We create inspiring spaces

Event Space

Plan, design and construct short duration event spaces.

Commercial

Brand design and interior space design for all commercial use.

Residential

Apartments and houses renovation and remodeling.

Commercial

Event Space

Residential

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Studio

QWA Studio (Quin Wu Architecture Studio) is an architectural design office located in New York City since 2018. As architects licensed in New Jersey and New York, we provide services including architecture design, interior design, visualization, permit application, and construction administration. Our work range from commercial spaces to residential houses.

People

The founder, Quin Wu, pursues architectural design and digital art throughout the past decade since his graduation from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2013. Prior to his founding of QWA Studio, Quin worked at SmithGroupJJR and a couple of interior design firms in NYC. He also teaches at the Interior Design Department at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) in NYC. His work has been favorably reviewed by The New York Times and other dozens of news media.

Lisences

New York State Architect License #:
043690

New Jersey State Architect License #:
21AI02257400

New York City Special Inspection Agency #:
009293

Sustainable Design - LEED AP BD+C #:
11118425

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What is the general process to work with QWA?

To ensure a successful project, we would like to thoroughly follow a few steps:

  1. Initial planning. We will go through your design requirements, site conditions, budget and time constraints. This usually involves one site visit and a few planning meetings. We will discuss how to achieve your goal on the strategy level.
  2. Schematic design. We can go wild about all design ideas with the help of mood boards, sketches, models etc. This is the time you will contribute a lot to build the vision of the project. No idea is a bad idea at this point.
  3. Design development. It should be clear what we are trying to do by now. We will put the ideas into drawings, specifications, and product schedules.
  4. Biding and construction. Invites will be sent out to a few contractors. We will also help to evaluate bids before awarding one. Construction permits application is being reviewed by the City at the same time.
  5. Construction administration. Sometimes to ensure that all design ideas are built out properly, we perform site construction administration on weekly basis.
  6. Project completion. We will check the job right before it is fully completed. There are always minor issues to fix, which is referred as a punch list. We will formally let you know that a project is successfully completed after the contractor fix everything on the punch list.

How long will it take before the construction can begin?

It depends on what kind of project and where it is. A few critical questions we will ask before giving you a time estimate.
If we know those answers, a quick time estimate will be provided after the initial planning meeting.

  • Do you have a clear goal to achieve in terms of design, budget and time? It is impossible to succeed in 3 of them, but it is perfectly reasonable to have 2. With a clearly defined goal, we can move forward more effectively.
  • Does your landlord need to review the design? If yes, is there any guidance such as House Rules.
  • Does the project need to modify plumbing, structure, fire alarm systems, etc.? If yes, we need to hire engineers and send relevant permit applications to the city.

Besides an architect, who else to hire?

For commercial projects, normally the following vendors are involved:

  • Local licensed surveyor.
  • Fire alarm system vendor.
  • Logo/VI design vendor.
  • Signage store.

For residential projects, we sometimes have decorators to help at earlier design phases.