1999: Andrew Kotchen & Matt Berman start Workshop/APD 

In 1999, Matt Berman and Andrew Kotchen joined forces to create Workshop/APD. The two had been friends since their Lehigh days, reconnecting at the turn of the century to build an architecture firm and march into the new millennium following the beat of their own drum.

2001: First employees hired 

After two years of successful partnership, the two began hiring their first employees. The trappings of a true collective “workshop” began to form.

2005: Workshop /APD receives honorable mention in High Density on the High Ground competition

Sponsored by Architectural Record and Tulane University, the firm was recognized for its entry “MOD-SET: From Transience to Permanence.” Early in the firm’s history, Workshop/APD began to extrapolate from its background in coastal design to devise solutions for climate change-affected areas.

2006: Wins Global Green 

Sponsored by Brad Pitt and Global Green USA, the Sustainable Design Competition for New Orleans invited 125 designers to create affordable, efficient, and healthy housing that could become a prototype for the rebuilding of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Workshop/APD’s “GreeN.O.LA” won, earning the firm global acclaim.

2009: Awarded contract for Building 92 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard 

In collaboration with Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners, Workshop/APD was chosen to transform BLDG92 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard into a premier tourist destination for one of the borough’s fastest developing sites.  Preserving key elements of the 1857 building while modernizing it for the future, this project would be an opportunity to make our mark on history.

2010: First product collaboration with Aster Cucine 

Multidisciplinary to our core, a product collaboration with Aster Cucine brought Workshop/APD’s crafted modern approach to the Timeline kitchen collection. This milestone represents the first of many guest designer spots and product collaborations.

1. 1. 1. 2013: Minneapolis office established 
      1. When longtime Workshopper Zachary Helmers moved to Minnesota, we saw a strategic opportunity to expand our footprint to the Midwest with our first satellite office. 
   2. 2014: Andrew Kotchen & Matt Berman curate “the New Nantucket” exhibition 
   1. A curated collection of modern Nantucket work held at Audrey Sterk’s Gallery established Workshop/APD as part of Nantucket’s Modernist vanguard. Being tapped to reflect on our first 15 years felt like the turning point – from then on, our designs on island would take a decidedly modern approach. 
   1. 2015: Talde Miami and TAKA restaurants open 
   1. As we expanded into the world of hospitality, two outstanding restaurant projects reached completion in the same year.
3. 2015: Workshop/APD named to the Ocean Home 2016 Top 50 Coastal Architects

1. for the first time, an honor that the coastal publishing powerhouse has bestowed on the firm each year since.  

1. 2016: 88&90 Lexington Sales Launch 

1. Workshop/APD was employed to unify the residences at 88 and 90 Lexington Ave, two adjacent and wildly different buildings that were converted from offices decades prior.  

1. 2018: Workshop/APD named to the Interior Design Power Grid

1. cementing our place among the top 100 development giants of New York City.

1. 2019: Introduction of Associates and Associate Principal programs, creating a tier of leadership with an eye to the firm’s long-term outlook.
2. Recognizing leaders who guided Workshop/APD through a period of strategic growth, the associate program has since expanded to include 11 members of our senior staff.