Long Island CIty, NY Amie Gross Architects (AGA) has promoted Mauri Tamarin AIA to chief design and strategy officer and Alex La Ferla AIA has been promoted to principal. After significant expansion as leaders in the design of affordable multifamily housing and community-based facilities, the firm welcomes additional leadership who will work in tandem with AGA president, Amie Gross AIA, to expand its impact.
Tamarin will oversee project development through planning, design, and implementation with a particular emphasis on community engagement and integration. With experience deploying nimble planning to create dynamic communities without compromising budgets, her leadership comes at the important nexus of New York’s affordability crisis and public understanding of housing as a human right.
As principal, La Ferla will work closely with Gross on strategic business growth for the firm as it looks to increase its impact across the New York metro area and beyond, while using his experience as senior project manager to support critical, project-specific priorities. Among his responsibilities, he will serve as a steward for the firm’s sustainability efforts, ensuring each project maximizes both affordability and energy efficiency.
“Mauri and Alex have been exceptional members of the AGA team, and they each have made significant contributions to the housing, healthcare, and educational landscape in New York City,” said Gross. “As the firm continues to grow, Alex’s management skills and deep understanding of sustainability, and Mauri’s keen eye for the beautiful, are exactly what our clients need in this time of nationwide demand for affordable housing and community-based facilities.”
Tamarin has worked closely with AGA for 29 years, helping establish the firm as a leader in New York City’s affordable and supportive housing market. Her design ethos is to create buildings rooted in their surrounding communities and leverage design to address residents’ greatest needs. In her new role, she hopes to lead AGA in scaling its work across the city and beyond with key nonprofit developers. In addition to her role at AGA, Tamarin has served as a member of the Village of Larchmont’s Historical Society and Architectural Review Board, and as chair of the Larchmont Historic Preservation Task Force. She is a pioneer in the field of socially responsible architecture. As a founding board member of Architects / Designers / Planners for Social Responsibility, she helped guide the organization towards its leadership role in championing environmental protection and sustainable development which was recognized by the American Institute of Architects for its transforming efforts.
La Ferla joined AGA in 2015 after earning his Master of Architecture from the City University of New York Spitzer School of Architecture. He is particularly skilled at designing projects at the intersection of sustainability, affordability, and community need. Under his leadership, the AGA in-progress Hudson Hill project in Yonkers, NY received a NYSERDA Buildings of Excellence award for its low carbon design, which uses local materials including granite and native plantings. The award granted $1 million in funding to further enhance the project’s energy efficient design. His deft planning and strategy for every project will carry AGA forward as a strategic partner to developers looking to create affordable housing with quality, impactful design.