Do not use this architect! He appears to be very knowledgeable at first due to his age and…read moreexperience but he is very vague and promises that things can happen without doing any calculations. My husband and I went into his office for a free consultation before buying an one family home which we wanted to convert to a 3 or 2 family. After giving him the address he went into the DOB site and told us it was possible so we proceeded with the purchase of the house. A week after we bought the house he came to look at it and told us that we could not convert to a 3 family only a 2 family. My husband and I got upset and decided to get another architect. To make a long story short, we consulted three more architects and we were told that the house could not be converted to anything. It can only be used as an one family. Needless to say we have a useless investment property. So Do NOT use this guy, you will be deceived and waste your money and time. One star is too much to give him.

I was disgusted by the way Anna Maria spoke to me on the phone. She had no idea what a CFO is. Anna…read moreMaria was rude and not patient. I would not recommend this company if you need to get work done.

Jim consulted with me several times on my gut renovation project and provided expert advice. He…read morebrings expertise from two decades of experience to the table, and also his work is of impeccable quality. I saw a passive house he was gut renovating in Park Slope, and it was absolutely stunning! Jim knows how to preserve historic details while bringing the design into the modern era in a tasteful, classic way. He exudes calmness and wisdom and is a pleasure to be around. Full disclosure in that I ultimately had to choose a less experienced architect because Jim's fee, although completely reasonable given his level of skill and expertise, was a bit out of our price range.

Jim was great to work with. We did a semi-gut renovation in 3 bedroom/2 bathroom apt. The quality…read moreof his work and suggestions were exactly what we wanted based on my husband and my feedback. Jim is very detailed and each week during renovation, we had him manage the project with the contractor to ensure the final output was done properly. Most Manhattan apartments are not symmetrical, so the early stage on doing things a certain way goes a long way on the final look. He understands plumbing, and electrical well to communicate to our contractors. He referred us to a HVAC engineer. When it came to interior design, we had Sarah who provided feedback and suppliers information. She was also very helpful. Jim knows the DOB process well and helped us resolved many issues even during covid and DOB rule changed in 2020 and 2021. We also had him manage the project with the contractors. The contractors don't have the same design eyes and were a bit sloppy and forgetful so it was imperative to have Jim help us. Urban charges by the hour and provided an accurate estimate of the cost. Make sure what projects he's working on so he can allocate time properly. In the beginning with the design drawing schematic, it took a while cause he was on a couple of brownstone projects but overall still have a very positive experience with Jim. He was responsive.

It was a great experience to work with this interior designer. They closely heard my thoughts and…read moremade my house a fashionable and practical place that feels like it is mine. Their sense and color are amazing. The whole environment was stress-free and relaxing

I cannot begin to explain how much I love Marissa and design Macs! They transformed our 2 bedroom…read moreapartment into the most incredible home. We have loved living here. She creatively used every inch of space and was able to maximize storage for us. The ideas she thought of, we would have never thought of and I am so thankful for. Her attention to detail during all steps of the process is so appreciated. The best part is, all the work and designs have paid off in multiples. We recently put our place on the market and received 10+ offers within 5 days at ask and above. Everyone loved all the built ins (entertainment center, mudroom area, built in benches, desk are, storage column) all which were her ideas and vision. I cried happy tears! I cannot wait to work with her again!!

Gino Longo and his team have demonstrated their knowledge, experience and professionalism in…read moresecuring a final CO for my home. The home was rebuilt from the ground up 20 + years but the contractors never had final inspections nor closed the permits. Gino and his team are very friendly and very professional with knowledge and extensive experience when dealing with the NYC DOB. Very thankful for having the right team on my side. Highly recommend Gino and his team for such services, with very reasonable fees.

I am a real estate developer in NYC and I have had a wonderful experience with the architect Gino…read moreLongo. Mr. Longo has a nice operation going. His staff is wonderful and very welcoming. New construction has not been easy in NYC in the past few years. There is so much red tape with the city agencies but Mr. Longo's office was always accessible to help me. His team is wonderful and they solve problems. I will absolutely do business with architect Gino Longo again.

RUN FROM THEM They are dishonest, liars, cheats. They show…read moreup and pretend they will help remove hyour violations. They demand up front money. They do NOTHING. They run you around. If you go to their office they give you the run around and show you phony plans Lock them up! Call the cops But never give them a payment for work

STAY AWAY!! The worst experience of my life dealing with this "Architect". He has absolutely no…read moreidea how to deal with violations. He passes along any questions to his staff who aren't full knowledgeable themselves in this kind of work. He blatantly disrespected me by cursing, carrying on and throwing a fit when I had asked to deal directly with him. Not only am I continually receiving more summonses and violations from the DOB but It has been about 8 months and nothing has been resolved with my current violations. There is no accountability at this office and nothing will get done unless you show up everyday and demand results. Nick will come into the office, go to his office, take a nap or smoke a cigar and then call it a day. It blows my mind that they are still in business with an owner like this. They are less expensive than the other architects and there is a reason for that. Again, STAY AWAY

Stephen Wang + Associates were the architects on a gut renovation of an apartment we bought that…read morehad 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. 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 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. 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. 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 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. 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 have never written a review on the internet until today. I read the review on Stephen Wang…read moreArchitect by Viola E and I felt an overwhelming need to respond. I am a Department of Buildings filing representative/building code consultant and have been working with Stephen Wang for over 20 years. During these years, I have never been retained by Mr. Wang's firm. I have been retained directly by the apartment owner or building owners. As such, I have gotten to know the owners relatively well and not once has there been any complaints against Mr. Wang. During the years that I have worked with Mr. Wang and his office, I have experienced first-hand how Mr. Wang treats every project and every client. He treats each client exactly the same regardless of the size of the project, cost of the project and wealth of the building owner. It has been my experience that Mr. Wang pays exceptional detail to every aspect of the project. It is Mr. Wang's personality to insure that the apartment/building owner gets the best possible result and is completely satisfied with the finished project. Viola E states that Mr. Wang's "team made many mistakes including false filing with the DOB....". This statement can be considered libel or slander against me and my firm because a "false" filing can be punished by the DOB. I take this statement personally because I too provide the best product possible without taking any short-cuts in the DOB filing process. The DOB filing process includes the preparation of DOB forms which is complicated, tedious and time-consuming. As such, there is always a possibility of a discrepancy in the preparation of forms versus the information on the plans. In fact, it is very common for many projects to require an amendment because of some discrepancy on the forms. Therefore, this discrepancy is far from a false filing!!! The review by Viola E is unfounded and unfair, she is extremely unreasonable. Mr. Wang has been the architect in close to a hundred projects in New York City with not one review that has been less than stellar. Could it be that Viola E blames the architect Stephen Wang when in fact she was the problem on her project.