About Walker Architecture:
Walker Architecture is a full service architecture office realized through the collaboration of father and son, Lester and Jess Walker. Both partners have been practicing architecture as a functional art form for many decades with work that has been widely publicized and won several national and New York City awards for innovative design. Their combined portfolio ranges from large commercial and multi-family residential, hospitality and municipal buildings nationwide, to iconic single family houses throughout the American Northeast. Walker Architecture is a small office that enjoys offering personalized services.
Stylistic Approach:
While focused on a modern, refined aesthetic, the Work of Walker Architecture strives to reference the local vernacular vocabulary, history and culture in a contemporary way. The place created by the work attempts to capture both the spirit of the time using modern building methods, details and materials, while respectfully connecting the architectural aesthetic and user experience to the specific site through an understanding and respect for what makes that location unique. This understanding often comes from researching the local history and meeting with friends, neighbors and officials. The intent is to embody each project with localized character but do so with contemporary techniques enabling the expanded architectural vocabulary available to us today. Walker Architecture will not produce themed work but is eager to respectfully reference history.
Process:
Both Les and Jess Walker are trained both traditionally, using pencil or brush and paper, with Jess trained digitally using CAD and 3D photorealistic rendering software as well. Walker Architecture proudly presents with both hand drawn and computer generated representations and uses a mix of both physical and computer driven three dimensional models in the design process and as the final presentation. The client and the project often influence the various design and presentation techniques all of which are available.
About Lester Walker:
Les has an abiding interest in the graphic arts and loves to draw. He is the author of eight books related to
architecture; each book includes numerous explanatory drawings integral to the subject matter. The two most popular of these, Tiny Houses, and American Shelter, have sold over 100,000 copies. He employs his drawings as a primary
method of communicating design ideas, both in his books and his architectural practice. He has also developed
unique paper model building skills which he uses to engage his clients in a more personal design process. He is a
graduate of Yale University where he received a Masters Degree in Architecture and of Pennsylvania State University
where he received a Bachelors Degree in Architecture. He has been published in magazines and newspapers
worldwide and has lectured at several American colleges and universities. He was an adjunct Professor of Architecture at the City College of New York for 20 years and has served on the Board of Directors of the Woodstock (NY) Byrdcliffe Guild for over 25 years where his primary interest is the preservation of the historic Byrdcliffe Arts Colony buildings.
About Jess Walker:
Jess has extensive experience in the planning, design, presentation and construction of commercial and residential
projects of varying scale and programmatic complexity. After graduating from Yale University in 1996 with a Masters
Degree in Architecture, Jess worked for the legendary architect, Aldo Rossi, in his New York office, Studio Di Architettura,
where he was primarily involved in the design and execution of many landmark buildings throughout America. Upon
Aldo's passing in late 1997, Jess became an integral part of the same office renamed with respect to Aldo's partner,
Morris Adjmi. Jess was quickly promoted to Morris Adjmi Architect's studio director overseeing all aspects of the design
and development of both the interiors and base building of dozens of publicly prominent and well received projects.
While working closely with Morris, Jess was responsible from concept to completion of many notable commercial, residential and institutional buildings. Much of the work done with both Aldo and Morris was extensively publicized and widely regarded as forward thinking while remaining respectful to history and context. In fall 2012, Jess left his partnership with Morris Adjmi to join his father in the creation of a new full service architecture firm, Walker Architecture. This new office currently has many exciting commercial and residential projects currently in construction.
