Amy Shell Voroneanu is Head of Business Development and Marketing at Modellus Novus, where she leads the studio’s strategic business initiatives and its growing group of co-conspirators. As a registered architect with over a decade of experience, Amy brings a comprehensive perspective to design and the business of architecture. She has previously worked at Snøhetta, Diller Scofidio + Renfro and FXCollaborative on major developments in New York City, including the Penn Station redevelopment, and the Governors Island Climate Exchange.

Amy is the co-founder of Common Projects Newburgh, a design initiative exploring the intersection of architecture and film in Newburgh, NY. Amy earned her Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oklahoma and a Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, where she received the Lucille Smyser Lowenfish Memorial Prize, William Kinne Fellows Prize, and Incubator Prize. On the weekends, Amy loves being in the Hudson Valley or a beach!

Anastasiya Zolotukhin is an Associate I, where she helps translate client aspirations into beautiful and effective design. Previously, she worked in architectural assembly and immersive installation design, with her experience at different scales providing a unique viewpoint on detail. Anastasiya has worked with a high-end furniture manufacturer in New York and has a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts from the University of Florida School of Architecture.

Anastasiya’s Ukrainian background has greatly influenced her view of architecture, showing her how both the traditional and contemporary architectural styles of Ukraine can exude warmth. The balance between extremes informs her design approach.

Andrew Economou is an Associate Director, where he brings an attentive eye to details and project coordination. He works to balance the practical needs of construction with the creative vision of the project and believes that the smallest of details can fundamentally change the feeling of a space. Previously he worked in high-end residential and hospitality architecture and has significant hands-on experience in construction.

With his unique skill set, Andrew helped to design and build a school in rural Nicaragua. He has a Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and is a licensed architect in New York. Andrew’s early experience with theater set design provided a foundation for his interest in building, demonstrating how materials, sound, and light come together to create an immersive experience.

Anya Gribanova is Operating Partner at MN, where she is responsible for ensuring that project teams successfully execute the design concept and intent on time and on budget, building upon years of experience at both mid- and large-scale architecture offices. She shepherds the creation and constant evolution of a firm that cares deeply about the success of all of its employees, with a nearly zero turnover rate. Anya also has deep expertise with city planning, building code and zoning regulations from international urban planning projects and development projects throughout NYC.

Anya received her Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Polytechnic and State University (Virginia Tech) and Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University. Previously she worked at Kohn Pederson Fox and SRA Architecture and Engineering, both in New York. She is a licensed architect in New York and Virginia. A Russian immigrant from Washington, D.C., she is passionate about making—from crafting upcycled furniture to being hands-on in the fabrication of bespoke details for MN clients.

Ben Smithers is an Associate II at Modellus Novus, embracing an ethos that architecture in its simplest form is an apparatus that can ignite the senses to the beauty in the world around us. Ben previously worked at Young Projects and LEVENBETTS on all phases of residential, commercial, civic and cultural projects in New York City and beyond. He holds a Master of Architecture with Distinction from Pratt GAUD where he was awarded the AIA Henry Adams Medal and taught high-school students in Pratt’s Young Scholars Program.

Ben continues to teach as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Pratt, and has also taught at Cornell AAP. Before becoming an architect, Ben was an Economic consultant and Policy advisor in the UK, having gained his Masters in Economics with Honors from Edinburgh University. Ben loves the energy and culture of the city but also loves to escape to the mountains to bike, hike, or ski.

Blanca Alonso is an Associate II, where she is focused on a successful integration of all project parts, coordinating across teams to deeply understand a project’s technical requirements. She is passionate about details, knowing that sometimes the biggest achievements are the ones that are meant to go unnoticed.

Blanca previously worked at an architecture firm designing made-to-measure high-end office projects and has a Master of Architecture from the Escuela Tecnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid and studied at L’École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture Paris-Malaquais and L’Institut d’Urbanisme de Paris. Originally from Spain, she is pursuing her lifelong dream of living in New York and loves architecture’s constant search to find a suited solution to every new project.

Darien Carr is an Associate I at Modellus Novus, approaching design as a tool to connect people to place. Darien believes that spaces hold layered stories of time that become legible through experience and memory. Previously, Darien has worked for the MIT Media Lab, Johnston Marklee, and KPF, developing an expansive conceptual and technical understanding of the relationship between architecture, art, and community building. Darien holds a Master of Architecture I from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design and a Social Studies degree with Honors from Harvard College.

Writing, DJing, and sound art are integral to Darien’s practice as a designer, offering pathways to explore how space can foster connections between people and culture. Their work has been featured by publications like NPR and Garage Magazine and at venues like the Venice and Chicago Architecture Biennials, where they contributed sound and writing to collaborative projects. Outside of work, Darien enjoys visiting their family in Maryland, digging for records and spending time outdoors.

Devona Thorne is an Executive Assistant, where she is responsible for finance, schedule planning and overall operational coordination. She has nearly a decade of experience as an Executive Assistant, focused on business operations for startups in tech, real estate, insurance, executive coaching, and health management and has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Marshall University.

She lives just outside of Cleveland, Ohio and spends her free time outside with her family and three rescued dogs. Devona regularly volunteers for the Special Olympics to help coordinate their key events as well as on-site competitions and local chapter events. She has plans to start a nonprofit that helps adults with intellectual disabilities train for specialized jobs in their local community in order to live more independent, vibrant lives.

Emma Brown is an Associate I at Modellus Novus, where she brings a passion for how architecture impacts daily life. She designs from the conviction that everyone deserves to live, work, and play in thoughtfully designed spaces. She has previously worked between Dallas and Los Angeles with Todd Howard + Associates, FAR + DANG, and Johnston Marklee and specializes in residential projects and galleries.

Emma holds a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and a Bachelors of Architecture from Rice University where she was a student mentor and captain of her college cheer team. Before arriving in New York, Emma embraced living and working globally, enjoying the beach and hiking in LA, eating fajitas in Houston, spending time with her rescue dogs in Dallas, taking French lessons in Paris, and playing board games at her family’s cottage in Canada. She is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States.

Isabel Gares Sala is an Associate III, where she seamlessly moves between project management roles and design and development. Regardless of the task, she is focused on making the pieces on hand fit together in the best possible way, whether those are people in a team, consultants in a project, or finish materials in a space. She previously worked on cultural, educational and historical renovation projects in Vienna for various studios.

She has a Bachelor of Architectural Science and Master of Architecture from Valencia Polytechnic University and a Master in Management for Architecture and Design from IE University in Spain, where she is also a registered architect. Originally from Spain, she achieved (and far surpassed) her goal of visiting 30 countries by the age of 30.

Jonathan Garnett is a founder and Creative Partner at MN, where he oversees creative direction for a range of the firm’s architecture and design projects, as well as its external and internal initiatives. He is responsible for establishing, evolving, and tailoring the firm’s design processes, priorities and principles in coordination with business development, financial, and organizational strategies. Jonathan was fundamentally shaped by summers working with a non-profit design firm in Detroit that provided design-build services to underrepresented communities and community organizations invested in improving quality of life in that city.

A native of Oakland, California of Black and Japanese descent, he received his Bachelor of Arts (Magna Cum Laude) with Concentrations in Industrial Design and Graphic Design from University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, studied at the Technical University at Delft in the Netherlands, and received his Master of Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles. Previously he worked at Detroit Collaborative Design Center in Detroit, George Yu Architects in Los Angeles, and Open Office in New York. After spending years overseeing the construction of projects he designed, while also making furnishings and objects with his hands, Jonathan learned what kind of creative leader he wanted to be. He imbues those values in his daily work with the project teams at MN.

Liz Smilek is an Associate at Modellus Novus, where she is dedicated to designing spaces that are responsible, resilient and deeply connected to their social and environmental context. She believes that her most important role as a designer is to listen. Prior to joining MN she worked for Design Opera Architects in Los Angeles and Urban Rewild NYC. Throughout graduate school, she contributed to the SCI-Arc Channel, supporting the production of films and interviews centered on local architects, artists and organizations.

Liz holds a Master of Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Analysis and Studio Art from Pitzer College, where she focused on Sustainability and the Built Environment. She maintains an active oil painting practice that examines memory and narrative, and is grounded in her family history. Liz is Czech and Slovak and the first generation of her family to grow up in the US.

Maria Lopez de Murillas Fores is an Associate III, where she is focused on design and project management. She previously worked with Eduardo De Miguel in Spain on the preservation and adaptive reuse of the historic industrial complex Bombas Gens in Valencia and has a Master of Architecture from Escuela Tecnica Superior de Arquitectura de Valencia, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia.

Maria is fascinated by the intervention of architecture heritage in a current context, which she sees as particularly relevant in New York City. She appreciates that much of MN’s work is celebrating the history of existing buildings.

Max Goldner is Head of Communications and Research at Modellus Novus, where he strives to be a megaphone for the firm, showcasing the talent and compassion within the team’s projects. Max believes good storytelling can only be achieved through empathy and humility and champions lending his voice to designers. His previous work spans architecture, curation, and academia, including The Institute for Arab and Islamic Art, The Center for Spatial Research, and placemaking consultancy Agora Partners.

Max graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies, and remained under the Dean’s Scholarship to receive his Master of Architecture and a Master of Science in Critical, Curatorial, and Conceptual Practices, where he received outstanding award for his thesis, Shooting and Crying: Constructions and Translations of (Para-)Jewish Subjecthoods. He spends his time biking, gardening, woodworking, teaching religious school and cello, and being a loyal member of the Park Slope Food Coop.

Michelle Noceto is an Associate II at Modellus Novus, where she works closely with clients and consultants across design phases to ensure schedules, details, and specifications are executed as drawn, as well as leading the research and selection of materials, fixtures, and furniture. Serving as a vital link between vendors and the firm, she handles vendor communication, with the deep belief that a project’s success depends on many people coming together. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and grew up in Rome.

Michelle’s passion for design, furniture and materials takes her around the world to visit factories and manufacturers firsthand. A former ceramicist and object photographer, she enjoys studying auction catalogs and digital archives outside of work. Before joining the firm, she taught an introductory design course at Virginia Tech, helped photograph a design collection for its Library of Material Culture, and worked in an archaeological dig in Rome, all of which deepened her lasting interest for documentation and archiving.

Mike Soldani is an Associate II at Modellus Novus, where he uses his technical knowledge and keen attention to detail to help bring projects to life. He enjoys the collaborative process and believes that diverse opinions produce the best outcomes. Prior to joining MN Mike spent seven years between Chicago and New York, honing his skills in luxury residential projects.

He received his Bachelors of Science in Architecture from Catholic University before obtaining his Masters of Architecture from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Outside of work, Mike loves cooking for family and friends and learning about other cultures through the use of new ingredients.

Obinna Elechi is an Associate III, working between project management and design roles of the firm’s diverse portfolio. Prior to joining MN, he was a senior project architect at Soho House, responsible for leading a team of designers for both refresh and new projects. He also worked at Gensler, where he helped to design the MoMA Expansion and the renovation of the landmarked Ford Foundation. He has a Master of Architecture from Parsons School of Design and a Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Originally from Nigeria, Obinna grew up in Holland and came to the U.S. for school, and this background as a “third culture kid” taught him to appreciate different perspectives. He enjoys drawing, comic books, and more recently, has taken up painting.

Preeti Sriratana is a founder and Partner at MN, where he provides strategic direction. He is committed to shaping communities and creating access, from non-profit work to MN’s efforts to create welcoming spaces in all of their projects. Beyond MN, he is board chair for Apex for Youth (for which he received an Official Commendation from the City of New York); member of the Advisory Board of Asian American Policy Review at the Harvard Kennedy School; and is co-founder of Central Queens Academy Charter School, the highest-performing public middle school in Queens.

Preeti’s career began in Paris working for Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, and he earned his Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Master of Architecture from Columbia University, and a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University. Preeti is a first-generation Asian-American immigrant from central Illinois and the proud product of the public school system.

Reishan McIntosh is an Associate I at Modellus Novus, embracing an approach to architecture that considers the built environment as a collection of layered histories and experiences. She previously worked on a range of high-end residential, retail, and large-scale commercial projects across San Francisco and New York City. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design, and a Master of Science in Architecture Studies with a focus on Architectural Design from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Her academic research explored the relationship between permanence and change, investigating how architecture can preserve a place’s past while adapting to contemporary life. In parallel, she developed an interest in interdisciplinary making through art and fabrication, which continues to inform her design methodology. Outside of work, Reishan enjoys tinkering, film photography, and catching the latest movie in theaters.

Sarah Kasper is an Associate Director, where she leads and designs projects and obsesses over details and schedules. She cares deeply about design precision, quality control, and problem solving. Previously Sarah was a project manager at Peterson Rich Office in Brooklyn, where she led both ground up and adaptive reuse projects from design through construction. She has worked on a diverse set of projects from installations and residences to cultural projects, including the New York headquarters for Galerie Perrotin,

a painting studio and residence for Nina Chanel Abney, and a print gallery at Wesleyan University. She has a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (where she spent a year studying at L’Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Versailles), a Master of Architecture from Yale University, and is a licensed architect in Illinois. Her obsession with detail began early in her career when she graded industrial diamonds, sorting for clarity, color, and carat.

Steven Harper is a founder and Managing Partner at MN, where he oversees the growth and finances of the firm, as well as execution of strategic priorities. He has extensive experience with a range of complex residential and commercial projects and is focused on providing clear planning and procedural oversight. Steven is also responsible for refining the firm’s professional practice to establish systems and operations to make the long process feel smooth for clients.

He is LEED and NCARB certified, licensed in NY, NJ, CT, CO, PA, and FL and is also a Board Member and Treasurer of Plus Pool, a non-profit committed to free and safe access New York City swimming waters. Steven received his Bachelor of Architecture (Magna Cum Laude) from Virginia Polytechnic and State University (Virginia Tech) and previously worked at Kohn Pederson Fox in New York and Skidmore Owings & Merrill in Chicago. Hailing from rural North Carolina, Steven is the son of professional musicians and has always appreciated that both music and architecture are rooted in math and logic yet still able to elicit powerful emotional reactions.

Tal Mor is Controller, where he is responsible for managing the firm’s financial and administrative operations, as well as supporting strategic planning. His approach seeks to supplement the firm’s focus on design excellence with reporting and analysis that informs the decision-making process.

Before joining MN, Tal worked for and consulted with several world-class AEC firms in New York and Miami and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from CUNY, Queens College. He is a lifelong New Yorker, most enriched by the city’s cultural diversity.

Tim Zhang is an Associate at Modellus Novus, where they approach design through sustainability, accessibility, and the quiet power of care in shaping spaces. They previously worked at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill on aviation and laboratory projects and at DLR Group on cultural and performing arts spaces. Influenced by bell hooks’ idea of responsibility, Timothy sees design as an act of collective stewardship, responding to both environment and community.

They earned their Bachelor of Architecture from Iowa State University, where they worked in an arts and ceramics studio and received the Richard F. Hansen Prize, the DLR Group Prize, and the Arvid and Gayle Osterberg Scholarship in recognition of their work in landscape, sustainability, and accessibility. Outside of work, Tim enjoys exploring new restaurants, traveling on weekends, and walking their friends’ dogs. They aspire to one day start a practice dedicated to creating spaces for both humans and non-humans.

Before anything else, we carve out time together to listen, ensuring we deeply understand your ask and achieve full alignment. We use this critical time to derive initial quantitative and qualitative insights that will define our approach moving forward.

Using our initial insights, we delve deeper to further explore the big question at the heart of your project. We bridge a client’s aspiration and the design team’s approach to develop clear and actionable priorities for programming and use that will ensure feasibility going forward.

We take your ask and begin defining our approach. Driven largely by our Creative Partner, we propose the spatial, sensorial, experiential and emotive directions that will guide all of our decision-making.

Honoring the project we have collectively imagined, we employ pragmatism and design in equal measure to propose routes that offer clear and novel solutions. Our approach to materials is defined, major building systems are identified, and layout and architectural elements are codified.

Fleshing out the intricacies of our concept, we problem solve technical and logistical requirements while developing crafted details. MN is responsible for the coordination of our trusted specialists, streamlining communication and avoiding future problems.

We rigorously follow our in-depth playbook to create a comprehensive construction set and avoid costly change orders once the project has started. On a parallel path, we begin the notoriously lengthy approvals/permitting process to expedite work.

Using our highly standardized bid evaluation process to vet all contractor candidates simultaneously, we level bids to compare factors on a like-for-like basis, empowering you to negotiate with a comprehensive understanding.

Our job is to be your advocate. Recognizing the complexities of any construction process, we ensure that respectful and diligent communication is maintained to work towards a shared goal of executing your vision as imagined.

The job is only over when it’s over. We close out with care and due diligence, coordinating to sign off on the project. We come to a shared agreement that your project is complete and ready for you. Ensuring you have all that is needed for future use, we deliver a custom, cohesive package that includes drawing sets, PR language, marketing materials, and FFE care.