Paul Lukez Architecture

12/22/2023

Happy Holidays from PLA!

We mark the end of the year in gratitude to our clients, colleagues, team, and friends. It has been a fulfilling year as we dedicate ourselves to serving our clients, communities, and environment.

From all of us at PLA, we wish you a joyous holiday season and best wishes for 2024!

09/06/2023

Allow us to (Re)Introduce Ourselves -

08/05/2022

Our staff is our most important asset, allowing us to serve our clients in the pursuit of creative and sustainable design. To that end, we are pleased to announce updates about our team and their recent accomplishments.

Promotion to Associate Level:
Dennis Grudkowski AIA LEED AP
We are pleased to announce that Dennis Grudkowski has been promoted to an Associate at PLA. Dennis has played a key role in multiple projects over the past years as a senior project manager. Dennis is being recognized for his contributions to executing projects from design through construction administration and fostering strong client-centric relationships. Dennis has unique abilities in fostering a sense of craft and beauty in developing designs. In addition, we appreciate Dennis’s sense of humor as well as his musical and vocal talents!

New Team Member:
Safia Dziri, MArch, MSc
We are so pleased to have Safia Dziri join us this past spring as a full-time architectural designer. As a long-time resident of France with Moroccan roots, Safia joined us after completing her graduate studies at the University of California at Berkeley. She carries three degrees, including degrees in architecture and structural engineering. Her ability to integrate design and engineering as part of her design work adds another dimension to PLA’s capacity to serve clients, as it relates to Sustainable Design.

Summer Interns
Angel Escobar-Rodas
Angel joins us as a summer intern from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design where he is pursuing a graduate degree in architecture. Angel has a unique background. Originally from LA, Angel also was enlisted in the US Navy, where he served as a technician on a Nuclear Aircraft carrier before pursuing his architectural career.

Ava Mendelsohn
Ava is finishing up her studies at Tufts University, where she is pursuing degrees in Architecture, Engineering Psychology, and Studio Art simultaneously. She is an accomplished artist who brings a sophisticated design sensibility to projects. Her contributions defy her relative youth.

(Picture left to right: Dennis Grudkowski, Safia Dziri, Ava Mendelsohn, Angel Escobar-Rodas)

02/16/2022

New release!

Our new reference document contains information and contact info for nearly 20 leading solar companies around the world.

Available for free download at www.lukez.com/resources

02/01/2022

Welcome (back) to PLASES – a sustainable-centric PLA Studio.

We’ve updated our PLASES website with new and exciting projects, as well as sharing highlights from the past year. Check it out here: https://www.lukez-plases.com

PLASES looks forward to being a resource for those who wish to integrate exciting sustainable ideas into their environments.

12/17/2021

We just wanted to give a special shout-out and huge CONGRATS for REthink39 Groups colleague Paul Lukez Architecture for being named the best sustainable architect by Boston Home Magazine. So well deserved!!!

"In April 2021, this Somerville standout launched a new addition to the firm: PLASES, or Paul Lukez Architecture Sustainable Environment Studio. Its goal? To address climate change through inspired design. While the company has long been a pioneer in sustainable commercial projects, its new division also serves residential clients by creating net-zero-energy homes with seamless rooftop solar panels, triple-glazed windows, and chargeable carports."

For more info on their inspirational work go to https://www.lukez-plases.com/

12/07/2021

We are thrilled to be named “Best Sustainable Architect of 2022” by Boston Magazine! Our team at PLA is so excited to receive this honor because we believe so strongly in the need to design sustainably.

Many thanks to Andrea Timpano and her editorial staff at the magazine for this honor, and to our supportive clients and collaborating consultants, engineers, and builders.

11/10/2021

The renovation of the Lexington Arts and Crafts Society Molly Harding Nye Gallery resulted in a simple but elegant space that accommodates the rich array of exhibit types that it hosts.

The Molly Nye Gallery is currently hosting the LexArt Instructors Show until November 21st. The LexArt Annual Holiday Marketplace will begin December 3rd.

We thank Molly Nye, Executive Director Matthew Siegal, Wayne Davis, and Louise Hara, and all the members of the LexArt board for their collaboration, as well as the many contributors to this project.

Photo credit: Nicole Mordecai
Rendering by Roni Dos Santos

09/20/2021

Are you interested in learning about how your home and electric vehicle can be fully powered by the sun?

Then you will want to read our latest publication which features a net-zero energy house in Harvard, Massachusetts. This case study explains how the house generates enough energy to power the home and an EV through passive design strategies, energy-efficient equipment, and solar energy generation supplemented by batteries.

Available at lukez.com/resources. First 20 orders are free - first come, first serve.

08/25/2021

We are so pleased to hear that Paul Lukez Architecture/PLASES has been selected by General Contractors Magazine as one of the top 14 architectural firms in Cambridge. We are thrilled to be in such good company (such as Cambridge 7 (see pic) and others)! Thanks to the editors of General Contractors Magazine, including Jack Cookson.

For a business to bustle and attract customers, several aspects such as designs, moods, and space should be considered. And as Cambridge is the fifth most populous state in the state, commercial businesses should take note of how to best design their complexes and establishments to win over the many...

07/28/2021

From Idea to Form
A Video Clip of The Design Process: Sketch to Rendering

Beautifully rendered digital representations of architectural projects don’t magically and instantaneously materialize in full form. Check out this short video clip illustrating how Paul Lukez Architecture / PLASES develops their designs and representations of projects.

This project evolved from a sketch into a 3D model and later was developed into a fully rendered image. This work by our team demonstrates the power of integrating analog and digital tools. Using an iterative design process, designs are sculpted and layered with architectural materials and systems, testing different ideas out digitally before moving to construction.

Our clients get to witness how their design evolves as a series of collaboratively developed design ideas, which are given form and life. For more examples of our design process and representations see: https://www.lukez.com/drafting-table/drawing-gallery/