Curtis + Ginsberg Architects (C+GA) is an award-winning architecture and planning firm whose work focuses on serving the needs of our clients, the community, and the environment. The firm was founded in 1990 by Darby Curtis, AIA, and Mark Ginsberg FAIA, LEED AP on the belief that everyone deserves access to quality design and that design can effect positive change for individuals and communities. This mission-driven approach guides our innovation in sustainable design as we work across multifamily, mixed-use, institutional, nonprofit, and cultural projects at all scales to build equitable neighborhoods.

C+GA is a leader in Passive House (PHIUS and iPHA) certified design, with over 25 Passive House projects in New York City—most recently Phius Design Award-winning Melrose North and 4697 Third Avenue—and five more in design and construction. Melrose North also received the 2024 Better Project Award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Initiative. These projects have hosted New York Passive House and Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) Pro tours and were exhibited at the 2024 Innovative Housing Showcase on the National Mall in Washington, DC, modeling how supportive and affordable housing can be sustainable and cost-effective. 

Central to all our work is a commitment to developing social and environmental resilience in the communities in which we work. We use the latest technology, innovative techniques, and best practices to maximize the environmental benefits and minimize the carbon footprint for future generations. Crystal Ng, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP, CPHC, C+GA’s Sustainability Director, leads our efforts to meet the AIA 2030 Commitment. We have completed numerous LEED projects and over 65 buildings in the Enterprise Green Communities program. Our leadership in sustainable design is recognized locally and nationally, ranking in the Engineering News-Record’s (ENR) 2024 Top 100 Green Design Firms, and we were the first architecture firm to be awarded the national Ivory Prize for Innovation in Sustainable Housing in 2021. C+GA is a certified woman-owned business enterprise (WBE). 

C+GA champions Passive House as the standard supporting highly insulated, all-electric projects that minimize energy consumption while providing safe, healthy, and comfortable living environments and advancing New York City and State’s climate and clean energy goals. C+GA works with our clients, with support from City and State agencies like HPD and NYSERDA, to implement energy efficiency technologies at different stages of the design process in both new and existing buildings. 

NYSERDA Early Design Support grants funded carbon neutral research, modeling, economic analyses, and other early-stage applications for the EnerPHit rehabilitation of the historic Three Arts Club, as well as for Shore Hill, a Passive House affordable senior residence. Both projects were also awarded the NYSERDA Buildings of Excellence Demonstration Project Award with Three Arts honored as a distinguished Blue Ribbon winner. NYSERDA’s Buildings of Excellence Early Design Support Awards were also bestowed on C+GA’s affordable and supportive housing projects HELP ONE, Castle III, and 819 Grand, currently in development to meet Passive House and Enterprise Green Communities standards, including a range of sustainable measures such as highly insulated thermal envelopes, energy-efficient VRF heating and cooling, ERVs and large solar PV arrays. Park Avenue Green—at the time of completion, the largest Passive House affordable housing development in the country—received a  NYSERDA Buildings of Excellence Award for Post-Completion Performance Optimization, ensuring sustainable longevity for this community of environmentally comfortable homes.