About COOKFOX Architects, DPC

We are a collaborative studio working to meet the urgent challenge of creating beautiful architecture that is more responsive to social, cultural and ecological needs. COOKFOX Architects was founded in 2003 by Rick Cook and Bob Fox to pursue beautiful, innovative and sustainable design. Now led by Rick and eight partners, our core mission is to create environmentally responsible, holistic and biophilic architecture that fosters occupant well-being and a healthy urban landscape. Our work ranges in scope from small jewel projects to complex urban transformations, spanning multifamily residential and single-family homes to institutional and commercial projects. Our predecessor firm, Richard Cook & Associates, was founded in 1996 and became known for refined contemporary architecture in New York City’s historic districts, such as Historic Front Street and The Caroline, as well as institutional work such as The Ross Institute Center for Well-Being.  Prior to co-founding COOKFOX, Bob Fox was a founding partner of Fox & Fowle Architects. Under his guidance, that firm rose to a position of national leadership in sustainable high-rise building and urban design. Bob led the team that created the 1999 Commercial and Residential Environmental Guidelines for Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan; later updated by COOKFOX, they 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 written for an entire urban neighborhood. We design high-performance, environmentally responsive spaces that meet the highest standards of environmental performance. Our projects include the LEED Platinum One Bryant Park; Skanska Construction’s office in the Empire State Building; and our former studio in the Flatiron District, the first LEED Platinum project in New York State. Our current studio is certified both LEED Platinum and WELL Gold. Several new projects will meet standards “beyond LEED,” including a facility for the Riverside Clay Tennis Association in Riverside Park designed to fulfill the Living Building Challenge; and Betances V, a senior affordable housing and community facility in the Bronx designed for Passive House certification. We seek out projects that will create positive urban transformation, and are often retained for our ability to lead large and diverse project teams, client groups and public stakeholders through complex public approvals by city and state agencies. When the 2.2 million square-foot One Bryant Park tower became the first skyscraper in the world to achieve LEED Platinum certification, it transformed the market, shifted thinking about modern building design and real estate development in New York and other American cities, and achieved at large scale many of the green building movement’s most transformative ideas. Since then we have completed City Point, a 1.6 million square foot complex of retail, office, entertainment and high-rise residential building in Downtown Brooklyn that has become a catalyst for a more vibrant, more diverse urban community. On the West Side of Manhattan, we are currently reimagining the historical St. John’s Terminal into the next generation of high-performance, biophilic workplace. Including retail and affordable and elder housing, the design improves neighborhood access to the Hudson River and weaves nature into the urban ecosystem. To expand our presence in the green building movement, Rick and Bob joined Bill Browning in 2006 to create Terrapin Bright Green, a sister environmental consulting and strategic planning firm. Now an independent firm, Terrapin advises clients on green development, public and corporate policy, and environmental performance strategies. Among our collaborations is the publication of 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design. Environmental stewardship forms the core our designs, from an urban scale to interior materials and detailing. We believe that healthy environments are physically, visually and psychologically connected to nature; accordingly follow principles of biophilia, health and wellness. We highlight the innate connection between humans and the living systems around us, using our own biological preferences to create spaces that are not only environmentally responsible but foster the greatest health and well-being of their occupants. We believe a truly healthy and sustainable built world includes everyone. We are deeply committed to social equality in our work and operations, and passionate advocates of architecture that promotes equality. In addition to designing affordable and supportive housing for low-income and senior residents in New York, COOKFOX has designed a hospital visitors pavilion in Siem Reap, Cambodia, as well as a STEM school for at-risk children in Phnom Penh. We encourage diversity and fairness in hiring and in all facets of our practice. We pursue architecture that restores, regenerates and elevates the human condition in our urban environment. COOKFOX is dedicated to integrated, environmentally responsive design. We believe good design is sustainable and we are committed to being wise stewards of our shared natural and cultural resources. Guided by our passion for excellence, belief in the collaborative process, and persistent curiosity, COOKFOX pursues projects that allow us to fundamentally re-think how people interact with buildings and the natural environment. With a deeply held sense of responsibility to our mission, COOKFOX seeks out projects of all scales and building types, engaging in those through which we can explore inventive responses to environmental and social issues. Our work reflects our passion for creativity and embodies our highest beliefs and the brightest ambitions of our generation. Collaborating with our clients, we reconnect buildings with the systems that support life, enabling our projects to make a positive impact today and benefit generations to come. Starting with intensive research, we seek to understand each unique project in its environmental, cultural, and historical context. The work we do engages with layers of time and promotes a strong sense of place. Inspired by the legacy of artistry in architecture, we use technology and traditional techniques to bring the distinctive qualities of well-crafted materials and details into every project. Inspired by biophilia – a love of and connection to nature – we pursue architecture that restores, regenerates, and elevates our collective experience of the urban environment.