SHoP Architects

SHoP Architects
Name	SHoP Architects
Founded	1996
Founders	Gregg Pasquarelli; William Sharples; Christopher Sharples; Coren Sharples
Headquarters	New York City
Significant projects	Barclays Center; American Copper Buildings; Harriet Tubman School; 9 DeKalb Avenue; South Street Seaport redevelopment
Awards	National Design Award; AIA awards

SHoP Architects SHoP Architects is a New York City–based architectural design firm known for integrating architecture, real estate, and technology in large-scale urban projects. Founded in the mid-1990s, the firm has worked on commercial, residential, institutional, and infrastructure projects across the United States and internationally, collaborating with developers, municipalities, cultural institutions, and investors.

History

The firm was established in 1996 by Gregg Pasquarelli, William Sharples, Christopher Sharples, and Coren Sharples after experiences with practices associated with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Kohn Pedersen Fox, Perkins and Will, and academic institutions such as Columbia University and Pratt Institute. Early commissions included adaptive reuse and boutique residential projects in Manhattan, leading to larger collaborations with developers like Related Companies, Hines Interests Limited Partnership, and Tishman Speyer. In the 2000s SHoP undertook major urban projects that intersected with clients including the New York City Economic Development Corporation, Brookfield Properties, and cultural partners such as the Smithsonian Institution and Brooklyn Museum. The firm expanded its practice with offices and teams engaging with international partners from cities like London, Toronto, and Dubai, and became involved in major mixed-use developments tied to transit agencies including Metropolitan Transportation Authority and waterfront authorities like the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Notable Projects

Notable built works include the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, a major arena developed with Forest City Ratner Companies and made prominent during events involving the Brooklyn Nets and performers at Madison Square Garden-competing venues. The American Copper Buildings, a twin-tower residential complex developed by CIM Group and Lightstone Group, is another emblematic work alongside the Harriet Tubman School adaptive reuse for Bedford–Stuyvesant institutions. High-profile mixed-use projects include 9 DeKalb Avenue developed by JDS Development Group, and the South Street Seaport redevelopment in collaboration with entities like the Howard Hughes Corporation. International and institutional projects include proposals and commissions for campuses and civic buildings engaging partners such as University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, and municipal governments in cities like Havana and Accra. The firm has also designed technology-driven workplaces for clients including Google, Amazon, and financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase.

Design Philosophy and Methods

The practice emphasizes integration of architectural design with development strategy, leveraging digital fabrication, parametric modeling, and building information modeling tools associated with vendors like Autodesk and consultants tied to firms such as Arup and WSP Global. SHoP’s approach often marries material innovation—working with fabricators like Zaha Hadid Architects' custom shops and metalwork studios used by Frank Gehry—with contextual urbanism responsive to neighborhoods like Williamsburg, Lower Manhattan, and Harlem. The studio has promoted prefabrication and modular techniques linked to contractors similar to Skanska, Lendlease, and Turner Construction Company, and has engaged with sustainability frameworks referenced by organizations such as LEED and the U.S. Green Building Council. Collaboration with artists and cultural producers including Jeff Koons, Ai Weiwei, and design critics from publications like Architectural Record and Metropolis (magazine) has informed facade strategies and public-space programming.

Business and Organizational Structure

SHoP evolved from a small design studio into a multidisciplinary enterprise combining architecture, development advisory, and strategic consultancy, interacting with financial partners such as BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and equity firms like Brookfield Asset Management. The firm’s model incorporates in-house teams for design technology, fabrication coordination, and development analysis, paralleling organizational practices seen at firms such as Foster + Partners and Bjarke Ingels Group. Leadership has negotiated joint ventures with developers including Forest City Ratner Companies, CIM Group, JDS Development Group, and institutional investors like TIAA-CREF. Staffing blends licensed architects registered with the American Institute of Architects and specialists in urban planning connected to agencies such as NYC Department of City Planning.

Awards and Recognition

The firm and its principals have received awards from institutions including the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum National Design Awards, honors from the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and recognition in lists published by Time (magazine), Fast Company, and Architectural Digest. Specific projects have earned regional AIA awards, Urban Land Institute citations, and developer-led awards in ceremonies at venues like Carnegie Hall and industry events hosted by CoreNet Global and Real Estate Board of New York. The practice has been profiled in monographs published by Princeton Architectural Press, Rizzoli, and featured in exhibitions at institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Brooklyn Museum.

Criticism and Controversies

Several projects stirred debate among preservationists, community groups, and planning officials, with controversies linked to developments in Brooklyn, Williamsburg, and parts of Manhattan where concerns involved scale, affordable housing, and historic fabric impacted by proposals including large towers and mixed-use complexes. Critics from organizations such as the Municipal Art Society of New York, New York Landmarks Conservancy, and local community boards have raised issues over public realm design and displacement tied to projects associated with major developers like Forest City Ratner Companies and JDS Development Group. Public hearings before entities including the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and the New York City Council have at times resulted in litigation and negotiated modifications, echoing broader debates found in cases involving One57, Hudson Yards, and the redevelopment of Penn Station.

Category:Architecture firms based in New York City