Photo courtesy of Sytes Media Inc.
It is with great joy that we welcome Andy Vann to the PCA Principal team, celebrating his 10 years of dedication and leadership within the firm.
Since joining in 2014, Andy has been a powerful force behind some of PCA's most significant projects, including the transformation of Yonkers Exhibit Hall and Studio, a 30,000 SF turn-of-the-century factory, into an energy-efficient workspace, gallery, and living space.
Andy is not just a formidable architect and project manager but also an educator and activist deeply committed to equitable neighborhood practices and sustainable design. His expertise spans from retrofitting NYC buildings to Passive House standards to shaping iconic multifamily residences on Denmark’s Aarhus waterfront.
As an Associate at Paul A. Castrucci Architects, Andy played a pivotal role in advancing the firm's mission to create ultra-low energy, Passive House, and Net-Zero buildings. Now, as Principal, he will lead the design process for Singing Bridge Residences, an affordable housing development built to Passive House standards and set to provide 105 affordable apartments to working families to meet increasing housing needs in Chicopee and the wider region.
We welcome Andy—and his passion, effectiveness, and stewardship—as a stellar guide toward PCA's vision for a sustainable future.
In his own words
What led you to become and architect?
As a teenager in art class, I started to play with architecture and my surroundings: making little maquettes, photographing buildings and places I found interesting, building furniture prototypes and even drawing classical architectural details in wild chromatics. But things turned serious on a trip to Vienna. There, I encountered the Karl Marx-Hof—a massive worker’s housing project that’s heroic, optimistic, and a monument to our potential collectivism. It’s actually a sort of city in a single building constructed as resistance to the capitalist city of the early 20th century. On the same trip I encountered the Karl Marx Hof’s seeming counterpoint, the wildly colorful, unique and anarchistic Hundertwasserhaus. Not one element of that building is repetitive. There is a different solution to every design problem – but all grounded in some artistic reason. For example, Hundertwasser purposely designed and constructed the floors of the apartments to mimic the experience of walking barefoot on the forest floor. It’s all worked together in an uneasy, but breathtaking inhabitable sculpture. After that experience, suddenly everything was about architecture for me.
Those two seminal works represent something I’m still trying to balance in my work today: architecture that’s not just functional and infrastructural, but also playful and life-giving. More and more these days I see architecture not in single buildings but as a practice that strives to tether together these two forces, both working toward justice in our cities and giving form to inspirational, beautiful spaces.
What catches your eye in New York City, Copenhagen, or in any city?
Over the years, what catches my eye as I explore a city has shifted. When I was younger and curious about the cities that I lived in, I was always trying to figure out what was left out of the picture. What wasn’t in Midtown or didn’t fit into the image of Copenhagen. This is also to say, what “unpretty” places and conditions are created in order to make our cities function. I was also always broke and walking is a free activity, so I’d spend hours walking around places like the South Bronx, Hunter’s Point, or the old industrial areas at Copenhagen’s fringes, trying to figure out how the hidden parts of the city made everything work – and also finding my own kind of beauty there. I think my affinity with these spaces came from the activities that could be found in these non-commodified corners of the city, like collectives and squats for example.
These days, and this is probably because I live this hybrid life between New York City and Copenhagen, I pay a lot of attention to the details and I am constantly comparing—the texture of a brick facade, how the sidewalk is used, how public space gets occupied, the things that give a city its character. New York is such a frenetic ad hoc place, with so much life, difference and activity all the time. Copenhagen is so different, and with its Carre blocks, bike lanes and courtyards it is more in indicative of life in tune with nature. Having a foot planted in both places informs how I approach my work.
Could you highlight some of the key projects you’ve worked on while at the firm? Which ones are you most proud of and why?
Looking back on my 10 years with the firm, I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished. The Yonkers Exhibition Hall and Studio was a standout for me. It was a dream project—adapting an old factory for an artist who was creating site-specific sculptures while we worked. The whole process felt like a theater production, with all the excitement and stress that comes with it. It was also my first time leading a project from start to finish, with Paul there as a guide but giving me a lot of freedom. I’m also proud of all the affordable housing projects we’ve done. While design freedom is much more limited with these buildings, we place a ton of effort and concern into designing buildings with a focus on quality, beauty, health and sustainability to underserved populations in our cities. I’m proud of all those works.
What is your vision for the firm moving forward, particularly in areas like sustainable design and community impact?
As I step into the role of Principal, I’m focused on keeping us at the forefront of sustainable architecture in New York City. Being a small firm gives us an edge—we can be more flexible, more agile, and more aligned with our passions. I want us to stay an activist firm, pushing the environmental agenda further, just like we did when we became one the first firms to build a Passive House multi-family building in the city or when PCA stepped up to lead the redesign and reconstruction process at ABC No Rio. That’s what inspired me when I joined, and I want to keep that momentum going.
Right now, I’m also thinking about how architecture can play a role in harm reduction, borrowing a concept usually applied to addiction. Architecture can’t solve all the city’s problems, but we can choose not to contribute to things like gentrification. And I’m interested in how we can approach architecture as a practice of care—for the city, the people, and the buildings themselves.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Outside of work, I’m passionate about teaching. Whether it’s teaching architecture at KEA or coaching kids’ basketball, there’s something incredibly rewarding about passing on what you love to the next generation. Connecting with nature is important to me too. In Copenhagen, there’s no dramatic, awe-inspiring nature, but you do have the ocean. I live close to the beach and have started winter swimming. I also share a community garden with my family where we grow all sorts of vegetables and herbs. These things keep me grounded and bring a lot of joy into my life.
Andy delivers a toast to celebrate his 10 years with the firm.
Reflections from Colleagues
“Andy has been a design leader within the firm for 10 years, crafting a clear and identifiable architectural vision that has strengthened not only his projects but also our overall commitment to design across all of our work. His holistic view of design—aesthetic, technical, and perhaps most importantly, social—perfectly encapsulates the best of PCA. By bringing careful consideration to each of these facets, Andy enriches both the project and our collective understanding of potential solutions. Additionally, the day-to-day work experience at PCA is extremely important to us (we want to be happy while we work!), and Andy has always been a tone setter for a positive work culture.”
—Grayson Jordan, AIA, Principal