WORK Architecture Company

Buildings for People and Plants by WORKac “Abounding in swaths of greenery, bursts of bright color, brimming library stacks, and no less than two play-area slides, this survey of 10 recent projects by WORKac showcases the New York–based practice’s skill at balancing social and environmental concern with an all-embracing lightheartedness.” – Architectural Record Buildings for People and Plants by WORKac is a thoughtfully curated architectural exploration by Amale Andraos and Dan Wood, the design firm’s co-founders. The compelling volume, featuring ten of WORKac’s most recent projects, such as the North Boulder Library, the Rhode Island School of Design’s Student Success Center, and the Miami Museum Garage, navigates through the interconnected realms of architecture, environment, and social sustainability This book is a visual treat that showcases their latest explorations in architecture and community-centric design. By Amale Andraos and Dan Wood @work.ac With contributions by Miles Hardingwood, Nicolai Ouroussoff and Heidi Zuckerman @heidizuckerman @mileshardingwood Book design by Atelier Dyakova with Tom Baber @atelierdyakova @tom_baber #workac #buildingsforpeopleandplants #parkbooks #amaleandraos #danwood #communitycentricdesign #architecturebook #designfirm #illustratedbook #socialsustainability #workarchitecturecompany

Amale Andraos and Dan Wood are featured in the new Monocle book Designers on Sofas, highlighting their Polder sofa at Riverhouse in Rhode Island. Designed by Hella Jongerius for Vitra, the sofa enjoys the best view in the house, overlooking the landscape and river, recalling their earlier life in Rotterdam, where they were surrounded by bold, experimental Dutch design. 📔: @monocle_subscriber 🛋️: @hellajongerius @vitra 📷: @meghanmarin

Riverhouse, the Rhode Island home of Amale Andraos and Dan Wood, co-founders of WORKac, was recently featured in @nytimes . Nestled in the forest along the Pawcatuck River, the house offers a striking and deeply personal take on domestic architecture—balancing ecological intelligence using Passive House standards, cultural memory, and spatial imagination. The home also features custom elements designed by MOS Architects (@mmmosarchitects ), Petra Blaisse (@insideoutside_nl ), and others. Check out the full story at the link in bio! Article: @tmckeough Photos: @brucedamonte

What an incredible night celebrating Amale Andraos, honored by @bwaf.nyc with the Academic Excellence Award! As the first woman dean of @columbiagsapp and a founding principal of WORKac, Amale has spent her career shaping not just buildings, but the conditions for the next generation of architects to engage with climate, equity, and the future of the built environment. So proud, so inspired, and so grateful to BWAF for this recognition. Congratulations to all of this year’s remarkable honorees: Sharon Prince of @gracefarmsct and @dffmovement , Julia Gamolina of @madamearchitect and @enneadarchitects , Erleen Hatfield of @hatfield_grp , David J. Cohen of @theigracecompany , and Tess McNamara of @theportauthority_ny_nj . ✨

Riverhouse (2025) nace como un refugio íntimo entre bosque y río, donde la arquitectura se vive más de lo que se muestra. En 2020, Amale Andraos y Dan Wood, de WORKac, la conciben como su propio hogar: un experimento cotidiano. Colores que dialogan con las estaciones, materiales honestos y una estructura abierta componen un espacio que respira con el paisaje, donde cada gesto como la luz, el agua y el silencio se vuelve parte esencial de habitar. Riverhouse está en Hopkinton, Rhode Island, Estados Unidos. Artículo completo en revistaexclama.com / Riverhouse (2025) emerges as an intimate refuge between forest and river, where architecture is lived more than it is shown. Conceived in 2020 by Amale Andraos and Dan Wood of WORKac as their own home, it unfolds as a daily experiment. Colors that shift with the seasons, honest materials, and an open structure shape a space that breathes with the landscape—where light, water, and silence become essential elements of dwelling. Riverhouse location: Hopkinton, Rhode Island, United States. Full article on revistaexclama.com ____ Photos by © Bruce Damonte @work.ac @brucedamonte @thearchitecturecurator @exclama_ ____ #Riverhouse #WORKac #Architecture #Design #Home

We design bathrooms for all 📸: @brucedamonte

We’re elated to introduce Amale Andraos as our Academic Excellence Honoree! Amale Andraos, AIA, HFRAIC, is a licensed architect in the State of New York and a principal of @work.ac , which she co-founded with her partner Dan Wood in 2003. An award-winning architecture and design practice, WORKac is committed to creating architecture that engages environmental and social concerns, with a particular emphasis on public, cultural, and civic projects. WORKac was the recipient of the 2023 Arts and Letters Award in Architecture, was named the #1 design firm in the US by Architect Magazine and was selected as an AIA New York State “Firm of the Year.” The practice has achieved international acclaim for projects such as the RISD Student Success Center, the Miami Museum Garage, Pilares in Mexico City, Marea in Batroun, Lebanon, and the North Boulder Public Library in Colorado. Current projects include the Sibley Dome Renovation at Cornell University, The People’s Theatre: Centro Cultural Inmigrante in New York City, a Library Renovation and Addition at Vassar College, and the Beirut Museum of Art. Amale is also Professor and Dean Emeritus at Columbia University where she recently served as Special Advisor for the Climate School. As the first woman Dean of Columbia’s Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation —2014-2021), Amale strived to empower the next generation of architects to engage with urgent issues such as climate change, social equity, and the impact of data and technology on the built environment. During her tenure, the school also made meaningful strides towards increased diversity among faculty and students. She was named one of the  “25 Most Admired Educators for 2016” by DesignIntelligence, which described her as integrating “real-world problems into the curriculum with a bold vision and strong leadership. Her publications include 49 Cities; Above the Pavement-the Farm; The Arab City: Architecture and Representation, co-edited with Nora Akwai; We’ll Get There When We Cross That Bridge; and most recently, Buildings for People and Plants, in collaboration with Dan Wood. Link in bio for more information on how to sponsor or attend the Bevy's!

Take a peek at the Sibley Dome renovation as we continue to make progress toward renewed spaces for the entire Cornell AAP community! The project includes a new, centrally located 100-plus-seat auditorium; open, light-filled studios and workspaces for research and exchange; and a collaborative commons with study alcoves and meeting areas, all designed by WORKac. Follow along as the renovation unfolds with stunning new spaces for teaching, learning, and making later this year. Link in bio.

Libraries are at the heart of our civic work—designed as open, flexible spaces for learning, gathering, and community life. From North Boulder Library (1,2) to Adams Street Library (3,4) and Kew Gardens Hills Library (5,6), each project rethinks what a neighborhood library can be: welcoming and deeply connected to its context. Photography: @brucedamonte

What if buildings were designed for more than just people? Across our projects, green is embedded as habitat, microclimate, and social space; creating environments where ecological systems and community life thrive together. Explore more in our recent book - Buildings for People and Plants. Link in Bio. Photography: 1,2 - @imagensubliminal 3,4,5,7 - @brucedamonte 6 - @ramirodelcarpio 8 - @edparkphotography

Hope everyone is staying as warm as our Rhode Island home this winter! Designed for its rural site, Riverhouse meets Passive House standards and is built to handle extreme weather. Triple-glazed windows, solar panels with battery storage, and 14-inch insulated walls keep it all-electric and comfortable year-round. Beyond performance, the house is shaped by layered spaces, a close connection to the surrounding landscape, and the warmth of the interiors — including the textile tree installation by @elodieblanchardstudio (image 4), which brings softness and craft into the heart of the home. Architecture + Interiors: @work.ac Drone photography: @oceanstatedroneco

On this week's episode, @jarrettfuller is joined by @work.ac 's Amale Andraos and Dan Wood to talk about the threads that connect their body of work, the role of publishing in the studio, and why they think of their work as “pop”. Amale Andraos and Dan Wood are the founders of WORKac, an architecture office working across a range of scales with an emphasis on public, cultural, or civic projects all around the world. Amale is also professor at Columbia GSAPP, where she also served as dean from 2014-2021, and Dan has taught most recently at Columbia and Yale. They’ve also published a series of books including 49 Cities, Above the Pavement, the Farm!, We’ll Get There When We Cross That Bridge, and their new monograph, Buildings for People and Plants. 🎧 Listen to the full episode at the link in our bio!