Françoise Bollack Architects is a design oriented architectural firm founded in 1981 specializing in historic preservation, restoration, and new design for the full range of programs.
The continued, spirited, reuse of our cultural and natural resources is the foundation of our design philosophy. We believe that new designs incorporating existing elements result in richer buildings. We provide fresh, inventive design solutions addressing the project's circumstances – existing buildings, budget, quirks of the program, etc. – to create a new work, specific to its place, mindful of its tradition and alive in our time.
Our many long term and repeat clients attest to the success of our built work, whether for residential and for commercial clients or for community facilities and not-for-profit and public institutions.
Françoise Bollack, A.I.A., D.E.S.A., Principal
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Françoise Bollack, AIA, DESA, is a registered architect with over 30 years of experience in architectural design, historic preservation, adaptive reuse and interior design. Since 1981 she has been the principal of Françoise Bollack Architects. Since 1990 Ms. Bollack has also been an adjunct Associate Professor of Historic Preservation in Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.
EDUCATION
Born in Paris, France, Ms. Bollack received her degree in Architecture at the Ecole Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris. She studied at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts with George Candilis. She has lived in New York City since 1970 and is licensed to practice architecture in New York State and Connecticut.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
She was the President of the Historic Districts Council from 2011 to 2014, initiating a Preservation Design Award program, the popular 6 To Celebrate program and republishing District Lines. She has served at the City and State levels of the American Institute of Architects and on the boards of Landmark West! and of the Architectural League. Françoise Bollack Architects is a member of the Professional Circle of the New York Landmarks Conservancy.
PUBLICATIONS
Recent publications include Old Buildings – New Forms: New Directions in Architectural Transformations (The Monacelli Press, 2013). In 2014 the book received the coveted Historic Preservation Book Prize from the University of Mary Washington. Defining Appropriateness was published in 2015 with a collection of essays published by the Museum of the City of New York and the Monacelli Press on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Landmarks Law. Earlier books include Everyday Masterpieces – Memory and Modernity, and Ely Jacques Kahn, New York Architect, co-authored with Tom Killian.
AWARDS
The restoration of the façade of the LGBT Center won awards form the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, the New York Landmarks Conservancy, the Victorian Society of America and the Municipal Art Society. The work of Françoise Bollack Architects in the New York State Capitol received an Award of Merit from the American Institute of Architects in 2003.
