dD+P reimagined @CornellUniversity ’s Fernow Hall to solve a pressing challenge: how to create a modern, high-performing academic space without losing the character of a landmark on the National Register of Historic Places. Through a thoughtful rehabilitation, a sustainable new addition, and landscape design that includes a rain garden and green roof, the team created LEED Gold-certified classrooms, offices, and research spaces for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The result is a welcoming place where students and faculty can learn, experiment with sustainable plantings, and innovate in an environment that supports both people and the planet.
#HigherEducation #EducationalArchitecture #University
The original Flatbush Avenue Station was once central to Brooklyn’s urban character, but time left it beyond repair. With its demolition, one of the borough’s most storied intersections was left empty. dD+P’s Atlantic Terminal Complex fills that void with purpose, providing an award-winning @MTA hub that connects eight subway lines and the @MTALIRR . Focused on the passenger experience, the terminal features a light-filled entry pavilion. Beyond the terminal, dD+P delivered retail guidelines and infrastructure upgrades, earning recognition from @NYLandmarks and @SARANYCouncil , among others.
⭐ Featured Artwork — “Overlook” by Allan & Ellen Wexler for @MTAArtsDesign
Image by @JohnBartelstone
#MTA #Transit
🐠 When Hurricane Sandy damaged exhibit spaces at @NYAquarium , the Brooklyn-based institution chose to turn a setback into an opportunity for renewal. With help from dD+P and @TheWCS Exhibition and Graphic Arts Department, the Aquarium was able to reimagine their spaces as immersive and inclusive environments for visitors of all ages. Combining architectural, engineering, and exhibit expertise, the design team developed hands-on learning features, bilingual signage, and engaging graphics. Now, the Aquarium offers an even more welcoming experience that builds a lasting connection to wildlife, discovery, and shared family learning.
#NewYorkAquarium #ConeyIsland #Aquarium
After Hurricane Sandy damaged the original PS 256Q in Far Rockaway, Queens, dD+P delivered a replacement that meets FEMA flood standards and provides flexible spaces to support the diverse needs of the school’s student body.
PS 256Q serves many Pre-K through 5th-grade children on the autism spectrum, and that fact informed choices such as color coding and wayfinding to address hyper- and hypo-sensitivity. As a result, the new PS 256Q is a place of safety and security that helps all students discover the joys of learning.
Photo by @Perciballi_Industries@NYCSCAgram@NYCSchools #SchoolConstructionAuthority #NYCSCA #SchoolDesign #School
🚆 As the Washington, D.C., region expanded Metro service along its Silver Line to Dulles Airport and beyond, @MetroForward needed above‑ground stations that could feel unmistakably “Metro” and work within a busy, infrastructure‑heavy corridor. dD+P answered by translating Harry Weese’s iconic barrel‑vault motif from the original underground Metro stations into a contemporary, above‑ground design tailored to the Northern Virginia landscape. For riders, that means stations that are easier to read and more welcoming. The five new stations are characterized by daylight, natural ventilation, and environmentally responsible materials. Delivered through a collaborative process with multiple stakeholders, the work strengthens reliability and improves the experience for commuters and airport travelers alike.
#WMATA #Transit
🌼 Last week, we celebrated dD+P’s annual Spring Fling potluck. Thank you to all the studio members that helped make this event happen!
#DDPStudio #DesignStudio #Architecture #Design
📍 dD+P is presenting at the @AmericanPlanningAssociation #NPC26!
Janice Chu will be presenting “Generative AI: Catalyst for Civic Co-Design and Aspirations” on 04/26 @ 2:00pm.
⭐ With a focus on socially responsible planning, Janice will examine how Generative AI can help:
- Support engagement for diverse stakeholders
- Complement traditional engagement tactics to reduce bias
- Foster ownership in the planning process and translate ideas into actionable, equitable insights
- Unlock research and development strategies for innovative, community-focused, transit-oriented planning
The presentation will build on co-creation ideas that dD+P, along with @SunnysideShines and the @QueensLightingCollective , tested while developing the Sunnyside Public Realm Vision Plan in Queens, NY.
Additionally, Munsun Park, Senior Director of Transit Oriented Development at the @MTA , will be presenting “Zoning for a City That Moves: Unlocking Potential” on 04/26 @ 10:30am.
⭐ Link in bio to learn more!
#APA #AmericanPlanningAssociation #Planning #ItTakesAPlanner
🌱 Happy Earth Day! At dD+P, green design is at the core of our practice, with sustainable strategies integrated into each of our projects from their outset. At every opportunity, we advocate for sustainability strategies that go beyond meeting baseline criteria, emphasizing awareness of environmental impacts and effects on occupant wellbeing.
Project Spotlight:
⭐ Pierson-Humphrey Passive House
Set on a wooded site in Sleepy Hollow, NY, the Pierson–Humphrey House offers a comfortable, healthy living environment that harmonizes with its surroundings. Passive House strategies provide balanced daylighting, excellent air quality, and low energy costs, while all‑electric systems and a net‑zero photovoltaic array support long‑term resilience. Locally sourced interior materials enhance comfort and reinforce the home’s connection to the landscape.
⭐ Cornell University Fernow Hall Addition & Landscape Design
Built in 1912 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Fernow Hall was restored and expanded by dD+P to enhance the daily experience of students, faculty, and researchers at Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The 30,000 SF, LEED Gold addition introduces light‑filled academic spaces and upgraded building systems that support collaboration and comfort. Integrated landscape improvements create inviting outdoor environments that extend learning beyond the classroom.
⭐ South Ferry Station Flood Mitigation & Resiliency
In response to Hurricane Sandy, dD+P designed flood‑resiliency upgrades that prioritize safety and continuity for the thousands of riders who depend on Manhattan’s South Ferry Station each day. A combination of permanent and deployable measures, including flood doors, watertight glazing, and reinforced entrances, help keep the station operational during extreme weather, improving security for passengers and staff while strengthening the reliability of this key transit hub.
#DDPStudio #DesignStudio #Architecture #Design #EarthDay
#Flashback to dD+P’s work on the Waldo Yards Consolidated Maintenance Facility for @ThePortAuthority_NY_NJ .
The Port Authority’s rail shop, in Jersey City, NJ, had outlived its usefulness. The challenge was to replace it with a modern facility that could unify administrative offices, maintenance operations, and ADA accessibility, all while offering a sense of place.
In response, dD+P led a multidisciplinary team in the creation of a 65,000 SF facility at Waldo Yards. In the new building, circulation flows from the entry through the tower and bridge, physically and visually connecting administration and maintenance. Zinc panels in various shapes and textures give the building a scale sensitive to its neighborhood. ADA and green design principles enhance accessibility and working conditions.
The result is a functional, accessible, and sustainable workplace that respects the people inside it.
#PANYNJ #Transit
PS 26Q has long been a fixture in Fresh Meadows, Queens, yet changing needs made its historic building inadequate in terms of space, sustainability, and accessibility.
dD+P’s 54,000 SF addition addresses these issues and seamlessly connects old and new, organizing classrooms and shared spaces along a clear central corridor. New science and art rooms, accessible classrooms, and expanded play areas enhance daily learning, while solar panels and a rain garden support sustainability and informal education.
Developed in collaboration with @NYCSCAgram , school leadership, and the local community, the project reflects a shared belief that every child deserves a school designed to expand their opportunities.
@NYCSchools #SchoolConstructionAuthority #NYCSCA #SchoolDesign #School
🌷 The @MTA set out to rehabilitate four historic elevated stations in residential Astoria, Queens. Simultaneously, they wanted to pilot an approach that could be used on future station redesigns system-wide.
To help the MTA address these goals and renew the connection between community and transit, dD+P embraced four guiding principles: progressive and adaptive methodologies, responsible use of public funding, real-time transit information, and deep community connection.
Civic engagement drove the project’s success, and the MTA now has a well-tested framework for the next generation of station redesigns.
🎨 Featured Artwork — “Outlook” by @Diane_Carr_@MTAArtsDesign #MTA #Transit
🏆 The Samara Community School (P.S. 320) in the Bronx has received the 2026 American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) New York Diamond Award in Category B: Building/Technology Systems! The project was also selected as a finalist to represent ACEC NY in the national competition sponsored by ACEC. ✨
🏫 The 433-seat pre-k to 5th grade school is a fully air-conditioned, accessible four-story school with 21 standard classrooms and two special education classrooms.
🧱 The school was designed by di Domenico & Partners and built by Navillus Tile.
📸 John Bartelstone / Paul Alber
