The Art of Building was founded in 2013 by James Dell'Olio and Darren Davidowich, combining a love for architectural design and high-workmanship construction with the goal of building uniquely inspired projects that elevate their surroundings.
Darren Davidowich
Co-Founder
I was the kid who enjoyed physical work. My early career includes highlights mowing neighborhood lawns, carpentry and working at a local farm. Add this to viewing more episodes of This Old House than any self-respecting teenager should watch, and my career path as a builder was a completely logical outcome.
With degrees in environmental studies and policy, I started my career in planning but soon moved to real estate acquisition and development at Lennar (one of the biggest homebuilders in the US) where I was promoted to Division President of the New York Region at a fairly young age – a huge personal accomplishment but also one that led me to question why we build and what excites me most about building homes.
While at Lennar, I identified an opportunity to geographically expand the company’s geographic footprint into New York state. This led to me founding the New York Homebuilding Division, which grew from a start-up to approximately $90 million in annual revenue within a three-year period. I negotiated, secured approvals, and developed more than 5,000 residential lots in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and, overseeing a 40-person team, built upwards of 500 homes. My time at Lennar also provided me with the opportunity to directly manage infrastructure development including bonding, survey, grading, dry utilities (electric, phone, data, gas), drainage, stormwater management, roadways, water distribution, wastewater collection and treatment systems and of course construction management. These formative experiences were invaluable to me as they honed my professional skill set in land use, infrastructure development, real estate development, construction, and business leadership.
At the end of the day, I was working for a huge publicly traded corporation building a relatively small set of homes that we had perfected to be both efficient and appealing to potential buyers. The houses were the opposite of individualized and business decisions were heavily shareholder influenced. I found the job exhilarating and more than challenging but I felt detached from the homes we were building rather than creating.
After spending several years on my own as a real estate investor, I met James and The Art of Building was born. We were both craving meaning in the work we did, and we shared a passion for building, craftsmanship and the Hudson Valley. Today, fourteen years later, we run a team of 20-plus design and construction employees and have built over 50 projects and counting.
Outside of work, I am passionate about fitness and nature. An early adopter of shinrin-yoku (forest-bathing), when I am not working, I can usually be found in the woods hiking high peaks with my wife Kate and our three dogs, Bentley, Coconut and Pepper.
Chronology
2012 – Present - Co-Managing Partner, The Art of Building2010 – Present - Co-Founder, HETTA Glögg
2007 – 2013 - Co-Managing Partner, Benchmark Property Group
2000 – 2007 - Division President, Regional Vice President, Lennar Corporation
1998 – 2000 - Assistant Planner, New Jersey Meadowlands Commission
2000 - Certificate, Administrative Science, Fairleigh Dickenson University
1998 - Master of Science, Environmental Policy, NJIT
1996 - Bachelor of Arts, Environmental Studies, Ramapo College
James Dell'Olio
Co-Founder
My professional training as a designer-builder started with a series of case-study Lego houses and parking structures for Adventure People and their disproportionately small Matchbox cars. Soon after, my practice expanded to heavy infrastructure projects, focused primarily on dams and canals for the crayfish in the creek that ran through our backyard. By the age of nine, my atelier produced drawings of houses with floorplans (including one with a 120-foot-long living room, complete with a 30-foot-wide fireplace--which, in my defense, did seem to "work" with the scale of the room). But in college, I chose to study philosophy instead of architecture and I sort of forgot about drawing and building for much of the next 15 years.
About 20 years ago, a side-hustle with a series of modest investment properties took on more and more ambitious designs and activated my long-dormant creative side. Six years after that, I met Darren and The Art of Building was born.
Darren and I shared a love of building and the Hudson Valley. We both were disillusioned with our careers and wanted to do something that we were passionate about. For me, I wanted to feel connected to the place and to the people in it. I loved the vernacular architecture of the houses and barns in the region and was so impressed with the artists and craftsmen who lived here. We wanted to join this community of makers and do our share to contribute to the conversation.
It probably sounds hokey, but The Art of Building is a celebration of individuality and uniqueness. We wanted to work with interesting people who wanted houses as individual as they were. We wanted to work with the region's best artists and craftsmen. We wanted to do great design but didn't want to be doctrinaire about it—we didn't want to stay in a lane of being modern or historic but wanted to find new ways to somehow be both at the same time. With the right clients, every project we do creates its own unique spark and special alchemy--and each building becomes an individual in its own right.
Chronology
2020 – Present - Founder and Co-Managing Partner, Sighthound Search Partners
2022 – Present - Vice Chairman, Skyhawk Capital Advisors
2012 – Present - Co-Managing Partner, The Art of Building
2001 – 2019 - President, Ferguson Partners
1997 - Master of Arts, Philosophy, Katholeike Universiteit Leuven, magna cum Laude
1995 - Bachelor of Arts, Vassar College, Phi Beta Kappa, Maguire Fellow
Lauren Cawse, AIA, LEED GA
Architect, Partner
Lauren earned her Bachelor of Arts in Architecture at Columbia University and her Master of Architecture at Harvard University. Working at Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners (New York, New York), Lauren developed a deep, intuitive sense for renovating institutional buildings with historic significance (such as the legendary New York Public Library). Her projects won multiple awards, including the Lucy Moses Preservation Award for the Dale Jones Burch Neighborhood Center in the historic Henry Street Settlement. At Walter B. Melvin Architects (New York, New York), she designed the technical restoration of historic masonry buildings in New York City. Her time at Moshe Safdie and Associates (now Safdie Architects) (Somerville, Massachussetts) allowed her to work on large-scale, new-construction projects such as museums and cultural centers. A lifelong interest in construction and a desire to design at a smaller scale brought her to The Art of Building.
Ilsa Falis, RA
Architect, Partner
Ilsa earned her Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Scripps College and her Master of Architecture from Yale University. She began her career in architecture working at Joeb Moore + Partners (Greenwich, Connecticut), where she focused on contemporary ground-up residential projects, developed strong design skills, and honed her eye for materiality and detailing. At Deborah Berke Partners (now TenBerke) (New York, New York) Ilsa strengthened her project management skills while working on custom residences in New York City and Long Island. Many of these projects were historic structures involving complex approvals processes, intensive structural and systems coordination, and a sensitivity for traditional and vernacular design. During this time, Ilsa realized the personal importance of developing collaborative relationships with her clients. She carried this value with her when she went to work for Studio MM (Olivebridge, New York), a residential design practice that caused her to fall in love with the Hudson Valley. A few years later, yearning for a return to more textured historic work, Ilsa joined The Art of Building, where she enjoys creating unique bespoke homes for a diverse group of wonderful clients.
Karl Hansen, AIA, NCARB, CPHC
Architect, Project Manager
Karl holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Arizona. He began his architecture career at Rob Paulus Architects (Tucson, AZ), specializing in chic, modern design that maximized space and optimized budget. While working at Design Build Collaborative (Tucson, AZ) he gained significant experience in metal detailing, fabrication, and installation in high-end modern homes. At Svigals + Partners (New Haven, CT) he acquired the skills for handling large-scale projects such as hospitals, schools (including the rebuilt Sandy Hook Elementary School), and mixed-used residential, also actively incorporating art and sculpture into architecture. During his many years at River Architects (Cold Spring, NY) he delved deep into net-zero, energy-efficient architecture (certified passive house), developing a high level of expertise in building science. Among his many projects, Karl oversaw the design and construction of Seminary Hill Cidery, the world’s first passive-house certified cidery, which won the Metropolis Planet Positive Regional Award and the PHIUS Passive Projects Design Competition award. Karl has presented at regional and national architecture conferences and is actively involved in the passive house community, currently serving as vice president of Phius Alliance New York. Karl was drawn to The Art of Building because he believes deeply in the design-build model, and he finds that immersing himself in the construction side of a project makes him a better designer.
Jane Irvine
Project Manager
Pacific Northwest native Jane Irvine moved to New York City later in life, excited to steep herself in the city’s rich architectural history. She put her background in project management and decorative background to work with construction and building companies, as well as her own eponymous design firm and The Shade Store, before relocating to the Hudson Valley and joining The Art of Building in 2021. A longtime yoga practitioner, she is forever channeling balance and growth.
Cooper Hall, AIA
Architect, Project Manager
Cooper holds a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Yale University. In her early career, she refined her design skills at Hart Howerton (New York, New York), working on custom homes throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean. There, she developed a design ethos rooted in regional history and context. With projects ranging from coastal shingle-style homes in the Hamptons to modern concrete residences in Barbuda, she gained both technical depth and stylistic range. She is a member of the Urban Land Institute and Yale Women in Architecture. Drawn to the Art of Building by a desire for more locality in her work, Cooper is excited by the intersection of design’s theoretical and artistic sides with the practical realities of construction.