ORE Design + Technology

ORE works at the intersection of architecture, urban design and technology, with a strong emphasis on sustainability, equitable development and long-term environmental performance.

Approach and philosophy

• Integrates architecture, landscape and technology into cohesive systems rather than isolated components.
• Draws on analogous natural systems, technology transfer from adjacent industries and emerging research.
• Prioritises sustainability, resilience and community benefit in each project.
• Uses lateral thinking with common technologies and materials to bring health into everyday experiences and beauty into sustainability.

Services and expertise

Based on the studio's published work, ORE engages in:

• Architectural design for residential, commercial and mixed-use projects.
• Urban design and public-realm projects, including community spaces and streetscapes.
• Integration of clean-tech systems into buildings and infrastructure, especially around energy and water.
• Food-system and urban agriculture projects, such as farms, food hubs and education centres.

Projects often involve:

• Affordable and mixed-income housing amenity design.
• Community-focused public spaces and courtyards.
• Rooftop landscapes and urban agriculture.
• Innovative façade, lighting and site strategies tied to environmental performance.

Sustainability and clean technology

ORE has an extensive clean-technology and research portfolio that has informed its built work, including:

• Photosynthetic City – an algae-powered building concept that received an international Energy Revolution award.
• VENA – a zero-energy atmospheric water generator that helped launch clean-tech companies Grow Energy and VENA Water.
• Proposals for zero-energy desalination and sustainable street and infrastructure systems.

These research initiatives feed directly into the firm's architectural and urban projects, supporting net-zero, low-energy and climate-responsive design strategies.

Founder

ORE Design + Technology was founded by Thomas Kosbau, an architect whose work spans proprietary clean-tech development and award-winning buildings.

Thomas has:

• Led projects across residential, commercial and urban design.
• Developed multiple clean-tech concepts for energy, water and urban systems.
• Lectured at universities and conferences internationally on sustainability, technology and design.

The practice is based in Brooklyn, New York and Los Angeles, California.

• Brooklyn, New York
• Los Angeles, California

Contact details

• General and new project enquiries:
• Email: hello@ore-design.com
• Email: info@oredesign.org
• Telephone: +1 718 964 3088

When specific project information is not available in these documents, callers should be directed to contact the studio by email or phone for the most accurate and current details.

Awards and recognition (summary)

ORE and its founder, Thomas Kosbau, have received numerous awards and nominations, including:

• Multiple nominations for the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum National Design Awards for Architecture.
• Recognition as "New Talent" by Metropolis Magazine.
• Inclusion in a "40 under 40" list by a retail-focused design publication.
• Architizer A+ Awards and honourable mentions for projects such as Riverpark Farm, MGB POPS! and reNewlots.
• NYC Design Award and Building Brooklyn Award for DeKalb Market.
• First-place and finalist awards in international competitions relating to sustainable infrastructure, drylands design and energy-revolution concepts.

These awards reflect the studio's ongoing focus on sustainable innovation, community impact and high-quality design.

ORE designs amenities, landscapes and public spaces for affordable and mixed-income housing, with an emphasis on community benefit and environmental quality.

Example work includes:

• 275 South Street, Manhattan, NY

Affordable and mixed-income housing where ORE redesigned the building base, entrances and rooftop to create welcoming communal spaces. Work included new community rooms, gym and lobby, continuous seating and lighting, and a rooftop forest of mature trees that provides shared outdoor space and city views.

• Art Yard, Brownsville, New York

Affordable housing and community facilities where ORE reconfigured circulation and courtyards to connect important neighborhood views and institutions. Community organizations are placed at key corners of the access ways to activate the ground level.

Urban agriculture and food systems

ORE has extensive experience with urban agriculture, food systems and farm-related projects in dense urban contexts.

Referenced work includes:

• Riverpark Farm – an award-winning urban farm project in New York.
• Square Roots – a hydroponic farm incubator.
• GrowNYC Farmhouse and Food Hub – community and food-education spaces, including a net-zero food hub concept.
• JetBlue Farm and Lagos Farm – farm and food-related initiatives.

These projects often combine food production, education and community programming within compact urban sites.

Markets, public spaces and civic projects

ORE works on public-facing environments that mix retail, community use and public space.

Examples mentioned in the portfolio include:

• DeKalb Market and DeKalb Market Hall – modular market and food hall projects in Brooklyn.
• Empire Stores – adaptive reuse and public-realm design in a historic waterfront setting.
• MGB POPS! and reNewlots – temporary or flexible community and retail spaces.
• Conceptual and built work relating to transit and infrastructure, such as MTA Overbuild, LA20 (Drylands competition) and Sand.Stone.Road.

Commercial, workplace and cultural projects

ORE's portfolio also includes:

• Workplace and commercial interiors, including projects for clients such as Google and other corporate partners.
• Cultural and institutional collaborations, such as work associated with AMNH (American Museum of Natural History) and Art Yard.

Design research and speculative projects

Alongside built work, ORE publishes white papers and speculative proposals that explore future urban systems and environmental performance, including:

• New York Food Hub – a white paper outlining pathways to a net-zero food hub.
• SEA20 White Paper – research on sustainable relationships between oceanic cargo systems, infrastructure, nature and cities.

These research efforts inform the firm's approach to real-world projects and long-term urban sustainability.

Ask anyway — the agent will say plainly that it is not published rather than guess.