Profile

Our work process can be compared to sculpting in a broader sense. Elements which determine this process are the client, his or her vision; the site in its material and non-material context; the craftspeople with their skills, experience and dedication; the materials with all their physical properties; advanced technologies in design and construction and our own skills, thoughts and experience.

It is essential to our approach that we work in various scales and fields of design. Tom Winter Architects designed light sculptures and interiors, furniture and ground-up buildings. We do not limit ourselves to one segment of design. Residential rehabs, retail stores, yoga studios, new houses, apartment buildings and cultural buildings as well as architectural competitions are projects that cross fertilize each other and keep our thinkingagile.

In our design process, we are unaffected by prevailing trends or styles. We seek simplicity in the project’s complexity. We minimize of-the-shelf solutions. But we maximize the use of simple custom details.We are dedicated to precise and durable implementation. In its result, our architecture aims to be conceptual as well as sensual, smart in function and sustainable in the use of resources and performance. This is accomplished by a comprehensivemethod:While dismissing fragmentation in our work process, we promote the interaction of all elements involved and thus set free their creative and innovative potential.

To our clients we show aesthetic possibilities, suggest sustainable solutions and question customary concepts. We give guidance to develop and enhance their vision and thus are able to form a stronger conceptual foundation.

In order to assure high standards of construction, an intense collaboration with the trades throughout the entire design and implementation process is essential to our method of operation. Tom Winter Architects is located in the Morgan Fine Arts Building, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. We share the building with more than 80 artists and craftspeople. We maintain a continuous dialogue with sculptors, painters, steel workers, carpenters and many more. We use their shops for creative prototyping, real scale detail mock-ups and material inspiration. We experiment with material compositions and help pushing the limits in constructability.

As we explore new design and construction techniques, we also adopt advanced technologies – as far as required by our design framework. Technology is not sought for its own sake but is considered a means for design, implementation and performance. Specific project requirements turn into inputs and impulses for further technological developments.

In our integrative approach, all parties involved learn from each other. Here is where the circle comes to a closure. Drawing on our cumulative experience, we are able to approach each project in a fresh and unique way, with a "beginner’s mind".

As we provide aesthetically refined solutions that fit the site, suit the client and serve the community, sustainability in a deeper sense emerges: a long-lasting, significant architecture that connects sculptural qualities with the requirements of modern life anchored in the dynamic flow of time.