As spring draws near, many of us begin embarking on home improvement projects. If your plans include a home renovation, addition, or even a complete rebuild, you’ll need to find an experienced registered architect.
Noah Adler, RA, NCARB, of NHA Architects in Haworth, provides architectural design services focused on single-family and two-family residential projects. He works with clients from the conception through to the completion of the project, providing expertise and guidance throughout the process of design and execution, including the documentation for the permit application. Noah’s services also include feasibility studies and zoning analyses for homeowners, real estate agents, and contractors.
As an architect, Noah also serves as an advocate for homeowners as they progress through a construction or renovation project. He works closely with contractors to ensure their work aligns with the plans and provides alternative solutions when a deviation from the original design is necessary.
“Architects understand and appreciate space, form, light, and function,” says Noah. “Our education teaches us about mathematics, history, psychology, science, and how light, texture, and color work together to impact our moods. I pay attention to detail and enjoy creating aesthetically pleasing and cost-effective solutions.”
Noah is licensed in New Jersey, New York State, Connecticut, and Florida and has dreamed of becoming an architect since childhood. “Architecture is the ultimate manifestation of the creative process and provides the ability to create something four-dimensional: length, width, depth, and experience,” he says. “Buildings function like living creatures. All mechanical and structural systems need to be integrated to work together.”
Growing up in Long Island, Noah was lucky enough to attend a high school with an architectural program where he was introduced to drafting and building scale models. As a three-time winner of the program’s annual competition, Noah is invited back each year to judge the designs of the current high school students participating in the program. “I love being able to inspire others to pursue a career in architecture,” says Noah, who went on to get his architectural degree at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Noah’s attention to detail and creativity are inspired by the renowned architects before him. “I’ve always loved the work of I.M. Pei and his order of geometry, and the way Santiago Calatrava (designer of NYC’s Oculus transportation hub near the Freedom Tower) integrates structure with design." As a student, he was selected to participate in an on-site study program at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pennsylvania, which also left a profound impression on him.
The contributions of a registered architect to a construction or renovation project far exceed the typical schematics and floor plans that most people envision. Noah works on various residential projects, including small renovations, major gut renovations, new construction, and commercial fit-outs.
Popular trends in home renovation include:
· In-law suites to provide aging family members with their own separate living space integrated into the home.
· Master bathroom wet rooms, in which a large shower area also contains a soaking tub.
· Open-plan first-floor spaces (kitchen, dining room, family room) with free flow and open views.
Homeowners considering major renovation projects must consider the advantages and disadvantages of investing in the renovation of their current home or buying a new one.
“The decision is ultimately a monetary one, he says. “It’s important to consider what the home will be worth after the project is completed, but there is great value in having a place you love. Many of my projects have been additions and renovations rather than new construction because people love their homes,” says Noah. “And there is great value in that, too!”
nha-arch.com
“Architecture is the ultimate manifestation of the creative process.”
“Architects understand and appreciate space, form, light, and function.”