ALP Architecture is a New York City architecture firm that focuses on Passive House design, Net Zero buildings, BIM, and energy benchmarking. Founded by Andrew L. Pettit and led together with partners Jong Hwa Lee and Sharan Muthalayil, the firm works on commercial and residential projects from its office at 412 Eighth Avenue in Manhattan. Their practice is built around one consistent idea: buildings that perform, not just buildings that look right on paper. (ALP Architecture Services; ALP Architecture People)
The founders and the practice
Andrew L. Pettit founded ALP Architecture and leads the firm alongside partners Jong Hwa Lee and Sharan Muthalayil. The name itself carries that founding intent: ALP is drawn from Andrew L. Pettit's initials. The team brings together architectural design, sustainability consulting, and technical BIM expertise under one practice, which lets them work with clients who want the full range of services, from early concept through construction documents and energy modeling. (ALP Architecture People)
The firm's structure reflects a deliberate choice to stay close to technical work. They are not a large studio. They are a focused practice where the partners are directly involved in project decisions, particularly the ones that affect building performance. For clients navigating New York City's increasingly strict energy code requirements, that directness matters. (ALP Architecture Services)
What Passive House actually means in a commercial building
Passive House is a building performance standard, not a style. It defines how much energy a building can use for heating and cooling, and it gets there through five core design moves: a highly insulated continuous envelope, airtight construction, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, triple-glazed windows, and the elimination of thermal bridges. The target is not a marginal improvement over code. It is a 70 to 90 percent reduction in heating and cooling energy compared to conventional construction. (ALP Architecture Services)
New York City has been moving in this direction for years. The NYS Department of Public Service Reforming the Energy Vision 2030 (REV) sets one of the most aggressive building energy frameworks in the country. For architects designing office buildings and mixed-use projects in New York City, ignoring energy performance is no longer a viable path. ALP's practice was built for exactly this environment. (ALP Architecture, PH 55 project page)
Services: Passive House, Net Zero, BIM, and energy benchmarking
ALP's service list is specific. On the sustainability side, they propose sustainable and energy-efficient building designs, improve the energy performance of existing buildings, and provide energy benchmark research and improvement plans. The framing on their services page is direct: high energy performance and indoor health and comfort are treated as paired outcomes, not competing ones. (ALP Architecture Services)
Their BIM practice is a distinct offering. ALP provides full BIM modeling for architecture and MEP design and construction, existing-conditions modeling from 3D-scanned building data, and 3D virtual tours for client review. For developers and owners who need early coordination between architects, engineers, and contractors, this capability shortens the feedback cycle. Problems that would surface in the field get caught in model review instead. (ALP Architecture Services)
They also take on architecture and design work more broadly: renovations, additions, and interior projects. The sustainability lens runs through all of it. Their own description is plain about it: their concerns for sustainability and healthy space design for occupancies bring a difference in every project. That is not marketing copy. It is a description of how the firm organizes its decision-making. (ALP Architecture Services)
PH 55: a 9-story Passive House office on the Upper West Side
PH 55 is a project that demonstrates what ALP does in concrete terms. It is a 9-story commercial office building on the Upper West Side of New York City, totaling 15,300 square feet. The massing includes two cellar floors, seven office floors, and a penthouse office level. Green decks are proposed at the second floor, sixth floor, and penthouse. The penthouse roof is sloped to serve as a seating area, with views toward the Hudson River and the New York City skyline. (ALP Architecture, PH 55 project page)
The Passive House approach on PH 55 works through specific mechanical and envelope decisions. The building uses ERV units for filtered fresh air, which also allows the mechanical heating and cooling plant to be sized down because the envelope is doing more of the work. Heat pumps handle heating and cooling, replacing conventional fossil fuel systems. The south facade uses super-insulated triple glazing to capture solar gain, while continuous insulation and extra airtightness limit uncontrolled heat loss. The main energy sources for the building are that solar gain and internal heat from equipment and lighting, not a boiler running full-time. (ALP Architecture, PH 55 project page)
The construction approach on PH 55 is also worth noting. The structural system uses an insulated precast concrete panel and plank system with a modular building method. Most components are prefabricated off-site and assembled at the job site. This matters for quality control and schedule. Components built in a factory are not subject to weather delays or the coordination gaps that come with cast-in-place work. That discipline in the construction sequence is consistent with the precision required by Passive House airtightness targets. (ALP Architecture, PH 55 project page)
Why energy-conscious architects choose this practice
ALP's positioning in the New York market is specific enough to be useful. They are not a general practice that added sustainability language to their website. They built the firm around Passive House expertise at a time when most of the market was still treating energy codes as something to clear, not exceed. That focus means clients get partners who understand the technical decisions that actually determine whether a building performs to its energy model. (ALP Architecture Services)
For developers and building owners operating in New York City's regulatory environment, the value of that focus is practical. Local Law 97 sets carbon emission limits for most buildings over 25,000 square feet, with penalties for exceeding them starting in 2024 and tightening in 2030. Getting the envelope, ventilation, and mechanical systems right at the design stage avoids retrofit costs and compliance penalties later. ALP's energy benchmarking work also extends to existing buildings, which means they can assess a property's current performance and identify where improvements will have the most impact before recommending a scope of work.
The combination of Passive House design, BIM coordination, and energy benchmarking in one practice is not common. Most firms specialize in one of those areas. ALP's ability to work across all three is what makes them a practical choice for projects where performance outcomes are part of the contract, not aspirational language in a sustainability statement.
How Restrepo Innovations works alongside architecture firms like ALP
Restrepo Innovations is an Elite Pro Crestron Dealer, HTA Luxury Certified, OSHA Certified, and a Ubiquiti UISP/Pro Partner. We design and install technology systems for commercial and residential projects in NJ, CT, and NY. Our work covers structured cabling, networking, AV, automation, and lighting control.
On high-performance builds, the relationship between the technology layer and the building envelope is a real design constraint. Passive House airtightness targets create specific requirements for how penetrations are managed. Mechanical ventilation paths, conduit routes, and structural coordination all need to happen before airtightness is established, not after. When technology planning starts late, the options narrow quickly, and the workarounds add cost and sometimes compromise the performance targets the architect spent months specifying.
"We are not the architect. We are not the energy consultant. We design and deploy the technology layer in the buildings they shape, and we coordinate early so the systems do not fight the envelope. That conversation needs to happen at schematic design, not at rough-in." — Michael Restrepo, Founder, Restrepo Innovations
The technology systems in a high-performance commercial building, including lighting control, HVAC automation, AV, and network infrastructure, carry their own energy and coordination implications. Crestron and Lutron lighting control systems, for example, need wiring paths that respect the thermal envelope. Networked devices add to internal heat gain, which the energy model accounts for. Getting these details resolved in BIM, alongside the architectural and MEP drawings, is the difference between a clean install and a series of field compromises. (Restrepo Innovations Commercial Services)
Architecture firms that care about building performance tend to want technology partners who approach coordination the same way. We work with firms across NJ, CT, and NY on exactly that basis. (Contact Restrepo Innovations)
Working with ALP Architecture
ALP Architecture is based at 412 Eighth Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10001. They can be reached at (212) 947-2682 or by email at Info@alparchitecture.com. Their full portfolio and service descriptions are at alparchitecture.com. (ALP Architecture Contact)
If you are working on a project in NJ, CT, and NY and need technology systems coordination for a high-performance build, call Restrepo Innovations at 201.405.2022 or email office@restrepoinnovations.com. (Contact Restrepo Innovations)
FAQ
What is Passive House design?
Passive House is a building performance standard that reduces energy demand through a highly insulated envelope, airtight construction, triple-glazed windows, and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (ERV). Buildings designed to this standard require far less energy to heat and cool than code-minimum construction. ALP Architecture applies this approach to both new commercial buildings and renovations in New York City. (ALP Architecture Services)
What does ALP Architecture specialize in?
ALP Architecture specializes in Passive House design, Net Zero buildings, BIM, and energy benchmarking. The firm works on commercial and residential projects from their office at 412 Eighth Avenue in New York City. Their partners are Andrew L. Pettit, Jong Hwa Lee, and Sharan Muthalayil. (ALP Architecture People; ALP Architecture Contact)
What is the PH 55 project?
PH 55 is a 9-story commercial office building on the Upper West Side of New York City, designed by ALP Architecture using the Passive House building system. The project totals 15,300 square feet and uses ERV units, a highly insulated continuous envelope, heat pumps, and triple-glazed south-facing glazing to achieve high energy efficiency. The structure uses modular prefabricated precast concrete panels, assembled at the job site for quality control and schedule predictability. (ALP Architecture, PH 55 project page)
Where does Restrepo Innovations work?
Restrepo Innovations designs and installs technology systems for commercial and residential projects in NJ, CT, and NY. The firm is an Elite Pro Crestron Dealer, HTA Luxury Certified, OSHA Certified, and a Ubiquiti UISP/Pro Partner. Call 201.405.2022 or email office@restrepoinnovations.com. (Contact Restrepo Innovations)