Stephen Wang + Associates Architects

Stephen Wang and his team have worked on many projects of mine over the past 25 years. The size, scope, and design of these projects have differed by virtue of the project and the evolution of our tastes. To name a few, he has designed and overseen the gut renovation of several Manhattan apartments. In addition, he has combined two Manhattan apartments, integrating the mechanical infrastructures and complicated structural components of the building. He has designed, built and updated property in the Hamptons over the course of 22 years. The scope of the work required increasing the square footage and making it appear seamless. Included in those projects was the design and installation of the hardscape integral to attractive landscaping. Stephen has designed and managed the the renovation of various aspects of the entry way and common area of a Manhattan apartment building in a designated landmark district. Stephen and all his staff are available 7 days a week, even when traveling. They are constantly responsive and engaged. Working with Stephen and his team is a pleasure.

Steven Wang was my architect in designing a 2 full floor gut job of a 6000 square foot duplex I bought at Sutton Place. It was a 2+year process and a big and expensive job. Stephen Wang was highly professional every step of the job and coordinated with the coop, its team of architects, and supervised our contractor to produce an excellent job in compliance with all rules and regulations. He worked well with us and our decorator and has a high taste level.

We used SWA for a total gut renovation of our apartment and we could not have been happier with their services. From the drawing of architectural plans to the management of the renovation process, SWA were dedicated and committed to making every detail of our apartment perfect. We always felt that SWA had our best interests (financial) in mind. During the renovation, there were multiple instances where things would have been completed incorrectly had SWA not been there to work through each and every step. There are so many decisions and minutia that exist in any renovation, and we were so thankful to have the very kind, very experienced and truly accessible members of SWA to get us through them all. Even after our contractor was finished with construction, the members of Stephen Wang's team made themselves available to complete all the final details that likely often get forgotten without close attention. Many visitors to our home have commented on how our apartment is so professionally done. We are so pleased with our results and would wholeheartedly use SWA again in the future.

A.We are happy to review and endorse our three largest projects with STEPHEN WANG. The first was approx. 12,000 sq. ft. on one level of a converted empty raw factory space to turn into a functional yet whimsical and memorable office for me as CEO/COO/Chairman of an entertainment-related company plus 36 employees (executives and other employees). The requirement was that it had to allow eye contact, interactive work environment, private areas, communal full home/kitchen/lunch room with counters and stools and an office that would be distinctive, memorable and have “dazzle” without being gimmicky. Stephen Wang succeeded, came in under budget and that was about 20 years ago. The office has never dated or failed to do its job which is to enhance the environment for employees, “wow” our clients without any sense that we are being pretentious. Just getting on with their business and ours in a professional but totally unique fashion and with “style”. It was a brilliant success and continues to be melded into our identity and our brand. B.About 4 years later, Myrna and I purchased a co-op with air rights on the East River, midtown Manhattan straddling Beekman Place. Stephen Wang handled all aspects of city approvals, co-op approvals and supervised securing engineers and contractors to expand the original Penthouse of 2,500 feet on one which was originally created by Emory Roth in the 1920’s. It also contained a 2,000 sq. ft. terrace with 10-mile vistas all the way down to Grave’s End Bay in Brooklyn at the entrance of New York Harbor. When he was finished, we ended up with a town house of close to 5,000 sq. ft. on the top of the building straddling 3-1/2 levels of the building and utilizing the air rights allowed in the footprint and utilizing a contiguous apartment below and integrating it into the original modest PH we had purchased. It resulted in a great home, embracing and remarkable in all detailing and practical aspects as well and was designed around the light and the views, all of which are unique in the world of penthouses. The apartment was featured on the front of the real estate section of the NY TIMES and in several magazines and books, mostly for the gardens and how they were integrated into the living space. What I mean by that is (for example), Stephen designed and installed a kitchen which included a rear door/back door. This led onto a section of terrace from the country kitchen and became a destination for our parties, al fresco dining, tenting for large groups and caterers, all surrounded by a large diverse herb and vegetable garden. C.The Stephen Wang-designed entry vestibule was dramatically enhanced by a 30 foot high hexagon-shaped skylight which capped the entire entrance as well as the newly installed winding staircase which led to the added upper floor (which originally had been the roof of the building). This brought vitality and excitement to the new triplex immediately upon entering. D.Currently, after 15 years of happily living in that triplex, we have elected to seek his counsel and services in the renovation of what we think is a great apartment of 6,000 sq. ft. on one single level in a 1926-27 building (also on the East River in New York City). This is an enclave and a traditional and distinctive New York City building by an important architect of the period. Stephen made sure to research all of the original plans for the building and to keep its historical authenticity and the vision of the original architect whilst making contemporary changes for aesthetics to comply with 2015 building rules, new city ordinances and current requirements and also meet those personal needs, desires and requests as the owners. All of this has been done with military precision and organization coupled with a great sense of diplomacy, cool, professional and prudent decision making with fascinating choices and options presented to us of many different materials to make the entire ordeal a non-ordeal but rather an adventure and creative, inventive fun. In conclusion, Stephen Wang and Stephen Wang & Associates are, in our opinion, rather remarkable in all regards. They have indeed enhanced our lives and we are appreciative to them. Myrna and Freddie Gershon

Stephen Wang is a pleasure to work with. He is brilliant, focused, good-natured, responsive and unflappable. Stephen also served as an effective advocate for us as clients in cases where contractors/vendors had not performed to expectation. We have hired Stephen for many home projects over the years in both Manhattan and at the beach; we look forward to continuing our productive partnership. Stephen Wang has our highest recommendation.

We hired Stephen to do a complete demolition and renovation of an apartment that had not been upgraded in over 50 years. His designs and attention to detail were outstanding. He brought us through the design, contractor bidding, and execution phases with excellent competency. He was a pleasure to work with and we, without reservation, recommend him to others.

Stephen Wang + Associates were the architects on a gut renovation of an apartment we bought that had not been renovated since the 1940's. We were not quite ready to "hit the ground running" when we closed on the purchase as we were then still going through the process of meeting with different architects, reviewing their portfolios and checking with former clients. I don't know what higher compliment I can give Stephen Wang than to say that in a process that extended almost two year from the beginning of the design phase to the day we walked into our fabulous new home, there hasn't been a day, a single day, that we haven't said how lucky, and how grateful we are that we selected Stephen as our architect. During the design process the five traits that I think stand Stephen head and shoulders above all of the other architects I met became clear. First, and probably most important, he's simply a great architect. I won't elaborate here because I think his portfolio speaks louder and more eloquently to this than I ever could. Second, he truly listens. There was so much we wanted in our apartment, from my wife's desire not to be isolated from our guests when she's in the kitchen (he put a pocket door in the wall that had separated the Living Room from the Kitchen, so now she never feels like she's missing out when we're entertaining and she's cooking) to my wanting to keep an antique French fireback that was in our old apartment but didn't fit the fireplace in our new home (he mounted it as a beautiful bas relief in the Powder Room), and he listened to what was important to us and addressed both our concerns and our desires in professional and stunning ways that never smacked of an architect merely catering to the whims of a demanding client. As an aside, before picking SWA as our architect, we were very close to going with someone else, but even in our initial meetings we could sense that he had very strong opinions of how things should look and didn't seem interested in very much input from us, and when we spoke with one of his former clients, a Fortune 100 CEO, and expressed this concern, the reply we got, "You'll find in the end, that Alan was right," sounded like someone who may have gotten a nice home, but not the one he wanted it. SWA is all about collaboration, and while it's become a cliche today when people say "the client comes first," Stephen Wang uses his genius to make your dream a reality. The third thing I found so impressive about Stephen during the design of our apartment was, to borrow the refrain from the song "Rock Island" from the musical "The Music Man", "you gotta know the territory!", and Stephen does! Stephen's knowledge of every aspect of the design process was beyond incredible. I deal with a lot of smart people in my business every day, and none of them has anything on Stephen Wang. When it came to the trades and professionals, Stephen was always the one leading the discussion because he was just so damn knowledgable, telling the HVAC consultant where the bends in the ducts should go and what angle would be most efficient, advising the acoustical consultant how to provide the best soundproofing, and directing the millwork guys how they could fit a closet in a seemingly inaccessible space. And the "knock your socks off" part of his expertise was how it extended to every choice we had to make during this adventure, from the selection of wood for the floors (and the best stains and finishes for the wood), to the best stoves (don't know any other architect who can talk at length about the pluses and minuses of dual-fuel oven vs. all gas) to the TVs for the Study (telling the AV consultant to wait to buy the TV as Samsung was coming out with a new model in a month), Stephen knew the marketplace as well as (better!) any of the experts. The fourth thing about SWA that really needs to be highlighted is Stephen's experience in the New York City design community and the broad range of contacts he has made who, I can tell from my experience, all have tremendous respect for him. When friends in other coops heard that our plans included a "wet over dry" relocation of the Powder Room, everyone said "no chance", and that was even before they learned that our coop had never before in its 85 year history approved a wet-over-dry proposal. While I think Stephen's planning and design were largely responsible for us getting this approved, I believe his long background of dealing with the building's architect was tremendously helpful; they knew that if Stephen put his name on something, that meant a lot. And in numerous other instances where the coop Board might raise a question, such as choice of windows or the compressor for the central a/c, Stephen could remind the building architect where they had previously approved the same thing on another project they had worked on together, or Stephen mentioning that he represents another building managed by the same management company and they approved the very thing we were trying to do. The fifth, and final qualification that I believe makes Stephen Wang so special is his calm and assuring (and re-assuring) manner. He never gets ruffled or excited, and views every insurmountable problem as just another challenge to be conquered. When we were told, after our plans were approved, that the building could not supply us the electricity we needed (the building is planning an electric upgrade and said that until then they were not going to supply additional electric to any individual apartment), which would have delayed the renovation for a year or two, my wife and I started to freak out, but Stephen said that we should stay calm and get the facts, and, with his help and guidance, we were able to show the building that there was sufficient electric capacity to handle our renovation and we got the approval to go forward. When my wife and I first interviewed Stephen, he said that his job was to break everything down into small discreet decisions and to give us a few options from which to chose in order to keep the process from becoming overwhelming. I don't know how he did it, but he did. Priceless. Once the renovation began, those same five factors, plus a sixth, were in ample evidence and again made us so thankful that we had selected SWA as our architects. Stephen's unsurpassed skill as an architect became more and more visible as the renovation proceeded along week by week. His responsiveness was, I'm sure, tested as my daughter passed from cute young girl to tween and needed to completely redesign her bedroom and bathroom. His knowledge of the marketplace and what works and doesn't work became even more valuable during the renovation when we faced various surprises and unanticipated challenges, and he could address and solve these issues promptly and expertly thereby saving us from time-consuming and expensive delays. Similarly, his experience and contacts proved invaluable as he could deal with the City reviewers and inspectors as someone with whom they've had a lot of past dealings, as well as providing us with the best people for finishing the job, from landscapers for the terraces, to the window treatment people who did a magnificent job on the blinds and awnings, to the upholstery company that did the window seats and the kitchen banquette. And even more than during the design phase, Stephen's calming demeanor saved many a day. After committing to a design that placed an important doorway in a critical position, the demolition revealed an electric pipe that hadn't showed up on any plans or test borings. In response to my "the sky is falling" panic, Stephen didn't lose a beat, told my wife and me not to worry, and had everything fixed before the day was over. And when issues arose with the contractor, as I'm sure they do on every project of this size and duration, Stephen was the constant voice of reason that kept everyone not only calm, but friendly, and allowed the renovation to be completed with no real problems. In addition to reinforcing everything positive we had seen during the planning phase, the renovation phase also revealed one additional, really important facet of Stephen Wang. His 100% commitment to the project and the client. Not only did he know the right stone yards for us to visit to pick the slabs for our marble bath and entranceway, he met us there and showed us why one slab we initially liked might not be so good, and why another slab would work (and he was so right!). But the greatest manifestation of his commitment was his attendance at every one of our weekly Site Meetings during the entire, nearly year-long renovation. His presence each week allowed him to spot and solve potential problems before they happened, and kept as calm as we knew he was literally as well as figuratively on the job, keeping an eye on everything every step of the way. Again, priceless. While I've spoken about Stephen Wang and SWA synonymously, I'm a bit neglectful and should mention the fabulous people he has working with him, who provide powerful support and follow-up, making dealing with this firm a very positive and truly rewarding experience. To anyone looking for an architect in New York, I would recommend Stephen Wang whole-heartedly and without reservation.

I hired this company for a renovation project of my Fifth Avenue apt. It needed to be totally redone. Everything was done in such an efficient manner. The plans were filed with the city and got approval and the renovation was completed with very few problems. Stephen was always available by cell phone to answer any of my concerns. I really felt that my ideas and needs were well integrated into the final design. There were a lot of challenges involved including raising a ceiling in the kitchen, moving walls, lowering a floor in the bathroom entrance (moving pipes), restoring a fireplace that was closed up. The final result is just beautiful with attention paid to every detail. It's not just another cookie cutter apt. Very creative yet functional work created by an extremely talented architect!