Shaun Joseph
Shaun Joseph
Job Captain
Arquitectura
Year Joined: 2025
Education and Certifications:
- Bachelor of Architecture, New York Institute of Technology
Professional Background: During his undergraduate studies at New York Institute of Technology, he served as Director and project manager for Freedom By Design, the AIA’s community service program. Shaun developed a strong foundation in community-driven design, focusing on practical, impactful solutions that improve everyday life.
With significant experience in educational and cultural projects, Shaun has worked as an Architectural Designer at Perkins Eastman, where he explored various typologies and cited culture as a defining influence on his approach to design. He later served as an Associate Architectural Designer at WeWork, developing spaces across retail, shared work environments, and corporate headquarters. At Rawlings Architects, his focus shifted to adaptive reuse projects and educational architecture, further expanding his expertise in transformative design.
Position: Shaun Joseph believes that architecture should be a direct response to social issues, offering solutions that meet users’ needs. His position includes production of construction documents, collaborating with consultants in the construction administration phase, and handling the day-to-day needs of an active project.
Personal Life: Shaun remains deeply engaged in the community, continuously exploring how architecture can solve complex challenges in urban environments and contribute to meaningful social impact.
Leading Architects Think Smaller
Leading Architects Think Smaller
Tax breaks pave way for more projects with different scopes
By Jake Indursky | Research By Matthew Elo and Joseph JungerMann
FOR ARCHITECTS, 2024 WAS A TALE IN TWO parts. They spent the first half stuck in the mud as developers waited for housing policy clarity and the second half in a welcome return to form.
“In the second half, we started getting some movement — some market-rate housing, office conversions into housing and different things like that — as people started to learn about these new abatements and new affordability programs,” Aufgang principal Ariel Aufgang said.
Many of the top firms on The Real Deal’s rankings, which take into consideration the number of permits filed with the Department of Buildings, held onto previous spots. Gensler and SLCE retained their pole positions for alterations and new builds, respectively.
“We did better in 2024 than what we did during Covid and 2023,” said SLCE partner Saky Yakas, whose firm is working on projects like the Flatiron Building conversion and One Times Square.
Despite legislative life rafts, architects confirmed that the new state of play — high interest rates, cost uncertainty and tricky zoning — requires a keener eye. It may mean more business compared to years past, but the scope of architectural projects has changed as developers contort building plans for new tax breaks.
“You have to be a solid developer now for development,” said JFA chief operating officer and partner Ben Grunwald. “You have to know what you’re doing… if you know what you’re doing, at least, you could have a game plan.”
City of “at last”
City of Yes’s passage opened up a world of opportunity for architects. It also opened up a world of work. “Owners immediately wanted us to see what the implications were,” said Yakas, who has already added floors and units and upgraded drawings on three affordable housing projects across Brooklyn and Queens.
The plan’s Universal Affordability Preference, which replaces the city’s Voluntary Inclusionary Program, grants 20 percent density bonuses to projects if all of the extra space is dedicated to permanently affordable housing.
City of Yes also created more housing production opportunities, including loosening of parking minimums and the inclusion of denser R11 and R12 zoning.
CetraRuddy founding principal Nancy Ruddy said that the real driver of business for her firm this year has been office-to-residential conversions, spurred by City of Yes expanding the convertible building stock.
“That has been a major source of work and construction jobs, even clients who have never done renovations and conversions,” said Ruddy, whose firm is working on the nation’s largest conversion, 25 Water Street in the Financial District.
Perhaps more surprising is the surge of office-to-office conversions. Developers are increasingly looking to upgrade existing office buildings as demand for quality office space has surged, according to Kohn Pederson Fox principal Forth Bagley. Manhattan’s first-quarter vacancy rate was 17.7 percent, according to Savills.
The industry also finally got clarity on 485x last year. While the industry breathed a sigh of relief at receiving a fresh tax abatement, architects are now working with developers to adhere to deeper affordability and prevailing wage requirements.
“People are looking for smaller deals — clients that used to build 500-unit buildings are now looking at 100-unit buildings or less,” Grunwald said. Whether that’s good news for architects depends on whom you’re asking.
“It’s counterproductive, frankly,” said Hill West founding partner David West. He said that developers are looking to break sites into multiple smaller buildings when possible, or in the case of one planned 450 unit tower, pausing all together.
Even then, sites being broken up into several buildings requires multiple lobbies, multiple elevator cores, double the management staff and double the application and permit filings for architects, he said. “I think it’s an unintended consequence,” West said. “I don’t think the tax abatement rules should be driving the decision-making.”
Show me the money
Affordable housing projects have proven especially crucial — if they land financing.
“The biggest problem now is there are more projects than there’s funding,” said Curtis + Ginsberg partner Mark Ginsberg, who has a number of projects on hold until clients can get funding.
Architects have found success this year through the city’s efforts to rehabilitate New York City Housing Authority properties through its Permanent Affordability Commitment Together program, which allows land to be leased to developers who complete needed repairs
Aufgang is working with developers on three different projects in the Bronx and Brooklyn where units are being renovated “top to bottom,” he said.
Recently, though, the Trump administration has turned its eye on federal affordable housing funding, which could further threaten many projects’ cash streams.
Despite months of tariff whiplash and stubbornly high interest rates, architects looking ahead feel they have navigated the Covid trough and can visualize the next boom cycle.
“There’s this pent-up need of wanting to develop, we’re seeing a real parallel between what happened after Covid and what happened after the 2008 and 2009 recession,” Ruddy said. “A city like New York always comes back.” TRD
Supportive Housing and Transient Shelters
Supportive Housing and Transient Shelters
Emergency supportive housing and shelters can differ drastically in what is needed for their residents, depending on whether they are serving families or single adults. This portfolio displays a variety of shelters, both new construction and building conversions.
Affordable Housing
Affordable Housing
To accommodate the increasing demand for affordable housing for America’s workforce, Aufgang has been dedicated to creating many reliable and attractive options. This portfolio shows some of the newest projects that have shaped the city skyline.
Cultural, Commercial, and Community Facility
Cultural, Commercial, and Community Facility
In addition to residential and mixed-use projects, Aufgang also has designed commercial projects such as offices, schools, and retail. This portfolio includes both new construction and adaptive reuse of historical buildings.
Low Rise
Low Rise
Apartments of 4-6 stories are preferred over high-rises in the suburbs and in certain city neighborhoods. This portfolio showcases a variety of market-rate projects across New York State.
Market Rate Residential
Market Rate Residential
Some of Aufgang’s most elegant designs appear in the market rate collection, with many featuring desirable amenities, gorgeous rooftop views, and beautiful interiors. This portfolio shows some of the firm’s most unique designs.
Kelly Correia
Kelly Correia
Bookkeeper
Year Joined: 2024
Education and Certifications:
- Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, Iona University
Professional Background: Kelly is a former CPA and most recently ran a small business for 7 years, which she successfully sold in 2023.
Position: In her role as Bookkeeper, Kelly assists the Controller with various financial, accounting and administrative tasks.
Personal Life: Kelly enjoys spending time with her family, especially on the beach in LBI and taking long walks with her mastiff Tilly. Her favorite hobby is physical fitness and in her spare time has been teaching barre classes for the past 17 years.
Kristian Lugja
Kristian Lugja
Job Captain
Arquitectura
Year Joined: 2024
Education and Certifications:
- Bachelor of Architecture, New York City College of Technology
Professional Background: Kristian Lugja is a passionate and innovative architecture professional with extensive experience utilizing a wide range of architectural software tools. Known for his creative problem-solving abilities and a keen eye for detail, he has a clear vision for designing functional and dynamic 3D spaces.
Starting his career as an intern at Bertolini Architecture Works, Kristian gained valuable hands-on experience with site visits and reports. He then advanced his career at Ismael Leyva Architects, where he played an integral role in project development, from the initial schematic design phase through to the final issue for construction.
Throughout his career, Kristian has contributed to a variety of projects located in New York City, Florida, and Albania. These diverse experiences have allowed him to refine his design approach and develop a deep understanding of how to address unique architectural challenges while creating innovative, sustainable spaces.
With a commitment to pushing the boundaries of design, Kristian continues to evolve as an architect, delivering high-quality solutions that are both functional and visually impactful.
Position: Kristian’s role as Job Captain includes production of construction documents and coordinating between consultants involved in a given project and helping with daily needs on other active projects.
Personal Life: Outside of architecture, Kristian enjoys playing soccer in his spare time and values spending quality time with his family & friends.
DonDedrick Walker
DonDedrick Walker
Job Captain
Rehabilitation and Preservation
Year Joined: 2025
Education and Certifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree of Architecture, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
- Master of Science, Facilities Management
Professional Background: DonDedrick brings over 17 years of experience to Aufgang, beginning his career by working in the field as a junior in High School in 2007. He has experience in all project phases from Schematic Design through Construction Administration. He has worked on a wide variety of buildings, such as single family, multi-family, and luxury residential, as well as K-12 schools, higher education, hospitals, municipal and commercial.
Position: At Aufgang, his projects involve rehabilitation and preservation construction documentation for sets of existing residential buildings in the New York area.
Personal Life: Outside of work, Don enjoys fishing, recreational sports, cooking, reading and freelance design.