Following our previous visit to Desai Chia Architecture, we are keeping our Meet Your Next Employer series in New York this week to explore the work of nARCHITECTS.

Founded in 1999 by Eric Bunge and Mimi Hoang, the firm describes its mission as to “engage with critical issues that are transforming cultural spaces, civic buildings and housing.” Today, the firm has built a portfolio spanning new buildings, transformations, and public spaces, both in the U.S. and abroad, “with a goal of uniting social and environmental resiliency with spatial invention.”

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for a Communications and Business Development Manager to join their team. For candidates interested in applying for a position or anybody interested in learning more about the firm’s output, we have rounded up three innovative projects by nARCHITECTS that exemplify the firm’s ethos.

A/D/O, Brooklyn, NY

A design space in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, A/D/O was founded by MINI to provide a multidisciplinary platform for designers while fostering broader conversations about urban life. Located in a former warehouse, the 23,000-square-foot space blends areas for events, exhibitions, design education, a fabrication lab, communal workspaces, a design shop, and the Norman restaurant.

The building’s transformation combines old and new elements such as the “reconstituted graffiti” wall, where original graffiti-covered bricks were reused alongside modern glass facades, particularly at the entrance. Meanwhile, a kaleidoscopic periscope merges reflections of the Brooklyn and Manhattan skylines, symbolically uniting the city within the design space.

Chicago Navy Pier, Chicago, IL

nARCHITECTS formed part of a team led by James Corner Field Operations to redesign Chicago’s Navy Pier, known as Pierscape, the state’s most popular tourist spot. Pierscape seeks to revitalize Navy Pier as a social and recreational hub, reconnecting it to the city while enhancing pedestrian connection to Lake Michigan. The architectural elements are divided into two scales: large structures blending with the landscape, and smaller objects that frame views of the lake.

At the pier’s entrance, nARCHITECTS designed the Info Tower, a glass-clad beacon with a chrome pattern that reflects the surrounding environment, creating a playful contrast with the city skyline. The South Dock Promenade features the Wave Wall, a louvered façade inspired by Rome’s Spanish Steps, transitioning into a grand stair leading to an amusement park with views of the lake. Elsewhere, a series of Lake Pavilions feature undulating stainless steel canopies, reflecting the rippling water and offering shaded spots along the pier while small kiosks along the water’s edge, clad in alternating wood and stainless steel panels, create dynamic visual experiences that shift based on direction.

Carmel Place, Kips Bay, NY

Formerly known as My Micro NY, Carmel Place became the city’s first micro apartment complex when completed in 2016. Developed with Monadnock Development as part of the adAPT NYC initiative under former Mayor Bloomberg, Carmel Place features 55 micro-apartments ranging from 260 to 360 square feet. The project received several zoning overrides, allowing for smaller units and greater density, and set a new standard for micro-living with shared amenities and modular construction.

The building is designed as four slender “mini towers” that resemble the city skyline, with setbacks to adapt to various urban sites. The design emphasizes small community living rather than highlighting individual units, with 40% of the apartments designated as affordable, including units for homeless veterans. As the tallest modular building in Manhattan, the construction involved prefabricating 65 steel modules in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and transporting them to the site, reducing construction noise and improving quality control.

Meet Your Next Employer is one of a number of ongoing weekly series showcasing the opportunities available on our industry-leading job board. Our Job Highlights series looks at intriguing and topical employment opportunities currently available on Archinect Jobs, while our weekly roundups curate job opportunities by location, career level, and job description.