Kateryna Maksimentseva

With cross-disciplinary expertise in architecture and landscape design honed on complex urban sites in Germany, Ukraine, and New York City, Kateryna Maksimentseva brings international experience and innovative design thinking to Starr Whitehouse. Her work spans high-end residences, affordable housing, civic spaces, winning competition entries, and ambitious public realm improvements, including culturally significant areas and new urban developments. At Starr Whitehouse, she leads ideation and production on major housing and public space projects, integrating mobility, infrastructure, ecology, structural requirements, and economic imperatives into immersive open space design. She currently leads design visioning for NYC DOT’s Park Avenue Vision Plan, a project to transform New York’s premier financial corridor into a promenade of ecology, art, and social space atop a reconstructed MTA train shed. Passionate about dissolving the boundaries between architecture and landscape, Kateryna’s work creates high-performing environments that function as one harmonious, living system. Beyond her studio work, Kateryna is also a Forefront Fellow in Living Routes, an Urban Design Forum program focused on reimagining public spaces as living, adaptive, and sustaining landscapes of care.

Representative Projects:

Streets, Public Realm, and Infrastructure
Park Avenue Vision Plan, New York, NY
Throwing Shade on Extreme Heat, Yonkers, NY
Citywide Greenways Expansion Plan, New York, NY
Pedestrian Zone Redesign (winning competition entry), Ulm, Germany*

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
Siemens Campus Erlangen (winning competition entry), Erlangen, Germany*
O.Krasa Residential Complex, Irpin, Ukraine*

*Projects completed before joining Starr Whitehouse

With a dual background in architecture and urban design, Dhwani Mehta brings a multidisciplinary approach to large-scale site design, infrastructure, and resilience planning. Bridging high-level strategy with construction documentation and site supervision, she is a valuable team member on any challenging urban site where big picture thinking must be keyed to the realities of implementation. Dhwani currently leads Starr Whitehouse’s urban design effort on a FEMA-funded resilience study for the Esplanade Gardens housing development, integrating amenity and community needs into a new surge-resilient shoreline. She leads multiple projects for the NYC DEP Bureau of Environmental Planning and Analysis (BEPA)’s Water & Stormwater Resiliency Programs, coordinating with city agencies and civil engineers to integrate stormwater management into capital projects across the city. Before joining Starr Whitehouse, she contributed design and construction documentation on NYC DEP’s Kissena Cloudburst Hub and other resilience efforts. Dhwani holds a Master’s in Architecture Studies and Urbanism from MIT, and worked as a licensed architect in India on institutional projects, including schools, hospitals, and university campuses.

Representative Projects:

Climate Resilience Planning
FEMA Esplanade Gardens Resilience Study, New York, NY
Coney Island Creek Resilience Project, Brooklyn, NY
Pelham Bay Park Access Study, Bronx, NY
DEP Water & Stormwater Resiliency Engagement & Signage Plan, five boroughs, NYC
Cloudburst Kissena Hub, Right-of-way design, Queens, NY*
Coastal Resilience Design, Confidential project, MA*

Park Design
Cloudburst Kissena Hub, Onsite Park, Queens, NY*
Payne Playground, Brooklyn, NY*

Streets, Public Realm, and Infrastructure
NYC DEP 34 Avenue Open Street, Queens, NY
Citywide Greenways Expansion Plan, five boroughs, NYC
Owl’s Head Viaduct Rehabilitation Impacts, Brooklyn, NY*
Airport Landscape Design, Confidential project, NY*
DC Public Realm Plan, Washington, DC*
Site Plans + Housing
BCM Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, India*
Bellevue Holiday Villas by Carnival Realty, India*
Gupta House, India*
IB Farmhouse, India*
Meenakshi Hospital, India*
Estaa Gems Office, India*
Lodha residential interior projects, India*
Modus Office Interiors, India*

*Work completed prior to joining Starr Whitehouse

Aaron is a versatile designer with experience in all phases of design and construction and an interest in the long-term health of landscapes. He is currently supporting the FEMA-funded reconstruction of historic Dinosaur Playground in Manhattan’s Riverside Park — retrofitting a landmarked park with new play features and high-performing stormwater infrastructure. He leads drawing production on three miles of NYC Parks’ Destination: Greenways! initiative and the creation of neurodivergence-oriented play experience at NYC Parks’ Wolfe’s Pond Park Playground. With Laura Starr, Aaron’s concept design for the Stemma helped the developer team win the contract to implement this new sustainable housing project in the Bronx. He is currently providing construction administration for NYC Parks’ Clove Lakes Park Baseball Field in Staten Island. Before joining Starr Whitehouse, Aaron performed construction documentation and administration on Hudson River Park Piers 25 and 84 and learned sustainable design practices through work in drought and fire sensitive regions of Sourthern California. Originally from rural Alabama, Aaron graduated with an MLA from Auburn University where he worked as a teaching assistant.

Representative Projects:

Park Design
Southwest Resiliency Park Expansion, Hoboken, NJ
Dinosaur Playground Renovation, Riverside Park, New York, NY
Wolfe’s Pond Park Playground, Staten Island, NY
Clove Lakes Park Baseball Field, Staten Island, NY
Freshkills South Park, Staten Island, NY

Streets, Public Realm, and Infrastructure
Destination Greenways! Leif Ericson Park to Verrazzano Bridge, Brooklyn, NY
DUMBO and Vinegar Hill Mobility Study, Brooklyn, NY
Alpharetta Downtown Planting Guidelines Alpharetta, GA

Site Plans + Housing
Atlantic Chestnut Affordable Housing, Brooklyn, NY
Cooper Commons Hospital Conversion, Brooklyn, NY
Halletts Point Waterfront Development, Queens NY
Seniors First: Weeksvillage Senior Housing, Brooklyn, NY
Lecount Place Pool Deck, New Rochelle, NY
Bedford Union Armory, Brooklyn, NY*
Mary Star of the Sea Senior Housing, Brooklyn, NY*
Penn South Landscape Management Oversight, New York, NY*
The Chateau Garden Restoration, Queens, NY*

*Work Completed Prior to Joining Starr Whitehouse.

Luna is passionate about thoughtfully designed public spaces and is an avid lover of parks, gardens, and waterfronts. As Operations Coordinator at Starr Whitehouse, she applies her versatile background to support the people, systems, and day-to-day operations that sustain the firm’s work. Before joining Starr Whitehouse, she worked across a variety of startups and growing organizations, taking on responsibilities spanning operations, customer success, project management, and creative strategy. Outside of work, she enjoys running along the water, picnicking with friends, and painting. She received her undergraduate degree in American Studies from Amherst College.

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 seven years of mapping, design, and construction administration experience with a particular emphasis on ecology and water management. A leader in GIS, she contributed landscape design and drainage analysis on NYC Park’s Hart Island Island Concept Plan and NYC DEP’s Prospect Park BlueBelt Study. She developed construction documentation on an ambitious new adventure playground at Bear Mountain State Park and currently oversees construction. In East Harlem, Ana is supporting concept alternatives on a resilience study for the Esplanade Gardens housing development. Prior to Starr Whitehouse, Ana spent four years designing and detailing housing projects throughout New York City, Miami and the Bahamas. In her free time, she loves to rock climb, play tennis, read, and experiment with different artistic mediums such as block printing.

Representative Projects:

Climate Resilience Planning
Esplanade Gardens Resilience Study, New York, NY
Corona Cloudburst Hub, Queens, NY
Prospect Park Bluebelt Study, Brooklyn, NY
Southwest Streetscapes Concept Masterplan, Miami, FL*

Park Design
Hart Island Concept Plan, Long Island Sound, NY
Bear Mountain State Park Adventure Playground, Tomkins Cove, NY
Southwest Resiliency Park Expansion, Hoboken, NJ
Arverne East Nature Preserve, Queens, New York
Rudd Pond State Park, Millerton, NY
Saratoga Spa Playground, Saratoga Springs, NY
Charles Williams Park, Hudson, NY

Site Plans + Housing
Orient Point Residence and Private Nature Preserve, Orient Point, NY
Bedford Green House Affordable Housing, Bronx, NY
Packer Collegiate Institute Garden, Brooklyn, NY
BRC Long Island City Family Shelter, Queens, NY
Catskill Hospitality Landscape, Livingston Manor, NY
Beach Green Dunes 3 Housing Development, Arverne, NY*
Streets, Public Realm, and Infrastructure
Grove Central Metro Station, Miami, FL*
Blackwell Park Plaza Restoration, Roosevelt Island, NY*
Beach Outfalls CSO Visioning Plan, Bay St. Louis, MS*

* 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.

Associate Brady Richards is a versatile landscape architect and writer who contributes design leadership and project management across all phases of production. As lead designer, he specializes in high-performing landscapes that integrate community programming with ecology and climate resilience. With technical acumen and a creative problem-solving approach, Brady has advanced challenging site designs for a new riverfront parks system in Roswell, GA, integrated an adventure playground into the rocky hillside of Bear Mountain State Park in Upstate New York, and developed two winning designs for the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management’s Green Infrastructure Design Challenge. As Project Manager, Brady is trusted by public and institutional clients to lead agency coordination and public processes on culturally significant sites. He manages the Starr Whitehouse consultant team on the design of Emory University’s new Oxford Memorial Park — honoring the enslaved persons who helped build and sustain Emory’s original campus in Oxford, GA. Prior to Starr Whitehouse, Brady worked on public and private sector projects in Colorado, Oregon, and Arizona. All that time out West sharpened his appreciation for the complexity of ecologies, both pristine and disturbed, and the resiliency of the individuals and communities that inhabit them. Outside the office, you’ll find Brady writing, reading, or hiking in the mountains.

Representative Projects:

Park Design
Emory University Oxford Memorial Park, Oxford, GA
Ace Sand Park Children’s Stormwater Garden, Roswell, GA
Don White Memorial Park, Roswell, GA
Riverside Park, Roswell, GA
Bear Mountain State Park Adventure Playground, Bear Mountain, NY

Streets, Public Realm, and Infrastructure
Ace Sand Fitness and Adventure Trail, Roswell, GA
The Linc Highway-to-Park Conversion, New Rochelle, NY
North Point Parkway Redesign, Alpharetta, GA
Brooklyn Bridge Esplanade, New York, NY
Alpha Loop Downtown Link Trail Alignment Study, Alpharetta, GA

Site Plans + Housing
Green Infrastructure Challenge: MLK/Hunter Place Living Lab, Atlanta, GA
Green Infrastructure Challenge: Continental Colony Elementary School, Atlanta, GA
Seniors First: Weeksvillage, Brooklyn, NY
Teachers Village Workforce Housing, Atlanta, GA
Seneca Affordable Housing Development, New York, NY
Innovation QNS: Steinway Affordable Housing Development, Queens, NY
Vine Street Waterfront Development, Philadelphia, PA
The Grove at Covington Town Center, Covington, GA
Midtown Commercial High-Rise, New York, NY
Halletts Point Esplanade, Queens, NY
St Roch Senior Housing, Bronx, NY
222 Mitchell Street, Atlanta, GA
The Stella Pool Deck and Residential Development, New Rochelle, NY
Aspen Art Museum Streetscape and Courtyard, Aspen, CO*
Portland Art Museum Landscape Exhibit, Portland, OR*

*Projects completed before joining Starr Whitehouse

A Senior Associate in Starr Whitehouse’s Atlanta Studio, Aubrey Sabba has two decades of experience designing natural resource-based and cultural landscapes for the National Parks Service, urban parks and trails for municipalities across the Atlanta region, and community master plans for public and institutional clients across the eastern United States. With a background in horticulture, Aubrey is adept at integrating native plantings and green infrastructure into constrained urban sites. Her work emphasizes protecting the urban tree canopy, developing creative solutions for threading proposed designs through sensitive ecologies. A project manager with deep technical rigor and years of permitting experience, she has helped shape many of Atlanta’s most significant open spaces, including the renovation of Centennial Olympic Park, the Woodruff Park Strategic Plan, and Atlanta BeltLine’s Enota Park. Aubrey is a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) and has volunteered for Park Pride’s Park Visioning Workshop, leading Starr Whitehouse’s team for Ardmore Park and NH Scott Park. Across all her projects, she takes inspiration from the local ecosystem to create community spaces infused with a sense of place in both the natural and human worlds.

Representative Projects: 

Park Design
Ace Sand Park Children’s Stormwater Garden, Roswell, GA
Don White Memorial Park, Roswell, GA
Riverside Park, Roswell, GA
Mozley Park Circulation Network, Atlanta, GA
Hamlin Beach State Park Shoreline Restoration, Hamlin, NY
Livonia Park Renovation, Brooklyn, NY
Amy Erwin Memorial Garden, Atlanta, GA
Atlanta BeltLine Enota Park Expansion, Atlanta, GA*
Woodruff Park Strategic Plan, Atlanta, GA*
Centennial Olympic Park Vision 2020, Atlanta, GA*
Flamingo Master Plan and Design Program, Everglades National Park, FL*
William Cameron Park 100 Year Master Plan and Renovations, Waco, TX*

Streets, Public Realm, and Infrastructure
Georgia Tech North Avenue Vision Plan, Atlanta, GA
North Point Parkway, Alpharetta, GA
Ace Sand Fitness and Adventure Trail, Roswell, GA
Belt-Shore Parkway Bridge Rehabilitation, Brooklyn, NY
South Fork Conservancy Trail Expansion Feasibility Study, Atlanta, GA*
Campbellton Crossroads Historic District Master Plan, Chattahoochee Hills and South Fulton, GA*
Colorado Springs Utilities Trails and Trailhead Design, CO*
Lakewood PATH Redesign, Atlanta, GA*
AeroATL Greenway Model Mile, Atlanta, GA*
The Loop Trail Feasibility Study and Concept Design, Gwinnett County, GA*
YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch Trails Master Plan, Estes Park, CO*
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Cheeseboro Trailhead and Accessible Trail Master Plan and Construction Documentation, Clabasas, CA*

Site Plans + Housing
Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School Expansion Feasibility Study, Atlanta, GA
Orient Point Residence, Long Island, NY
Bethlehem Residence, Bethlehem, GA
Fernbank Museum of Natural History Canopy Walk and Preserve, Atlanta, GA*
One Museum Place, Atlanta, GA*
YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch Camp Chief Ouray, Granby, CO*
Walking Box Ranch, Searchlight, NV*

*Work completed prior to joining Starr Whitehouse

Originally from the Maldives, Landscape Designer and Urban Planner Hassan Saleem is passionate about preparing urban communities for climate change through an approach that interweaves resilient open space design, urban realm rejuvenation, and innovative community engagement. Prior to Starr Whitehouse, Hassan worked at ONE Architecture and Urbanism, where he played a critical role in the team as a lead designer, planner, and project manager for various technical assistance (TA) efforts under the Climate Strong Communities program, led by the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice. Through this experience, Hassan has facilitated conversations with agency representatives; coordinated work between various subconsultants; and completed high-level planning and design studies across all five boroughs of New York City. Hassan has also developed groundbreaking tools for community engagement, such as the graphic novella Finding Ground, which aims to build community capacity by fostering conversations around managed retreat and voluntary buyouts. This project was the culmination of Hassan’s graduate research, developed for and in collaboration with Rebuild by Design, along with the Weitzman School of Design and ONE Architecture and Urbanism.