Kapell launches think! architecture and design

Martin Kapell, until recently a partner at WASA/Studio A, has opened a new architecture office in Hudson Square: think! architecture and design. As the firm's name indicates, the structure of the office is predicated on a thoughtful consideration of past experience and best practices, and it is based on the premise that a small, intensely focused group of architects working in a highly collaborative structure is the best means to achieve superior architecture - from design through project completion. Although think! is committed to general practice, it is currently designing several multi-family residential projects. Among these are 267 Rogers Ave., a 125,000 s/f, 165-unit rental building in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, and 421 Kent Ave., an ultra-high-end 440,000 s/f, 216-unit condominium in Williamsburg. The firm is also building on Kapell's expertise in the design of performance spaces with current projects at La Mama, the off-Broadway theater company, and the recently completed master plan for Symphony Space. Kapell has been working as an architect in New York since the early 1980's, first as a partner at Kapell & Kostow Architects, then in collaboration with Charles Tannhauser and Jack Esterson at TEK. For the last eight years, he has been the senior design partner at WASA/Studio A, a firm with which he still maintains a professional relationship. In addition, think! has established an ongoing joint venture with the Spector Group, think!/Spector, to pursue larger projects by combining think!'s design capabilities with Spector's acknowledged leadership in the industry. The two firms are already working together on several projects. "think! was born out of my desire to change the way we design buildings and serve our clients. The structure of this office reflects what I've learned about design, practice and the business of architecture over the past thirty years. I am more energized and enthusiastic than I have ever been, because I'm already experiencing the benefit of what we've set out to do," said Kapell.