About Us
A studio for progressive architectural research, design consultation and sustainable construction.
ABOUT LIFEFORM
Lifeform is an award winning Manhattan based Studio for Architecture, Design and Development led by Rafi Elbaz. Since it was formed in 1999, the Studio has created work that ranges from contemporary buildings, to private houses, interiors and humanitarian dwellings. Their projects reflect modern, personal and functional places for living. It is known for its forward thinking and its commitment to quality and architectural detail. Lifeform is a winner of the First Step Housing competition; Juried by Architects Steven Holl, Toshiko Mori, Michael Bell and Andrew Freear. Its work was featured in the Pompidou Center, Paris and the Urban Center, NYC. It was awarded a “Jury Selection” for its entry in The High Line Competition. The studio’s work was selected to be among the ‘Best of 2005’ by Archinect.
Lifeform’s projects are forms of spatial layouts. They are an accumulation of functions and activities and a result of a desired specific human spatial and cultural activity.
The work draws its inspiration from current ecological and economical developments. Community, sustainability, efficiency, and the ability to adapt to changing needs quickly are characteristic.
The firm is currently bringing new urbanity to the trendy area of Williamsburg, with two new buildings N7 “The Modern Williamsburg” and Roebling Residence. It is working on an exclusive lakeside boathouse in upstate NY and several unique interior loft renovations.
Founder Rafi Elbaz, graduated from Cooper Union School of Architecture in 1995. He has worked with Peter Eisenman, Raymond Abrahams and Joseph Paul Kleihues. Rafi Elbaz has exhibited at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, The Urban Center, and The Center for Architecture NYC, Grand Central Station, and other venues. He has done installations at PS1/MoMA in NYC and The Tirana Biennale in Albania. He is an adjunct professor at Pratt Institute, and has been a visiting critic at various universities. Elbaz’s work have been widely covered in the US and international media including New York Times, Domus, Interni, Architects Newspaper, Architecture, H.O.M.E., Metropolis, Surface, and *Wallpaper. He was nominated as a finalist for the Sustainable Leadership Awards of 2006 by the IIDA, AIA and CoreNet Global.