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.