Henson Architecture

05/07/2026

We're excited to share that the Carnegie Hill Passive House has been selected as a Special Mention in the 2026 Architizer A+ Awards for the Residential Renovations & Additions category!

Henson Architecture's townhouse retrofit of this 1878 three-story brownstone in Manhattan’s Expanded Carnegie Hill Historic District has been certified to the Passive House Enerphit standard, the benchmark for maximizing energy efficiency, comfort, and indoor air quality. The project involved a full brownstone restoration as well as a gut interior renovation of five floors with the addition of a roof terrace. The renovation provides the new owner with a comfortable, quiet, and elegantly understated retreat, a canvas for their lives in their vibrant city.

Architizer's gallery for 2026 will go live in June.

https://www.hensonarchitect.com/award-for-the-carnegie-hill-passive-house/
Photo credit: Alexander Severin,

04/16/2026

Good morning, Glimmerglass! You are true to your moniker today. What a beautiful day in Cooperstown for the New York Statewide Preservation Conference. Cory Trembath Rouillard and Kyle Rosenthal will be presenting on Embodied Wisdom, Modern Data in the first session this morning.

04/02/2026

Thank you, The New York Landmarks Conservancy, for this honor!

Join the Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards on April 16th at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine: givebutter.com/moses2026

Hamilton Fish House, 21 Stuyvesant Street

The Hamilton Fish House is a rare, surviving Federal Style townhouse, with elegant proportions, architectural restraint, and deep ties to New York City (and Hamilton) history. It was built on land the Dutch West India Company granted to Peter Stuyvesant in 1651 and was commissioned for Peter’s great-great-granddaughter Elizabeth in 1803. Elizabeth’s husband Nicholas Fish served in the Revolutionary War and was close friends with Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette; the Fishes hosted Lafayette at their home in 1824.

After many uses and many owners, the property was donated to Cooper Union in the 1990s. Now it has been restored and made watertight, with many historic elements returned. Brick facades were repointed, brownstone repaired, the stoop rebuilt. The masterpiece is the new slate roof featuring arched dormers windows reconstructed with copper roofs and painted wood trim that matches the original. New, painted wood shutters with historic detailing and cast-iron shutter dog hardware complete House’s new old look.

Photo by Jack Kucy

Project Team:
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
DBI Projects
Henson Architecture
Old Structures Engineering
Preserv Building Restoration Management, Inc.
Jablonski Building Conservation, Inc.
KM Associates of NY

02/16/2026

We are delighted to announce that our exterior restoration of the Hamilton Fish House has been awarded a Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award by The New York Landmarks Conservancy!
https://www.hensonarchitect.com/the-hamilton-fish-house-won-a-lucy/

Congratulations to everyone involved in the ongoing stewardship of this historic property. Congratulations to our friends and colleagues who are also being recognized this year. Thank you to the Landmarks Conservancy for this honor. We look forward to celebrating with you in April!

02/09/2026

Even with the winter predictions of Punxatawney Phil, Staten Island Chuck, and their Queens-based fellow prognosticators, it's never too early to be thinking about the coming hot summer days, and the more frequent heatwaves we'll be dealing with in the years to come.
https://www.hensonarchitect.com/comfort-at-the-extremes/

Cory Trembath Rouillard will be speaking about Embodied Wisdom at the Comfort At The Extremes 2026 conference in Tucson, Arizona in May. The sixth international conference in this series, the event focuses on many aspects of habitability in extreme conditions.

Early bird registration ends on February 13.

01/30/2026

Looking for your next inspiring podcast?
https://www.hensonarchitect.com/untangling-circularity/

Scott Henson was interviewed on The Untangling Circularity Podcast, hosted by Cynthia Power and Laura Novich. He shared an engaging conversation with fellow participants Dave Bennink and Ruth Mandl about deconstruction and reuse of building materials, and of the development of the circular economy in NYC.

Scott’s thoughts on the importance of preservation and the possibilities of salvage and deconstruction as a viable, valuable alternative to demolition underscore the core values at Henson and our approach to care for our clients, their buildings, and the heritage of our city.

01/26/2026

New York City has released their 2026 Covered Buildings Lists, a set of borough-specific lists of buildings covered by Local Law 97 (LL97).
https://www.hensonarchitect.com/nyc-local-law-97-covered-buildings-list/

A part of the 2019 Climate Mobilization Act, NYC’s LL97 is guiding the buildings of our city to a more resilient and comfortable future by gradually stepping down the allowable greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition to avoiding fines, your selected compliance path can benefit you in other ways, including better thermal comfort, air quality, and even quieter living spaces.

Is your building on the list? We can help you strategize your next steps.

01/22/2026

Jane Sanders was interviewed for an article in AIA Architect about New York City’s Local Law 97, one of the nation’s first building performance standards (BPS).
https://www.hensonarchitect.com/aia-architect-building-performance-standards/

With her extensive expertise in energy performance retrofits for existing buildings and working with the clients’ maintenance cycles, Jane champions the holistic approach to compliance that is at the heart of Henson Architecture’s work.

Jane emphasized the importance of the technical capabilities of the design team, including the building science knowledge gained through Passive House training, such as through The Passive House Network and Phius.

Congratulations, Jane!

01/07/2026

Henson is thrilled to welcome Mary Gilmartin. Mary joined us in June, 2025 and has quickly become an integral part of the Henson team.
https://www.hensonarchitect.com/welcome-mary-gilmartin/

Mary’s work has focused on rehabilitation of historic townhomes, incorporating modern sustainable design practices to ensure the continued use of these buildings.

Mary’s career began at an engineering firm specializing in life safety & fire protection. Much of her work there included preparing historic buildings to comply with new laws for sprinklerization and fire safety. Projects included work at the Ford Foundation, Pace University, and Rockefeller Plaza.

After attending graduate school at the City College of New York, Spitzer School of Architecture, she focused her work on small scale residential projects that incorporated sustainable design, including several Passive House Certified projects.

Mary is currently working on several of Henson’s active projects throughout the five boroughs.

01/02/2026

Happy New Year!
https://www.hensonarchitect.com/happy-new-year/

We’ve been busy over the past several months. As we enter the new year, we will be sharing several updates with you. Watch this space!