Joanna Królak
Landscape Designer Joanna Królak brings international experience in project visualization and production to the Starr Whitehouse team. A skilled renderer, Joanna has provided project visualizations and schematic designs for a new corporate plaza and open-air market in São Paulo, creating a strong design concept aligned with client’s placemaking goals. Her graphics and renderings for the daylighting of Tibbetts Brook in The Bronx were featured in Landscape Architecture Magazine. In project production, Joanna brings experience in schematic design development, presentation preparation, client coordination, and other phases. For a new riverfront park in the city of Roswell, GA, she worked on a children’s storm water garden from design development to construction drawings. For Manhattan Greenway Harlem River, a 7-acre linear park on the Harlem River Waterfront, she worked on schematic and technical studies, construction drawings, and construction administration. Joanna holds a master’s degree in landscape architecture from Cracow University of Technology in Poland.
Representative Projects:
Streets, Public Realm, and Infrastructure
Tibbetts Brook Daylighting, Bronx, NY
Brooklyn Greenways, Brooklyn, NY
Broadway Boulevard Plaza, New York, NY
Anderson Park, New Rochelle, NY
Spring Creek, New York, NY
Park Design
Roswell River Parks, Roswell, GA
Dinosaur Playground Restoration, Riverside Park, New York, NY
Thompson Park Master Plan, Watertown, NY
Bear Mountain State Park Restoration, Bear Mountain, NY
Manhattan Greenway Harlem River Waterfront Park Design, New York, NY
Stadshart Hoorn (City Beach), Hoorn, The Netherlands*
Site Plans + Housing
Halletts Point Waterfront Development, Queens, NY
Hybrid Industrial/ Commercial Development, Brooklyn, NY
Vine Street Development & Park, Philadelphia, PA
Greenpoint Hospital Redevelopment, Brooklyn, NY
Phipps Lambert Houses, Bronx, New York
Luna Plaza, Gardens, and Roofs, São Paulo, Brazil
Overhoeks Residential Development, Amsterdam, The Netherlands*
Facebook Data Centre, Clonee, Ireland*
Cherrywood Development – Parks and Residential, Dublin, Ireland*
Climate Resilience Planning
East Shore Shoreline Resilient Parks Plan, Staten Island, NY
Other
Green Heart – design research, The Netherlands*
* Work completed prior to joining Starr Whitehouse
Hazel discovered her passions for sustainability, urbanism, and building equitable green spaces in undergraduate classes at the University of Michigan where she majored in urban studies and political science. She has experience working in urban planning and small-scale real estate development. Outside of work you can find Hazel exploring the city on long runs, practicing yoga, and spending time in parks throughout the city!
Representative Projects:
Park Design
Hart Island Master Plan, Long Island Sound, NY
Southwest Resiliency Park Expansion, Hoboken, NJ
DUMBO and Vinegar Hill Mobility Study, Brooklyn, NY
Letchworth State Park Pool Study, Mount Morris, NY
Niagara State Park Pool Study, Niagara Falls, NY
Climate Strong Communities, Five Boroughs, New York, NY
Kateryna Maksimentseva is a multidisciplinary designer with a background in landscape architecture and architecture. This dual focus, honed in Germany, has been informed by her diverse experiences working across Ukraine and the US. At Starr Whitehouse, Kateryna is working on two major affordable housing projects: for the Seniors First Kingsborough development in Brooklyn, she’s focused on concept design, detailing, and grading of the roof terrace. For the Lambert Houses Affordable Housing project in the Bronx, she’s using her deep knowledge of Revit-based BIM modeling to develop concept designs for townhouses and courtyards. Her designs are shaped by a passion to dissolve the boundaries between architecture and landscape, creating spaces that function as one harmonious, living system. Kateryna received both her master’s in landscape architecture and bachelor’s in architecture from Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture.
Representative Projects:
Site Plans + Housing
Seniors First Kingsborough Affordable Housing, Brooklyn, NY
Battery Playscape Field House, New York, NY
Lambert Houses Affordable Housing, Bronx, NY
Innovation Queens Affordable Housing, Queens, NY
388 Hudson Street, New York, NY
Growing up in Harlem and spending his teen years in the Dominican Republic, Comptroller Antonely Molina has always had an appreciation for finance and the importance of planning for unforeseen situations. He has worked in a variety of industries and brings seven years of experience in the construction industry, where he developed procedures to keep track of over/under budgeted projects, relieve cash flow restraints, and maintain up-to-date contract information. At Starr Whitehouse, he leverages this experience to support the stability, reliability and transparency of the firm’s financial department. Antonely received his Bachelor’s of Science degree in Accounting from Hunter College. When not crunching the numbers, he loves to spend quality time with friends and family and nerd out over music, sports, anime and tattoos.
A native Staten Islander, Senior Urban Designer Madha Nawal applies her background in architectural design to support a range of projects at all phases. For NYC OMB and NYC DOT’s Greening the FDR Drive study, she leads the community engagement process and visualizes conceptual approaches. For The LINC, a new highway-to-linear-park-conversion project in New Rochelle, she developed schematic design studies. For the Yonkers Climate Action Plan, she completed urban analytics, mapping, and visualization studies. Madha received her Bachelor’s of Science in Architecture from Northeastern University in 2022. Prior to joining Starr Whitehouse, she interned at WORKac and Handel Architects.
Representative Projects:
Climate Resilience Planning
Climate Strong Communities, New York, NY
Corona Cloudburst Hub, Queens, NY
East Shore Shoreline Parks Resilience Plan, Staten Island, NY
Yonkers Climate Action Plan, Yonkers, NY
GreenThumb Irrigation Plan & EIS New York, NY
Streets, Public Realm, and Infrastructure
East Village / Lower East Side Waterfront Access Study, New York, NY
The LINC Highway to Park Conversion, New Rochelle, NY
Williamsburg IBIA Development Public Realm, Brooklyn, NY
WORKac Water Works Exhibit, Bruges, Belgium*
River House Residence, Rhode Island*
Site Plans + Housing
Clarkson Estates Affordable Housing, Brooklyn, NY
Hybrid Industrial/ Commercial Development, Brooklyn, NY
Park Design
Bear Mountain Restoration, Bear Mountain, NY
*Work completed prior to joining Starr Whitehouse.
Aaron is a senior landscape designer with experience in all phases of design and an interest in narrative and the long-term health of landscapes. Before joining Starr Whitehouse, Aaron performed construction documentation and administration on projects at Hudson River Park Piers 25 and 84. He has been involved from schematic design through construction administration in public and low-income housing projects across New York City. Prior to moving to New York City, Aaron worked in Southern California, learning sustainable and equitable design practices in a drought and fire sensitive region. Originally from rural Alabama, he graduated with an MLA from Auburn University where he worked as a teaching assistant. He enjoys exploring, sketching, and investigating landscapes both native and novel.
Representative Projects:
Park Design
Southwest Resiliency Park Expansion, Hoboken, NJ
Dinosaur Playground Renovation, Riverside Park, New York, NY
Streets, Public Realm and Infrastructure
Destination Greenways! Leif Ericson Park to Verrazzano Bridge, Brooklyn, NY
DUMBO and Vinegar Hill Mobility Study, Brooklyn, NY
Site Plans + Housing
Atlantic Chestnut Affordable Housing, Brooklyn, NY
Greenpoint Hospital Redevelopment, Brooklyn, NY
Bedford Union Armory, Brooklyn, NY*
Mary Star of the Sea Senior Housing, Brooklyn, NY*
Penn South, New York, NY*
The Chateau Garden, Queens, NY*
*Work Completed Prior to Joining Starr Whitehouse.
Teal Nottage is a designer, researcher, and maker with a background in urban planning, environmental justice, and the arts. At Starr Whitehouse, Teal is contributing to planting and maintenance plans that keep public spaces beautiful, accessible, and ecologically functional. Their previous work spans a range of disciplines including scenic design for film and theater; sustainable design and construction of green roofs, solar panels, and composting systems; and place-based urban research and advocacy. Teal is currently pursuing a Master’s in Landscape Architecture from Pratt Institute and are excited to be working as an intern with Starr Whitehouse this summer. They hold an M.A. in Theories of Urban Practice from Parsons/The New School and is a NYC Master Composter.
Representative Projects:
Park Design
Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center Maintenance Manual, Wantagh, NY
Roswell Riverside Park, Roswell, GA
Streets, Public Realm, and Infrastructure
The LinC Highway-to-Park Conversion, New Rochelle, NY
With a background in public space design and urban planning, Keiko Okai-Yabe brings comprehensive expertise to various stages of spatial creation, from urban vision development to construction documentation and supervision. With five years of practical experience in Japan, including street and square designs, she has a strong interest in urban-rural resilience, having participated in both research and practical aspects of recovery projects following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.
Before joining Starr Whitehouse, Keiko obtained a Master’s in City Planning and an Urban Design Certificate from the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning, where she developed strong research and quantitative analysis skills within the urban planning field. She also holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Tokyo, where she was in the Landscape and Civic Design Lab.
Representative Projects:
Streets, Public Realm, and Infrastructure
Niagara Falls Signage and Wayfinding Plan, Niagara Falls, NY
Public Square Park Renovation Bid Documents, Hudson, NY
Walkable KOBE Vision Plan, Hyogo, Japan*
Sankita Streetscape and Plaza, Kobe-Sannomiya Station, Hyogo, Japan*
Streetscape Design, Izumo Taisha Shrine, Shimane, Japan*
Yanagawa Station Canal Square, Fukuoka, Japan*
Matsuyama City Station Square Concept Design, Ehime, Japan*
*Work completed prior to joining Starr Whitehouse
Landscape and urban designer Ana Piacentini brings four years of experience as point person and lead designer on multiple project at varied stages from conceptual master planning to construction documentation. During her four years at Local Office, she designed and detailed a range of residential, public and housing projects throughout New York City, Miami and the Bahamas. With an emphasis on detailed GIS site analysis and ecological research, Ana approaches her work with a focus on local ecologies and water management. Her research interests included collaboration with the Regional Plan Association on a vision for future streets in New York City. In her free time, Ana loves to rock climb, play tennis, read, and experiment with different artistic mediums such as cyanotyping and block printing. Ana graduated with her Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Northeastern University in 2019.
Representative Projects:
Park Design
Southwest Resiliency Park Expansion, Hoboken, NJ
Arverne East Nature Preserve, Queens, New York
Bear Mountain State Park Restoration, Bear Mountain, NY
Rudd Pond State Park, Millerton, NY
Hart Island Master Plan, Bronx, NY
Streets, Public Realm, and Infrastructure
Grove Central Metro Station, Miami, FL*
Blackwell Park Plaza Restoration, Roosevelt Island, NY*
Southwest Streetscapes Concept Masterplan, Miami, FL*
Beach Outfalls CSO Visioning Plan, Bay St. Louis, MS*
Site Plans + Housing
Packer Collegiate Master Plan, Brooklyn, NY
Beach Green Dunes 3 Housing Development, Arverne, NY*
Climate Resilience Planning
Arverne East Resilient Neighborhood Masterplan, Arverne, NY*
* Work completed prior to joining Starr Whitehouse.
With a background in fine art and philosophy, Phil crafts the narratives and graphic materials that communicate Starr Whitehouse’s vision.