New York, NY
Abelow Sherman Architects LLC is a uniquely attentive architectural firm based in New York City. In this practice the two partners, David Abelow and David Sherman, are personally very involved in each and every project, limiting the amount of commissions that can be accepted at any one time. The staff consists of seven highly talented architects and designers who have worked together for many years, and have deep and diverse resumes pre-dating their arrival at Abelow Sherman. Most of the staff has been with the firm for eight years or more, enjoying the responsibility, professionalism and collegial environment. Their collaborative skills are well-honed, and the results are an honest form of architecture -- materials, texture, color, form and light interact in sometimes surprising ways, but always in a genuine manner, with a clarity of purpose.
The members of the firm have seasoned experience with many of the challenges facing architects in the New York area. Abelow Sherman utilize their knowledge to lead a process that is as methodical as is possible, and that delivers to each client their best efforts. Precision, creativity, and technical expertise are always committed, and the solutions tailored to the particular project type and budget.
Project commissions generally come from word-of-mouth referral, and as a result, the firm tends to fly under the radar of the media's view of the practice of architecture. The relationships Abelow Sherman Architects has forged with contractors, craftspeople, and consultants maintain a continuity and shorthand for problem solving, and this environment is reflected in the harmony sought in the aesthetic approach. To paraphrase a quotation of unknown origin: the firm seeks to create architecture characterized by a "simplicity that lies not before complexity but on the far side of it".
Style is not as relevant as the dialogue between the historic context in which most of the projects are found (either a building structure, or a more urban-scaled context), and contemporary architectural expression. The results cannot be summed up with a word; they are influenced not only by the sensibility of the client, but by proportion, materiality, and crafts that span centuries, from wet plaster to digital laser cutting. The work is sustainable in the broadest sense of the word, in that we hope it gives lasting pleasure.