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 & James Dell'Olio
Co-Founders
James and Darren share a deep appreciation for building and for the Hudson Valley. When they founded The Art of Building, they sought to establish a practice rooted in a strong sense of place and an engaged relationship with the people who inhabit it. Influenced by the region’s vernacular architecture—its houses and barns—as well as by the legacy of artists and craftspeople who have long called the Hudson Valley home, their work is informed by a desire to participate in this tradition and to contribute meaningfully to an ongoing regional dialogue around design and making. At its core, The Art of Building is a practice grounded in individuality: James and Darren work with clients who value homes as personal and considered expressions, developed in close collaboration with the region’s most accomplished artists and craftspeople. Their approach resists strict stylistic boundaries, favoring neither a purely modern nor purely historic lens, but instead seeking a thoughtful synthesis between the two; with the right clients, each project develops its own distinct logic and sense of alchemy, resulting in buildings that are specific, expressive, and individual in their own right.
Lauren Cawse
Architect & Partner | AIA, LEED GA
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
Architect & Partner | AIA
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.
Cooper Hall
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.
Karl Hansen
Architect & Project Manager | AIA, NCARB, CPHC
Karl is an architect whose work is grounded in building science, environmental performance, and a close relationship between design and construction. His experience spans custom residential architecture, large-scale institutional projects, and high-performance buildings, including Passive House–certified work. With a background that bridges design-build practice, fabrication, and technical leadership, he brings a thoughtful, rigorous approach to creating durable, efficient, and well-crafted buildings.
Karl holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Arizona and began his career at Rob Paulus Architects in Tucson, Arizona, working on modern residential projects that emphasized efficient use of space and careful budget considerations. While at Design Build Collaborative, also in Tucson, he gained hands-on experience in metal detailing, fabrication, and installation for high-end modern homes.
At Svigals + Partners in New Haven, Connecticut, Karl worked on large-scale projects including hospitals, schools—most notably the rebuilt Sandy Hook Elementary School—and mixed-use residential buildings, while also integrating art and sculpture into architectural design. During his many years at River Architects in Cold Spring, New York, he developed deep expertise in net-zero and energy-efficient architecture, including certified Passive House projects, and advanced his understanding of building science.
Among his many projects, Karl led the design and construction of Seminary Hill Cidery, the world’s first Passive House–certified cidery. The project received 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. He currently serves as Vice President of PHIUS Alliance New York. He was drawn to The Art of Building for its commitment to the design-build model and values the way close engagement with construction informs and strengthens architectural work.
Natalka Chas
Landscape & Environmental Design
A graduate of Parsons School of Design, Natalka began her professional career in New York City, working in advertising and editorial as a stylist and art director. As a freelancer, she collaborated on a wide range of projects, during which time she developed a growing interest in health, healing, and the underlying qualities that give spaces and objects meaning beyond aesthetics. This curiosity led her to explore what makes environments feel resonant, life-affirming, and enduring.
She later shifted her focus, leaving Manhattan for Northern California, where she immersed herself in the natural world. During this time, she studied botany, native plants, sustainable gardening, permaculture, herbal medicine, and wildcrafting, while deepening her understanding of site-based design and the relationship between landscape and place.
In 2005, she returned to the East Coast and settled in the Hudson Valley. After spending time training in a Zen monastery, she transitioned into landscape design and gardening as a professional practice.
Natalka has worked with Art of Building since its early years, initially contributing through project staging and landscape detailing. She now collaborates closely with the architects to integrate the natural surroundings of each project with the architecture itself, extending the design beyond the building envelope. Her work emphasizes a thoughtful dialogue between interior and exterior spaces, with a focus on ecological sensitivity and long-term stewardship of the land ... always while planting as many trees as she can.