about:
KURV ARCHITECTURE D.P.C. was co-founded by Alex Loyer Hughes A.I.A. and Karim Rashid at Karim‘’s Studio on 428 West 54th street in New York, New York in September of 2015.
Its original concept was to be an in-house design / development firm.
Karim sold his shares to Alex in 2018, dissolving the partnership, but KURV Architecture D.P.C. continues on today through the work of Alex and his team of Architects.
Karim and Alex remain friendly, and always look forward to collaboration when given the opportunity. They naturally work well together as Alex served as Director and Vice President of Interior Design from 2012 to 2018 for the famous industrial designer.
To date, since 2018, the firm KURV Architecture D.P.C. under Alex Loyer Hughes AIA as Architect, has successfully competed three all electric ground up high rise buildings in Manhattan, and is currently designing two high performance ground up mixed use high rise affordable housing projects in Brooklyn and the Bronx. KURV Architecture has designed and built dozens of high performance mid rise mixed use and multi family buildings across the Tri-State Area as well as Washington D.C.. In addition, Alex and his Interior Design team have designed and completed several high-end International and New York City Retail, Hospitality, Office and Apartment Renovations.
KURV Architecture is currenty upgrading a Landmarked Townhouse built in 1844 that is on the U.S. National Historic Register of Historic Places on MacDougal Street in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood to Passive House Standards. Alex and his team are also designing another high performance full gut renovation of a Historic Townhouse on East 95th Street on the Upper East Side. The team is also adding a one story Building Enlargement to create a Passive House Roof Extension that includes a Penthouse Duplex with three level Green Rooftop Terraces on the Lower East Side.
Alex and his team have established a reputation for solving tough architectural design challenges with a unique mix of building science, technology, know-how and high quality design which produces results that make KURV’s clients extremely happy.
KURV Architecture’s Design Services are listed below:
summary:
KURV Architecture DPC is a boutique New York City-based architecture, urban planning, design, and development firm. Founded in 2015 by Principal Architect Alex Loyer Hughes AIA and world-renowned designer Karim Rashid, the firm is widely recognized for merging avant-garde design methodology with advanced architectural technologies like parametric modeling and computational geometry. Rashid moved on from daily operations in 2018 to refocus on industrial design, though the two still occasionally collaborate.
A unique aspect of KURV's research practice is its exploration of spatial forms through sound. They utilize custom software to translate musical chord progressions and mathematical sound vibrations directly into 3D computational geometry, which they then script into functional building elements like facade patterns, walls, and interior structures.
Notable Projects & Portfolio
330 Grand Street (Lower East Side, Manhattan): A recently completed ground-up, six-story, 12-unit residential building emphasizing precise geometric forms, bold color integration, and advanced structural engineering.
St. Paul Community Baptist Church Campus / 850 Hendrix Street (East New York, Brooklyn): A massive community center and residential development that includes a 12-story mixed-use building, a large one-story domed church, a concert hall, and 550 to 575 affordable and senior housing units. The facade's rain screen panel patterns were scripted using parametric code mapped to musical pieces selected by the community.
Celebrity Penthouse Renovations: KURV executed the high-profile gut-renovation of actor Christopher Meloni’s multi-level West Village duplex penthouse aparment (the Charles Street Penthouse), turning a fractured layout into an open-concept, chic modern loft with a custom floating staircase.
Celebrity Penthouse Renovations: KURV executed the high-profile gut-renovation of musician Alex Pall’s multi-level Chelsey Penthouse turning a fractured layout into an open-concept, chic modern industrial loft.
1655 Madison Avenue (East Harlem): A 19-unit, mixed-use low-income rental building designed to defy traditional affordable housing aesthetics with an origami-like glass facade and geometric light-filtering accents.
14 White Street (Tribeca): A seven-story, eight unit luxury condominium ultra passive house building featuring intricate exterior Architectural Bronze Rainscreen Facade detailing.
Core Specialties & Services
The studio operates across a highly technical and creative spectrum:
Computational Design: Specialized expertise in parametric modeling, Building Information Modeling (BIM), and Building Energy Modeling (BEM).
Regulatory Navigation: Heavy experience managing complex NYC zoning, Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) presentations, ULURP applications, and Landmarks Preservation committee reviews.
Sustainability Compliance: Tailored architectural planning centered around Passive House Standards and meeting strict local regulations such as Local Law 33 and Local Law 97.
Alexander Loyer Hughes, A.I.A.
Architect R.A., M.s.A.A.D, NCARB, LEED, PHI CPHD
Licensed: NY, NJ, CT, DC, VA, FL, Chile
KURV ARCHITECTURE D.P.C.
575 FIFTH AVENUE FLOOR 14
New York, N.Y. 10017
www.kurvarchitecture.com
instagram: @kurv_architecture
ALEXANDER HUGHES ARCHITECT PLLC
575 FIFTH AVENUE FLOOR 14
New York, N.Y. 10017
www.alexhughesarchitect.com
instagram: @kurv_architecture
Alex Loyer Hughes AIA, Founding Partner
Principal
Alex Loyer Hughes AIA is Co-Founder and Principal of KURV Architecture. He is licensed and registered in the states of New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Virginia, Florida and Washington D.C.. He is a Certified Passive House Consultant and is an NCARB Nationally Certified Professional.
His role includes leading client relationships while overseeing overall project development and execution. Alex has broad experience guiding projects successfully through complex city and municipal approval processes; including the NYC ULURP , NYC Department of Buildings, NYC Landmarks and Preservation Commission, Various Community Board Approvals including Planing and Zoning Boards hearings, including the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals the NYC Office of Environmental Protection..
Over the course of Alex’s 25-year career he has designed and completed several mid and high rise buildings in Manhattan. He has won design awards and competitions for international hospitality and retail projects, and has successfully completed complex building use conversions and renovations, and has designed and overseen over fifty high-end residential and commercial projects in New York City. He is equally skilled at conceiving urban design solutions for large scale projects as he is developing intricate, customized interior and industrial design scale details for millwork, metal work and fabrication.
His broad and multifarious background has helped him form a unique approach to design and a deep understanding of what is required in order to see a project of any scale through to it’s successful completion.
Alex has previously taught at Columbia University, the Pratt Institute and has served as a visiting critic at numerous schools including the University of Pennsylvania and the Parsons New School for Design. He received a Bachelor of Architecture with Maximum Distinction from Universidad Finis Terra in Santiago, Chile, a Diploma in Digital Design from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, and a Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University in the City of New York.
Prior to founding Kurv Architecture along with business partner Karim Rashid, Alex was Director and Vice President of Interior Design for Karim's design studio, worked as International Retail Architect for renowned Fashion Designer Ralph Lauren, and was Architect and 3D Specialist at Peter Marino Architect in New York City. In Chile, Alex worked with notable Architects, Felipe Assadi, Mathiaas Klotz, Federico Sanchez Villaseca as well as Elton Leniz Aquitectos.
Alex is currently a student mentor at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University.