Workshop/apd: Matthew Berman and Andrew Kotchen

Winner of the Sustainable Design Competition for Global Green’s Holy Cross Project, Workshop/apd has been recognized as one of New York’s Top 50 Designers. Founded in 1999 by principals Andrew Kotchen and Matthew Berman, the firm specializes in renovations, new construction, and commercial development – with an emphasis on practices that reduce the impact of the built environment on the natural one.

In August 2006, Competition judges recognized the architects’ unique take on rebuilding New Orleans responsibly with a revolutionary approach to bringing ecologically sound design to low-cost housing. Their winning design, “GREEN.O.LA” focused on “permaculture and the rebuilding of life and verdancy in Holy Cross.” According to Kotchen and Berman: “We work toward synthesizing the often problematic restraints of context with a modern and progressive understanding of contemporary life. We look for this connection in all of our work and seek to interpret it through a present-day use of space and material.”

Workshop/apd’s studio environment benefits from a diverse body of professional experience covering architecture, master planning, interior design, sustainable design, construction management, landscape design, furniture design, and graphic design. The firm’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Metropolitan Home, Architectural Record, House Beautiful and Interior Design.