Vanessa D'Avila
Vanessa D'Avila
Job Captain
Rehabilitation and Preservation
Year Joined: 2025
Education and Certifications:
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Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture, La Gran Colombia University, Bogota, Colombia
Professional Background: Vanessa brings extensive architectural experience, beginning in Bogotá, Colombia, where she contributed to the design and construction of police stations. In the U.S., she has collaborated on a diverse range of projects, including high-end and multifamily residential developments, modernization and expansion of K-12 schools in Florida, and civic projects such as fire stations and infrastructure upgrades like the I-95 highway expansion. Skilled in all phases of design and construction from conceptual development to punch lists and project closeout, she ensures precision, functionality, and compliance at every stage.
Position: As part of the Rehabilitation and Preservation Team, Vanessa supports all stages of projects, preparing permit sets for residential buildings in New York and South Florida
Personal Life: When Vanessa isn’t designing spaces, her eye extends to architectural and urban photography. She enjoys the disciplined challenge of learning Japanese and the practical creativity of assembling furniture. Her two energetic dogs bring daily laughter and joy, while her love for painting and travel from neighborhood gems to international destinations fuels her design sensibility. What truly defines her is an insatiable curiosity; she approaches both life and architecture with a learner’s mindset, always seeking to grow.
Shaun Joseph
Shaun Joseph
Job Captain
Architecture
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.
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
Architecture
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.