Richard Morris Hunt. Henry Hobson Richardson. Frank Lloyd Wright. These are the names of just a few of the architects who shaped the Northeast as we know it today. Architect Horace Trumbauer’s firm, led by Julian Abele and Howell Lewis Shay, designed the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Louis Kahn designed the Yale University Art Gallery. Charles Follen McKim designed the Boston Public Library, and Henry Hobson Richardson created Trinity Church. In New York City, Shreve, Lamb & Harmon designed the Empire State Building, and Raymond Hood was the visionary behind Rockefeller Center.

These aren’t just buildings: they’re essential architecture that defines the Northeast in terms of style, functionality, and aesthetics. In the same way, these aren’t just architects; they’re artists and visionaries.

Modern architecture is defined by sustainable design, green spaces, open-plan layouts, and adaptive reuse that reimagines classic and unused spaces. In the Northeast, this is a cornucopia of design styles, including Federal (America’s first architectural style), Beaux-Arts, Art Deco, Mid-Century Modernism, and Brutalism. From Federal Boston, the Beaux-Arts buildings in Philadelphia, the Art Deco silhouettes of New York City, and the bold brutalism, gothic, and saltbox designs of Connecticut, the visual identity of Northeast cities and towns feels both imaginative and functional. 

For design firms like FCA Architects, the tapestry of design styles in the Northeast translates to creating unique and functional spaces for healthcare, education, and science. With buildings for companies, organizations, and schools such as BMW, Yale University, Gatorade, the University of Rochester, and Spotify, the firm has also designed facilities in Nevada, California, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

Specializing in styles such as modern industrial aesthetic and deconstructivist, FCA is credited with a fresh, modern yet classic approach, designing their own office as something [people] cannot get at home—a choice of workstation, the flexibility to move around, a culture to relate to, and most importantly, connection to one another.” Led by their guiding principles, including “Place, Planet, People, Process, & Prosperity,” FCA carries this ethos into every design.

Through shapes, simple material palettes, and sustainable design, FCA creates modern spaces that balance classic architecture with innovative ideas. Geometric designs are used throughout The Almac Group North American Headquarters in Lower Salford, PA, and Fox Rothschild in DC. Little Theatre in New Haven, CT, draws from a “painted concrete block, exposed structural decking, laminated counter with clear acrylic supports.” (7) The design of The Discovery Magnet School transitions “between this natural landscape and the built world.” (8)

Image Credit: Officelovin’

One of FCA’s strong suits is understanding the nuances of design styles across industries. For education, FCA’s designs of the Quinnipiac Esports Hub, The New School Innovation Center, and CCSU Barnard Hall balance modern design with institutional legacy and school branding. In healthcare facility design, hospitals and health centers such as Geisinger Health and NYU Langone Medical Center, FCA designed for daily operations and patient safety. 

Science, one of FCA’s major verticals, requires a focus on minimal, strategic design across laboratories, offices, and research spaces. For science and technology companies such as Shire Pharmaceuticals and Alexion Pharmaceuticals, this approach facilitated the development of truly innovative and effective workspaces.

Image Credit: Building Enclosure

For FCA Architects, design and architecture go beyond aesthetics, impacting how individuals and communities live, explore, and function in modern spaces. For the Asbury Park Arts and Culture Plan, FCA’s design facilitates bringing resources to the community. For Montefiore Medical Center: Breast Care Center, FCA created a design that supports patient care. FCA’s design for The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp was based on connecting families, and the Gatorade Sport Science Institute is designed to improve athletic performance.

Their attention to detail and ability to prioritize the individuals and groups inhabiting spaces are also evident in projects such as the Ronald McDonald House, Beehive Bridge, and the new Sandy Hook School. With a goal to “resonant spaces uniquely suited to the needs of those who use them” (6), FCA doesn’t just design buildings; they create experiences.

FCA, of course, wanted an equally fresh and strategic design for their own headquarters in Philadelphia. With a desire to integrate art with the same precision as their client spaces, FCA opted for a wall “flipbook style” portfolio. The Split Flap-inspired installation, called Picture Flap, is a bespoke mechanical display from Oat Foundry, with FCA’s projects spanning the entire sign. The Picture Flap rotates through artboards, with a selection of imagery and vector graphics that highlight the firm’s project portfolio. 

FCA’s classic black-and-white logo stands out when flipping through many photos of colorful interiors. Other printed graphics detail the firm’s sustainability mission and company values. The sustainable installation also operates on significantly less power and heat than digital alternatives.

Picture Flap is more than a sustainable design feature; it’s an opportunity to connect directly with clients and guests. Through kinetic energy, Picture Flap creates an experience more tactile and engaging than digital screens. Often used as brand statement walls, Picture Flap is one of three Oat Foundry displays that contribute to an “analog aesthetic,” representing a “design language, a tactile aesthetic, and an analog lifestyle category all at once.” (10)

FCA Architect’s own office redesign was covered by Architect Magazine, calling it, “a visual celebration of its brand.” (9) Many of their projects, such as a master plan for public art in Hoboken, an office for Fox Rothschild in Chicago, Farmingdale State College on Long Island, 

have been covered by NJ.com, Dexigner, NY Real Estate, and more. Director of Sustainability at FCA, Robert Fleming, has contributed to articles pertaining to FCA’s dedication to eco-friendly design, published on EdTech Magazine, as well as for books including “Design Education for a Sustainable Future,” “Sustainable Design for the Built Environment,” and “Sustainable Design Basics”.

Oat Foundry’s Picture Flaps are one of three Oat Foundry displays that serve as unique kinetic installations, providing a refreshing take on office design. From bringing mechanical movement to stunning architecture portfolios to modern menus and statement walls for healthcare and education, Picture Flap is the perfect balance of form and function.

Resources

1. A History Minute: 11 Things You Didn’t Know About Julian Abele, Architect of the Parkway
2. Federal Architecture, HGTV
3. The Artful American Architecture of Delano & Aldrich
4. Art Deco, The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia
5. https://www.fcarchitects.com/work/
6. FCA Architects
7. Little Theatre, FCA Architects
8. Discovery Magnet School, FCA Architects
9. FCA Philadelphia, Architect Magazine
10. What is Analog in 2026?
11. Rob Fleming Architect