HS2 Architecture is a New York City-based firm with a collaborative design approach and deep appreciation of the visual arts. Our portfolio ranges from townhouses, luxury retail, lofts and galleries to a hotel, beach houses, museums and places of work. It includes some of the most recognizable buildings in New York City—Gramercy Park Hotel, Chanel Flagship Store at 57th Street, Ralph Lauren’s Madison Avenue Flagship Store, and Palazzo Chupi/360 West 11th Street—and leading-edge fashion labels from Acne Studio to Frame Denim.
We are proud of our excellent reputation, which is built on nearly 30 years of successful projects and many repeat clients. For every project, we synthesize site, purpose, context and our client’s vision, with careful attention to detail regardless of budget or scale. Our goal is to realize unique design solutions in which form is grounded in function rather than any preconceived concept or style.
HS2 Architecture (Thomas W Hut Architect PLLC) was founded in 1994 and is made up of highly skilled, creative and committed architects, many of whom have been with us for more than a decade.
Thomas Hut, RA, LEED AP
“In many ways we are formalists, but we’re not restricted to a particular palette. We celebrate diverse materials and colors.” —TH
Tom has developed expertise in design and construction of small and large-scale projects through more than 35 years of professional practice. The projects he has led—as design architect, project architect, and executive architect—range from art galleries and beach houses to flagship retail buildings and corporate headquarters. Prior to founding HS2 Architecture, Tom worked with the Guggenheim Museum on the renovation of the Frank Lloyd Wright building, and construction of the Guggenheim SoHo and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Tom recently stepped down as chair of the South Orange, NJ Planning Board, has served on the South Orange, NJ Redevelopment Committee, and was a member of the Design Committee of Main Street South Orange for nearly a decade. He is a LEED AP (accredited professional), and a registered architect since 1980. Tom studied Art History at Williams College (BA Magna Cum Laude 1974) and received his Master of Architecture from Princeton University with High Honors in 1980.
Jane Sachs
“For me, the challenge has always been to redefine our everyday world.” —JS
Jane’s ability to creatively interpret clients’ needs and desires while working within a framework of practical constraints has led to award-winning projects ranging from high-end residential to large-scale office interiors. In her earlier career as an accomplished ceramicist, Jane spent years working to define her forms within the very long history of ceramics. She brings the same high level of research and thought to define spaces for work and living. Her technical abilities and design instincts make each project a unique expression of client and concept. Jane has contributed to Art Works Projects and Art and Design for Human Rights as a designer for exhibitions that have traveled world promoting such organizations as Human Rights Watch, Doctors Without Borders and Save Darfur. She was a 2002 NYC Coro Leadership fellow. Jane studied ceramics at Alfred University (BFA 1976) and received her Master of Architecture from Columbia University in 1991.
WHAT PEOPLE HAVE SAID
Easily one of the most underrated architecture firms working today, HS2 is really a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the built environment. – Diane Pham
The architects manipulated forms, planes and materials to borrow natural light from one space to another. – Macauley Connor, Home Observer
What has influenced my work is the idea of developing forms to pull people through a space, rather than using doors and walls to separate them. – Jane Sachs
If I was to send someone who is an architecture lover first, and an art loversecond, to see the best possible example of Chelsea gallery design – a culturally specific architectural genre – I think I’d pick James Cohan Gallery. – David Cohen
Even in the bath, it was all about the open landscape. – Thomas Hut
The building [Palazzo Chupi] is one of a kind. Everywhere one experiences pleasure in materials and the presence of the hand. – Ingrid Sischy, Vanity Fair
No matter how much we appreciate contemporary design, sometimes it’s the traditional elements that capture our hearts. This house [Von Hoffman Doyle Farm] shows, however, that it’s possible to combine both influences in one project. – Logan Ward, Garden & Gun
I’ve had a lot of nice houses, but this [Chiat Beach House] is the first one I feel is really home. – Jay Chiat, T Magazine