FFAF Project Lab
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A. Alberto Lugo

Founder & President of Framing Futures Architectural Firm. A practice tuned to clarity, comfort, and long life. The lab below shows the work through different lenses.

CivicHousingWorkplace Passive firstCost awareAdaptable plans

Modes

View the practice through three lenses. Toggle to filter the cards.

Access & legibility

People

Clear wayfinding, comfortable distances, and daylight-first layouts.

Stakeholder workshops

People

Start with end users and staff to define success and tradeoffs.

Passive first

Performance

Reduce loads with form, shade, and air before adding systems.

Cost-informed design

Performance

Tie choices to both first costs and long-term operations.

Durable palettes

Longevity

Materials that age well and can be maintained by on-site staff.

Adaptable plans

Longevity

Layouts that pivot with simple moves instead of rebuilds.

Filmstrip

Eastchester Community Pavilion

Eastchester, NY — Civic

One roof for sports, meetings, and culture. Solar-ready spans and cross ventilation keep loads low.

Energy ~28% lower Fast reconfig

Ironbound Lofts

Newark, NJ — Mixed use

180 homes above retail with shared courtyards and green roofs. Brick and steel recall the district.

Daylight for most units Rooftop commons

Greenwich Innovation Hub

Greenwich, CT — Workplace

Modular grids and partitions reduce fit-out churn. Green walls shade a high-performance façade.

Less fit-out waste Comfort up

Timeline

2016
Studio inception

Framing Futures Architectural Firm founded with a practical, community-first brief.

2019
First civic pavilion

Prototype for flexible multi-use halls tested and refined.

2022
Mixed-use expansion

Larger housing + retail projects adopt daylight-first planning.

2024
Foundation scale-up

Formalized the Foundation docket and reporting metrics.

Foundation dossier

The A. Alberto Lugo Foundation serves non-profits and community groups in Newark and across New York and New Jersey with low-cost or pro bono architectural support.

$2.5M raised
$1.8M services donated
40+ projects
10k+ residents
Newark Youth Arts Center

Newark, NJ

Warehouse-to-arts hub: classrooms, studios, and safe after-school space.

Eastchester Senior Housing

Eastchester, NY

Accessible, affordable residences with shared gardens and lounges.

Harlem Library Annex

New York, NY

Tech-forward branch expansion with flexible learning areas.

Evidence locker

Verified profiles and pages.