Selldorf Architects is a 70-person architectural design practice founded by Annabelle Selldorf in New York City in 1988. The firm creates public and private spaces that manifest a clear and modern sensibility to enduring impact. Since its inception the firm’s design ethos has been deeply rooted in the principles of humanism. At every scale and for every condition, Selldorf Architects designs for the individual experience. As a result, its work is brought to life–and made complete–by those who use it.
The firm offers services in architectural design, interior design, exhibition design, master planning, landscape concepts and strategic planning.
Clients include museums, cultural institutions and universities for projects such as the expansion and enhancement of The Frick Collection, the renovation of the Sainsbury Wing and surrounding public realm improvements at the National Gallery in London, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden modernization, a 50,000 sf expansion of the Art Gallery of Ontario, and a new Education Center and Historic Greenhouse Renovation at Harvard University’s Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection in Washington, DC. Other completed projects include the expansion and revitalization of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Luma Arles a new contemporary art center in the south of France, the Clark Art Institute and Neue Galerie New York. In addition, the firm has created numerous galleries for David Zwirner, Hauser & Wirth, and Gladstone Gallery amongst others, and designed exhibitions for The Jewish Museum, the Corning Museum of Glass, Frieze Masters, Gagosian, and the Venice Art Biennale. Residential architecture, both at the scale of private homes and multi-family dwellings, has been a foundational part of the firm and continues to be an important part of the office’s portfolio.
Alongside cultural clients the firm works on major public and civic projects including Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility on the Brooklyn waterfront, the largest of its kind in the United States, and two wastewater management buildings for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection on the Gowanus Canal.
Contributing to a society where people of diverse racial, ethnic, gender, and economic backgrounds and abilities have equitable access to education, health care, justice and a sustainable environment is foremost in our minds. We believe architecture plays an important role in creating inclusive spaces and buildings where these values are manifest and integral to our daily lives.
Recognizing the magnitude of systemic racism and inequity, we have formed an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee at Selldorf Architects, committing ourselves to being an actively anti-racist workplace. The committee’s work focuses on education and training for the office, reviewing the consultants, vendors, and material and product specifications we select, expanding mentoring both within and outside the office, and broadening outreach to students at all levels of schooling for internships and job opportunities to encourage awareness and participation in the profession.
Annabelle Selldorf is the Principal of Selldorf Architects, which she founded in 1988. Ms. Selldorf serves as Lead Designer on each of the firm’s projects. Born and raised in Germany, she received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Pratt Institute and a Master of Architecture degree from Syracuse University in Florence, Italy. Ms. Selldorf is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and serves on the Board of the Architectural League of New York, the World Monuments Fund, the Chinati Foundation, and the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College. Ms. Selldorf is the recipient of the 2016 Medal of Honor from the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and received the organization’s prestigious Award in Architecture. She is a frequent lecturer and juror and has taught at Harvard and Syracuse University. Ms. Selldorf is the creative head and lead designer of Vica, a collection of interior furnishings, lighting, and accessories.
Julie Hausch-Fen is a Partner at Selldorf Architects with over 20 years of professional experience and has been with the firm since 2004. Ms. Hausch-Fen is currently Partner-In-Charge of the renovation and surrounding public realm improvements of the National Gallery in London. She has led several of the firm’s major cultural and institutional projects including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Clark Art Institute, the Rubell Museum, Brown University’s John Hay Library, the Hispanic Society Museum and Library, New York University’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World and multiple gallery designs for David Zwirner and Hauser & Wirth. Ms Hausch-Fen has extensive experience with exhibition design having worked on the reinstallation project of the High Museum of Art, Frieze Masters, and several shows for Gagosian and the Jewish Museum in New York, amongst others. She received a Bachelor of Environmental Design from Miami University at Ohio and a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. While in school she worked in Austria and the United Kingdom and studied in Italy and France.
Lisa Green joined Selldorf Architects as a Partner in 2010 and brings over 30 years of experience in the architecture and museum field to the firm. She has worked on many of the office’s cultural and institutional projects including The National Gallery in London, Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, The Frick Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the Hispanic Society Museum and Library, Brown University’s John Hay Library, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Prior to joining Selldorf Architects, Ms. Green was Assistant Director of the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA. There, she served as a member of the Strategic Team participating in all institutional planning. She managed the planning and design phase of the Clark’s $145,000,000 expansion working with architects Tadao Ando, Selldorf Architects, Gensler, and landscape architects Reed Hilderbrand. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Connecticut College and completed the Getty Museum Leadership Institute.
Kevin Keating was made Partner in 2020, having joined the firm in 2011. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer, managing the firm’s contracts, hiring and other strategic business operations. Mr. Keating has 20 years of professional experience on project types ranging from condominium buildings and private residences to major infrastructure and public works projects. While at Selldorf he served as Project Manager for the design and construction 42 Crosby Street, a condominium building in SoHo, the construction of the Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility and led the design of a new $500 million CSO facility in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Prior to joining the firm, he worked with SOM. A native of New York City, Mr. Keating earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the New York Institute of Technology School of Architecture and Design and has received a Certificate in the business program at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies.
Oliver Link joined Selldorf Architects in 2011 and was made Partner in 2020. He is currently serving as Principal-in-Charge on the expansion and enhancement of The Frick Collection. Mr. Link is also the Principal-in-Charge of One Domino Square, a ground-up residential project spanning 700,000 sf between two skyscrapers as part of Two Trees Management’s development on the Brooklyn Waterfront, and has recently led the completion of an Entertainment Company’s Headquarters in New York, a 42,000 sf project across five-stories offering an inspiring environment for creative interactions and a destination for industry talent. He has also led several of the firm’s cultural projects in London, Paris and New York for Michael Werner, Gagosian and Christie’s, amongst others. With 20 years of professional experience, Mr. Link holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Cape Town in South Africa and worked in the United Kingdom, Brazil, and South Africa prior to joining Selldorf.