- Our studio
- Our history
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COOKFOX co-founders Rick Cook and Bob Fox have built a team of passionate, talented professionals who are pursuing a transformative vision: beautiful design shaped by a strong connection to place, the highest standards of sustainability, and a commitment to excellence enriched by the collaborative process. We designed our open studio environment to be a healthy, productive, creative workplace where together we can meet the urgent challenge of crafting beautiful, sustainable architecture.
The principles of collaboration and integrated design set the tone for every project at COOKFOX. We engage clients, developers, contractors, engineers, and public stakeholders early on, bringing diverse perspectives into the design process. Throughout every project and in our own workplace, we view open communication and continuous learning as essential investments. We believe inspiration can come from anywhere at any time, so our studio and design process leave room for unexpected insights and spontaneous connections to happen. This enables our architects and designers to engage in the focused, yet inherently playful pursuit of intellectual curiosity that often leads to the most innovative and effective solutions.
As part of our proactive effort to shift the mindset of those who shape our world, Rick Cook and Bob Fox joined Bill Browning and Chris Garvin to found Terrapin Bright Green, an environmental consulting firm, to make a global difference beyond architecture through green development, policy, and research. Advancing strategies for whole-systems thinking and collaborative methodology, Terrapin works in collaboration with non-profit, government, and private entities to reconnect people with nature and fundamentally improve health, productivity, and overall economic and environmental performance.
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Founded in 2003 by Rick Cook and Bob Fox, COOKFOX (formerly Cook + Fox) is devoted to designing beautiful, environmentally responsible, high-performance buildings. We are the first architectural firm to have designed three LEED Platinum projects in New York City: the Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park, the world's first LEED Platinum commercial skyscraper; a full-floor tenancy in the Empire State Building for Skanska Construction; and our own office in the Ladies' Mile Historic District, the first LEED Platinum project in New York State.
This experience is applied to current projects seeking to achieve standards "beyond LEED," including a facility for the Riverside Clay Tennis Association designed to fulfill the Living Building Challenge. COOKFOX is also the only architecture firm selected to advise Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability, which is tasked with setting New York City's green agenda for the next twenty years.
While we are proud of our LEED achievements, the true mission of COOKFOX is to further a vision of integrated design in which the disciplines of architecture and engineering merge to yield the greatest possible human and environmental performance. This dedication to the pursuit of exceptional sustainable design has been a central concern of Rick Cook and Bob Fox at every step of their professional lives.
Prior to co-founding COOKFOX, Bob Fox was a founding partner of Fox & Fowle Architects. Under his guidance, that firm rose to a prominent position of national leadership in sustainable high-rise building and urban design. Among the 30 major projects he completed in New York is the influential 4 Times Square - Condé Nast Headquarters, which set new standards for energy efficient high-rise buildings. Beginning in 1999, Bob Fox led the team that created the original Commercial and Residential Environmental Guidelines for the 92-acre Battery Park City Authority in Lower Manhattan. The Guidelines, which were later updated by COOKFOX, have resulted in the creation of 5 million square feet of LEED Gold and Platinum buildings, and are the first of their kind to be created for an entire urban neighborhood. Incorporating guidelines for energy efficiency, water, site, landscape, and materials, the Battery Park City guidelines influenced the development of LEED and set a standard for green buildings throughout New York City.
Rick Cook is most well known for innovative design at the highest standard of environmental responsibility. For 14 years, he led the firm Richard Cook & Associates, cultivating a broad portfolio ranging from master planning to various commercial and residential projects, with special expertise working in historic Landmark districts.
Under Rick's guidance, Richard Cook & Associates earned a number of awards for its projects, including a Charter Award from the Congress for New Urbanism for the Chelsea Grande and an AIA-NY Honor Award for Housing Design and AIA-National Multifamily Housing Award for the development of Historic Front Street at the South Street Seaport. At COOKFOX, Rick's work includes the world's first LEED Platinum commercial skyscraper, One Bryant Park, the first LEED Gold Broadway theater, the Stephen Sondheim Theater, and the LEED Platinum Live Work Home in Syracuse, New York.
Three years after co-founding COOKFOX, Rick Cook and Bob Fox joined Bill Browning and Chris Garvin to found Terrapin Bright Green. Terrapin is an environmental consulting firm and think tank for the built environment that focuses on advancing sustainable design through green development, policy, and research. The firm works in collaboration with non-profit, government, and private entities to achieve development goals in the most economically, socially, and environmentally responsible manner possible.
The work of COOKFOX is also shaped by the dedicated leadership of its Associate Partners. Since 1994, Dan Brammer has served as a senior designer, leading the conceptual design and development for a wide variety of projects, including the award winning Chelsea Grande, the Caroline, and two LEED Platinum interior projects - our office at 641 Avenue of the Americas, and Skanska USA's office in the Empire State Building. Serge Appel joined COOKFOX in 1996 and has since helped shape the architectural practice into an award-winning firm. Named an Associate Partner in 2007, Serge has worked closely with the firm's partners in playing a key role in many of our major projects. Serge has worked on all phases of planning, design, and construction for a range of buildings including responsibility for 360 Madison and his responsibilities as associate-in-charge of the 2.2 million square foot One Bryant Park. Associate Partner Peter Aaron provides over 30 years' experience to the firm. Since joining the firm in 2004, Peter has been in charge of several of our sustainable residential and office buildings, including the Lucida and the Hegeman. Prior to joining the firm, Peter was an Associate Partner with I.M. Pei & Partners. His significant expertise, along with the experience of Dan and Serge, have helped shape the direction of a body of work that merges concern for environmental stewardship with an engagement in the highest quality of architectural design.
The work of COOKFOX has been showcased at the National Building Museum, in the New Yorker and the Wall Street Journal, and in feature programs on PBS, the Discovery Channel, and National Geographic. The partners and other members of the firm have also spoken at the UN, the Economist Intelligent Infrastructure Conference, and have been interviewed on National Public Radio, among other notable venues.
- RICHARD A. COOK
- Partner
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I had the opportunity to once again work with my professional mentor and best friend. It was the simplest decision imaginable. There is some special quality about our working relationship that helps us make each other better. When the fit is right, the combination is above and beyond the individual strengths of both. This business is always personal. When I was a child, I was told, "If you find work that you love, you'll never have to work a day in your life." I love what I do. I am blessed with a profession that gives me the ability to do meaningful work, which has the potential to impact the world and make it a better place. EDUCATION
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- Robert F. Fox Jr.
- Partner
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Rick Cook is a master architect. I could not have a better partner. From One Bryant Park and through the work that we continue to do, it is an incredible opportunity for me and Rick to take everything we have learned, to take our total dedication and use all of our knowledge and talent in a combined way. And it's fun! On a scale of 1 to 10, our friendship is 11 and our partnership is 1. That's our operating principle. EDUCATION
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- Peter Aaron
- Associate Partner
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I grew up in New York City in a West End Avenue pre-war apartment, and the architecture and atmosphere of that neighborhood has been a strong influence in my personal direction. My design mettle was forged working with I.M. Pei, where I learned about immersion in design, attention to detail and quality of construction. My first exposure to sustainability was "Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth" by Buckminster Fuller. Now, at COOKFOX, there is an exciting convergence of my concerns for stewardship of our planet and engagement in architectural work. EDUCATION
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- Serge Appel
- Associate Partner
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Architecture snuck up on me one day. Never mind my father the architect or my youth journeying to where buildings boomed or my fascination with geometry; still Architecture could catch me by surprise. When I was seeking definition, I was asked "Did you ever consider Architecture?" I hadn't then but I have every day since. EDUCATION
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- Luca Baraldo
- Associate
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From my father, I inherited a passion for craftsmanship and for the qualities of different materials. From my mother, I learned of the seduction of textures and the importance of every stitch. I grew up in Verona and have lived in Venice, Lille, Paris, Milan and New York, discovering a little bit more about myself and my love for architecture along the way. Now at COOKFOX, I have learned to hone my craft across all scales of design, pursuing my passion for interiors and fine-tuning our projects. EDUCATION
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- Daniel Brammer
- Associate Partner
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When I was 10 years old I would sleep-walk, find a pencil or crayon and draw on the walls. After discouraging reviews from my parents, this habit disappeared. For more than 18 years here at COOKFOX I have been allowed to draw on pretty much whatever I want, for a variety of projects. EDUCATION
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- Pam Campbell
- Senior Associate
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In London, I learned about the many varied shades of Purple. In Stuttgart, I was taught to use exact shades of Dunkelgelb and Himmelblau. In New York, I have learned the importance of making buildings Green. Unfortunately, I still mostly wear Black. EDUCATION
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- Chris Garvin
- Senior Associate
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Spending my youth on the islands off the coast of Georgia, I developed an affection for the natural cycles of the river ecology and seasons. In addition, I grew up around residential construction sites because of my father's real estate business, which fired my desire to make useful things for people. This general interest in nature and an interest in benefiting society directed my energies towards architecture and sustainability. Traveling to Europe inspired my imagination toward modern design and the infinite possibilities of design and construction in the modern city influenced my decision to move to New York after graduating from university. EDUCATION
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- Caroline Karlsen
- Associate
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I grew up, studied and lived in Germany until I received a scholarship from my university to continue my education in the US. Rick Cook taught my studio at New Jersey Institute of Technology and at the end of the year he offered me the opportunity to work for his firm. I was thrilled at the opportunity to work on projects in New York City. Bob Fox joined the firm only half a year later and I started working on One Bryant Park, the 2 million square foot high-rise in midtown Manhattan. This project incorporates many environmentally responsive techniques and it awoke my interest in LEED. Several years later it feels like my education has come full circle and I am proud to work on sustainable architecture in a studio atmosphere. EDUCATION
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- Amanda Lehman
- Associate
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My path towards architecture began romantically doing restoration training at the St. Antoine Abbey in eastern France. I continued training in restoration in Europe and Southeast Asia eventually ending up at the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission. I took an 8 year respite from New York going to Architecture school in New Orleans and working in San Francisco where environmental sustainability began to interest me. I am fortunate to now work at COOKFOX in a collaborative office devoted to design where I can continue to pursue my interest in integrating history, context and environmental sustainability. EDUCATION
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- Natalia Martinez-Livian
- Associate
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As a child, I excelled in art class. My teacher often displayed my projects and once praised a bright, crocheted flower masterpiece I had crafted. However, in junior high I struggled for recognition with more accomplished students. It was a battle to maintain an average grade. Amongst the papier-mâché sculptures and collages, I felt I no longer belonged. Then, while learning perspective drawing techniques, the instructor asked us to design a house. Setting my pencil to paper, I envisioned limitless possibilities. The design of the building escapes me, but I remember the excitement I felt realizing my ability to understand and compose the space. I received my first "A" in that class, and chose architecture as my life-long "project." EDUCATION
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- Fred Metzger
- Senior Associate
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I love New York - as someone who grew up here and currently lives and works here, I enjoy having the opportunity to shape the city around me. At Cook+Fox Architects, I have been able to broaden my appreciation of New York through extensive experience in historic preservation, renovation & addition, largely through the use of 3D visualization technology. This firm has enabled me to learn from a diverse body of individuals with unique sets of skills and talents, and hopefully my ability and background have proved valuable to those around me. EDUCATION
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- Darin Gregory Reynolds
- Senior Associate
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I am an architect. I design buildings. I must understand the materials of building - wood, steel, brick, concrete - and the systems of building - structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing. I must understand the building process as well as the social and environmental impacts a building may have upon its site, surroundings and inhabitants. I work as part of a team: Architecture is the product of many hands. I do not design and build buildings; we design and build buildings. COOKFOX shares my belief that teamwork is integral to the process of Architecture, and I am proud that my hands are working with the many others here, to create strong, passionate and informed Architecture. EDUCATION
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- Mark Rusitzky
- Senior Associate
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While I was in architecture school, I spent a summer building a traditional smoke sauna in Finland. We spent the first 6 weeks taking apart an existing log structure piece by piece to use the wood and other materials for the new building. Though the country is covered with forests, all of the resources are treated with importance. The words Green or Sustainable were never mentioned (in English or Finnish); it was simply part of the culture. After I graduated, I have been fortunate to work on several projects that have carried on these principles. EDUCATION
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- Brandon Specketer
- Associate
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Growing up in Oklahoma, I developed a deep connection to the land and the expansive horizon that was always in front of me. In school, this commitment to the natural environment around us was reinforced, but the ideas of sustainable or green design were never mentioned: it was simply understood to be an integral part of what defines good design. After moving to New York, the horizon line I grew up with dramatically rotated to vertical. I still spend most of my time looking up in awe; however, I've also been fortunate enough to work with friends here at COOKFOX who are just as connected to the green spaces and rivers of this island as they are to the design of the built environment surrounding us. EDUCATION
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- Arzan Sam Wadia
- Associate
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As a child in Bombay, I would accompany my dad to construction sites. Seeing the transformation from a dusty beat up site to a beautiful space was exhilarating and inspired me to become an architect. Relentless curiosity is in my nature and practicing architecture has opened up a whole new world of exploration. As I grew up, I tinkered with motorcycles, not realizing that I was honing problem solving skills that would eventually unlock future opportunities. Technology, especially computers and the way they shape our lives, has always piqued my interest. COOKFOX allows me to do both: work on the greenest skyscraper in the world and solve technological problems that help shape the firm's direction. But riding my motorcycle to work every day awakens my senses like nothing else. EDUCATION
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