passionate about coastal homes, a product of her Hamptons upbringing and extensive work in Nantucket and Palm Beach, but she looks forward to bringing her modern, transitional style to projects far and wide.

Khuyen Luong comes to Workshop/APD with an extensive background in institutional design, a vivid imagination and love for sketching. Born and raised in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Khuyen earned his Bachelor of Architecture from Ho Chi Minh City University before moving to Boston in 2010 to pursue his Masters in Architecture from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. He spent nine years focused primarily on higher education projects for schools like UCSF, University of Victoria, and University of Miami, and public institution Boston Public Library branches. As a project manager, Khuyen balances both designing and managing the team, ensuring a seamless flow of communication between senior leadership, collaborators, and clients. Khuyen spends his free time travelling and exploring places with his family.

What seemed like an excuse to play Minecraft during the school day turned into a genuine interest in building and creating when Kokeith Perry enrolled in drafting class during his junior year of high school. From there, it was off to Syracuse University, where the designer earned his Bachelor of Architecture with minors in philosophy and visual culture. After graduating, Kokeith began his career with an internship at Studio O+A in San Francisco, eventually transitioning to a full-time position. In his time there, he focused on workplace design for major tech companies throughout Silicon Valley, as well as several start-ups. At Workshop/APD, Kokeith is expanding into residential and hospitality projects, exploring the world of adaptive reuse and finding inspiration in clients’ personalities and art collections.

From urban design to government projects, from collaborating with transit engineers to clients at Workshop/APD, Krista Wiryomartono is a veritable Swiss army knife of architectural design. Growing up in Toronto, she was fascinated with architecture from an early age, and while earning an undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto and a Master of Architecture at Columbia University, she became focused on work with an environmental and sustainable scope. A true asset to our ever-evolving practice, Krista came to Workshop/APD seeking a more holistic approach, along with a desire to explore new project typologies and locations through the full design/build process. Her simple, clean and natural style is influenced by Japanese and Scandinavian aesthetics, and a desire to create feelings of comfort and ease with her designs.

Leah Bordenga’s previous experience in production prepared her for her role as assistant project manager at Workshop/APD. On set, she developed expertise in pre-production logistics, creating her own sweet spot at the intersection of creative and business. Leah has always enjoyed applying her talents behind the scenes, especially in artistic environments. She is excited to expand her architectural and design knowledge as assistant project manager at Workshop/APD, helping our interior designers realize their creative visions by coordinating installs, creating schedules, managing logistics and overseeing project backends with ultimate efficiency. Leah seeks out nature when she needs to recharge, spending all her summer weekends at the beach.

With art and antiques in her blood – and nearly two decades of marketing and PR experience in architecture & design – Lisa brings diverse and specialized knowledge to her role leading internal and external communications and brand strategy at Workshop/APD. Drawing on expertise in digital and social media, PR, brand development and events, Lisa ensures that Workshop/APD’s marketing initiatives are aligned with business and creative goals to drive our practice forward. In previous positions at the New York Design Center and as a principal and chief innovation officer at design-focused PR firm VP+C, she honed a creative, strategic approach to campaigns and outreach for clients including Dornbracht, One Kings Lane, Interface, Allsteel, and Benjamin Moore. Lisa holds a BA in journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, and sits on the board of non-profit NYC design atelier The Alpha Workshops.

In the seventh grade, Maddie Perry decided that she would be an interior designer and she has never wavered from that vision. A South Carolina native, she earned a BS in interior design from Auburn University and then moved to the West Coast to explore hospitality design with a San Francisco firm.  After spending years immersing herself in the complex design mechanisms and logistics of large hotels she moved to New York to pursue more residential projects, and a desire to focus on smaller scales and details. Maddie’s technical background provides a strong foundation for her creative work, which now includes luxury residences and boutique hospitality amenity spaces. Her favorite part of her job is working with a multidisciplinary team and diverse consultants, as well as the meaningful relationships and highly customized residential designs that emerge from direct collaboration with clients.

Designer Marcus Miller comes to Workshop/APD with nearly a decade of experience in New York City’s design world. Originally from a small town in western New York, Marcus chose design as a way to build and beautify the world in their own vision. With a background in virtually every sector – from commercial to institutional, hospitality to healthcare – Marcus roots all their work in craft and creativity. Outside of the studio, they’re building community at design industry events or coaching the Ramblers, New York’s LGBTQ soccer club.

Mario Alulema, Workshop/APD’s first dedicated BIM Manager, leverages design technology solutions for the built environment to ensure that the firm’s work is always looking to the future. After earning a Bachelor of Technology in Architecture at City Tech in Brooklyn, New York, Mario combined his three passions – architecture, design technology, and implementing knowledge transfer methods – into a BIM specialization where he could do all three. In his day-to-day work Mario establishes standards to align all project types to a specific process for the firm, streamlining the architects’ daily tasks, as well as looking for opportunities for automation. Mario serves as a point person for all internal studios, bringing expertise gleaned from pioneers in his field to the WAPD team.

Mary-Brett O’Bryan comes to Workshop/APD by way of the exhibition design world. An Orlando, Florida Native, Mary-Brett came to New York to earn a BA in Art History and German Comparative Literature at NYU. She put her education to use in roles in the exhibition design space before returning for an MA in Museum Studies in 2023. As office manager, she is passionate about organizational harmony within the firm and aiding in the design process through key logistics and coordination. A lifelong creative, Mary-Brett strengthens her artistic muscles through painting, textile art, reading classics and attending regular movie screenings around the city.

Matt Berman believes passionately in the transformative power of good design. A founding principal at New York City design + architecture firm Workshop/APD, Berman considers the built environment a player and protagonist in its inhabitants’ lives, with the ability to create a mood and catalyze more meaningful interactions and experiences.

Since the firm’s inception in 1999, he has encouraged clients to demand more of their spaces, creating modern hotels, restaurants, high-end homes, luxury residential developments and institutional projects that engage the senses and invite inquiry at every scale.  Today, he leads Workshop/APD’s growing hospitality practice, setting the scene for an ever-changing cast of characters with spaces that are interactive, engaging and intrinsically tied to their locations.

Matt’s passion for perfectly imperfect materials and finishes worked by hand, machine or mother nature imbues his work with a timeless, tactile quality.  He is known for pursuing technological advances in construction, fabrication and materials to solve complex design challenges in groundbreaking projects such as Building 92 in Brooklyn’s Navy Yard, which uniquely meshes raw, industrial beauty with sustainable technologies.

Designer Matthew Nuzum works on a range of residential and hospitality projects at Workshop/APD, carrying inspiration from his childhood in Trinidad & Tobago and a connection to nature and island living into his work. He recalls a family trip to Barbados, where at the age of 10 a beautiful colonial estate sparked a desire to create something magnificent. His studies commenced a few years later, gathering as much architectural knowledge as possible through his education at Florida International University in Miami, where he earned a 5-year Master’s degree in Architecture.

In grade 8, May Lee Birks was voted most likely to be an architect – a consensus delivered by her classmates, who saw her obsession with miniatures of homes as more than a hobby. Years later, May Lee would go on to complete her B.Sc in Architecture at McGill University and her Master of Architecture at Cornell, where she was awarded the AIA Henry Adams medal and the Eschweiler Prize for distinction in design studio. After internships at the New York offices of SOM and COOKFOX, she relocated to the city full time upon graduating and later joined the team at Workshop/APD. To May Lee, successful design is often subtle to perceive: flawless details, intuitive finishes, and a thoughtful manipulation of light.

Since joining Workshop/APD in 2015, Michael Luft-Weissberg has advanced through the firm’s ranks to the role of associate principal, overseeing the day-to-day coordination of a large number of projects.  Michael works directly with designers, consultants, contractors and our amazing clients bringing a breadth of experience and knowledge to the execution of our work. He is passionate about ground-up construction and inspired by the search for technical beauty and clever design solutions. This focus informs his work on difficult projects in regions with unique design and regulatory restrictions. Michael is passionate about teaching and learning, and has developed courses on design and Building Information Modeling (Revit) at the graduate level, and he constantly seeks opportunities to educate himself and the Workshop team. He holds a BFA in fine art and design from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and a Master of Architecture from The Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York.

Basically born to the industry, Naba Lang’s interest in the AEC space seemed preordained. Born to an architectural engineer and a construction manager in  Columbia, Maryland, Naba earned her associates degree in communications from Howard Community College. Drawn to administrative work, Naba started a role as a legal assistant at an immigration law firm, eventually graduating to paralegal before pivoting back to project management. After a few years in environmental hazard abatement, Naba sought a role that supported designers, bringing her to Workshop/APD. A creative problem solver with a knack for project leadership, Naba brings curiosity and purpose to the role of studio coordinator. In her free time, she enjoys woodworking and attending live concerts of all kinds.

Nicole Ficano’s sophisticated aesthetic and technical skill, honed over years at best-in-class firms on both coasts, make her an invaluable member of the Workshop/APD team and a strong leader for our interior design group. Taking care and time to deeply understand clients’ lives and needs, Nicole transforms detailed classic homes and blank spaces alike, creating beautifully layered, comfortable, high-end residences. Nicole’s engaging designs – giving equal weight to form and function – are as practical as they are compelling, thoughtfully integrating architecture with furnishings, lighting, fabric, and fittings in collaboration with a project’s architectural team. She credits this collaborative dynamic and an ongoing search for groundbreaking techniques and materials as essential components in creating exceptional interiors for homes of every kind. Nicole’s modern, fresh urban designs and elegant single family residences express a fascination with the sweeping city views, rolling lawns, leafy woods, and sandy coastlines where her projects lie, bringing the outdoors into her projects in compelling new ways to delight the senses.  A graduate of Cazenovia College in New York, Nicole holds a BA in fine arts with a focus in interior design.

After several summers interning with the firm, Nihar Varadappagari joined Workshop/APD full time as a designer focused on residential projects. During grade school, Nihar’s family hired an architect for their home, whom he watched dutifully, deciding that he’d one day become one himself. From his high school thesis on the Louvre in Abu Dhabi to his first internship in experiential design, Nihar focused on bringing all his schoolwork and hobbies back to design. While completing a Bachelor of Architecture at Syracuse University, he spent semesters in New York and Florence, absorbing inspiration from the two cities’ rich architectural landscapes. Born in Mumbai and raised in Dubai, Nihar brings a global perspective to his work.

An architectural industry veteran, Olivia brings more than 15 years of experience to her role at Workshop/APD. She coordinates even the finest of details, developing drawings and managing communications with consultants and clients. Olivia oversees projects from beginning to end, tackling every challenge with curiosity and excitement and avidly pursuing beautifully and impeccably realized design. At Workshop/APD, she also applies her years of experience in high-end residential and development work to hospitality projects, finding inspiration through collaboration with clients and team members, as well as her projects’ diverse locations. Olivia holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Southern California.

Orit Theuer has a unique talent for craft and creative ideation. Her explorations began with textiles, sewing, and drawing, before evolving into the digital realm with 3D modeling and rendering as she began to study architecture. She finds deep satisfaction in visual outputs, and how they play into the spaces she designs – the more customized and detailed, the better. A native of Austria, Orit received both Bachelor and Master of Architecture degrees from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, also participating in exchange programs in Copenhagen and Jerusalem. Before moving to New York, she also worked in Beijing as a landscape architect. She finds inspiration comes through a sort of gradual osmosis by exposing herself to new ideas, people and places, closely studying space, and constantly exploring new angles.

Self-starter Rhayanne Faggi has been in love with the energy and creativity that permeates New York City ever since her first stint in the Big Apple as a Brazilian exchange student. She began to pursue a career in accounting immediately following high school, working for a number of tech companies while completing a B.S. in Accounting from Methodist University of São Paulo. At Workshop/APD, she works alongside our interiors team to manage billing and reconcile expenses – a complex and crucial role that allows her to aid in the creative process.

Part of Workshop/APD’s Minneapolis team, Ryan is responsible for design, planning and coordination for luxury residences and multi-family developments across the US. Inspired by beauty in architecture and nature and guided by a love of collaboration, Ryan produces creative, modern spaces to fit clients’ unique needs. With an affinity for interiors and exceptional millwork, finishes and details, he is dedicated to establishing and implementing innovative computational techniques through parametric design. As a member of Dunwoody College of Technology’s second graduating class, Ryan also helped to shape the Minneapolis, MN school’s Bachelor of Architecture and Design curriculum.

Salma Kattass grew up surrounded by diverse architecture – from pre-colonial and Islamic to art nouveau and brutalist – in her home of Casablanca, Morocco. She noticed how every neighborhood had its own distinct style, a testament to the power of design to suggest movement through space and time. Salma became mesmerized by these buildings, and chose to pursue a Bachelors of Architecture from the National School of Architecture in Morocco. From there, Salma came to New York to earn a Masters of Science in Architecture, focusing on computational technologies and fabrication. Salma enjoys working with clients to specify every detail of a home.

Project Manager Salvatore Asaro brings more than a decade of architectural experience to his role at Workshop/APD, where he acts as a hub for the many parties involved in a complex design and building process. After earning a B.S. in Architecture and a Master of Architecture from Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, MI, he explored a range of building typologies including large retail development, corporate workplace, higher education, and single-family residential projects, learning to optimize best practices while staying true to the overarching design narrative. Having moved to New York in part for its architecture, Salvatore spends weekends exploring the city, seeking inspiration and trying new restaurants.

Bringing nearly a decade of experience to the Workshop/APD team, Sam enjoys developing designs from conceptual and schematic design, to construction coordination and completion. He searches for opportunities to reflect and reset outdoors, finding the balanced perspective to create beautifully efficient and environmentally conscious properties. An avid surfer, Sam translates a passion for the ocean into properties with a holistic coastal narrative. A graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, Sam holds a BFA in architecture and a Master of Architecture.

In a world of seemingly unlimited options, how can a designer make each element feel like it belongs in a space? For interior designer Sarah Evans, each project begins with this guiding question. Sarah earned a BFA in interior design at the University of Georgia before returning to her native Atlanta to begin her career in boutique hospitality and residential design at Summerour Architects. She later pivoted to commercial work at Niles Bolton, working on a wide range of projects from airplane hangars to student housing. At Workshop/APD, she brings this broad experience and an ability to weave and integrate a design narrative into her projects, exploring a sense of place and play at the intersection of typologies.

Sean Lee brings a decade of architecture experience to our residential and hospitality practice, with a unique blend of technical expertise, creative thinking, and a compassionate approach to design. At Workshop/APD, Sean’s work includes ground-up luxury homes and hotels, overseeing design coordination with a special emphasis on balancing aesthetics and practicality. Sean enjoys working on all project types and scales, leveraging his ability to create spaces with a holistic approach that responds to the needs of inhabitants. A native of Seoul, Korea, Sean earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Rhode Island School of Design before moving to New York in 2013 to work on residential, hospitality, and commercial projects. He is an avid golfer and loves to spend time with his wife and his cat, Eggbean.

In over 20 years at Workshop/APD, Stephan has seen hundreds of projects through from pre-design to successful completion, with a focus on highly-customized luxury homes. He believes that the secret to his long career at Workshop/APD is the ever-evolving nature of the firm and our field, noting that he “never had to change jobs because thankfully, my job keeps changing.” Stephan has always relished participating in the maturing of each project from a quick sketch to a very complex and highly refined finished home, and the many collaborative interactions with clients, teammates, consultants and contractors to make that happen. As managing director and a senior associate he leads a skilled group of architects and designers who benefit from his experience in high-end construction. Stephan encourages a mature, exploratory approach, and believes that a healthy level of playfulness in design – while still adhering to the core idea of each project and of course the highest standards of quality – results in extraordinary work.

A competitive kayak polo player, Tarika – also known as Pin – brings equal drive and determination to her design work. At Workshop/APD, Pin is dedicated to creating and developing interior architecture concepts and environments to fit clients’ needs, while meeting complex regulatory standards. A fan of ground-up construction, she enjoys being involved in all aspects of a project, aligning each piece of a complex puzzle and nurturing a design from inception to its realization. Not one to shy away from a challenge, she is inspired by hardworking colleagues, tackles experiences that push her to grow, and thrives on the ability to explore and discover through her design process. A graduate of The Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, Pin holds a BFA in architecture and a Master of Architecture.

For three generations, Workshop/APD principal architect Thomas Zoli’s family has helped to shape the Northeast’s architecture and infrastructure. Born to the building trades, he spent his early years on job sites learning to operate every piece of heavy machinery possible while honing an eye for building architecture and construction. Today, he is known for the development of strategic solutions for commissions of every type and scale, and his design work and project management reflect an incisiveness, practicality and institutional knowledge that is critical to project delivery.

Thomas’ considerable experience in architecture and construction- including nearly three decades of work in New York City architecture – result in designs that are as functional as they are memorable, resonating beyond transient notions of beauty. Since joining Workshop/APD as Director of Architecture in 2011, he has overseen all of the firm’s architectural output, bringing a technical mastery of space, light, technology and design to projects including major residential developments The Printing House, 88 & 90 Lexington Avenue and 111 Leroy Street; luxury estates in Nantucket, the Hamptons and Miami; numerous high-end apartments, townhouses, and commercial renovations in New York City; and hospitality and social living projects nationwide.

With considerable expertise in luxury residential and hospitality design, Tyler Wolcott brings the best of both practices to homes, hotels, restaurants, and more. After earning a Bachelor of Architecture – with a minor in theater design – from Syracuse University, Tyler came to New York City to begin his career in the high-end residential space. Intrigued by the intricacies of hospitality design, he began to practice in both sectors, working at renowned firms including Meyer Davis and Rockwell Group. As a design manager at Workshop/APD, he applies a holistic approach to both residential and hospitality projects, creating a cohesive design ethos and narrative lens for his team that thoughtfully incorporates the client’s aesthetic and functional requirements. Tyler believes that any space can bring comfort and ease, from the home to fine dining establishments, poolside cabanas to penthouse suites. He finds himself most inspired inside the hotels and restaurants his friends have designed and is always traveling to stay on top of the design innovations and industry trends.

A 17-year Workshop/APD veteran, Zach has been integral in shaping the firm’s identity from its earliest days. In 2012 he moved from New York City to Minneapolis, Minnesota, establishing our firm’s Great Lakes Region office and building a centralized team to more efficiently service clients in the Midwest and on the west coast. Today, he leads high-end residential and multi-family development projects across the US, overseeing design, day-to-day client relations, and project realization in close collaboration with the entire Workshop/APD team.

As a high school student in Sumner, Iowa, Zach discovered a love of art and geometry, leading to a five-year Bachelor of Architecture degree at the Iowa State University, followed by a Master of Architecture from Columbia University – selected for its position as a digital fabrication leader. There, he focused on architectural theory, honing 3D software skills and developing a lifelong interest in groundbreaking building technologies. He has been with Workshop/APD since graduation, cutting his teeth on high-end residential projects – where he became known for jaw-dropping kitchen designs – and focusing on developing the overarching client experience and journey. A decisive, technical designer, Zach enjoys owning the process from start to finish to ensure that the design intent is perfectly executed. He is passionate about collaborating with partners that will push the boundaries of fabrication and material to create a unique and impactful moment within a space and blurring the line between minimalist architecture and art.