about US

Our mission is to create timeless works of architecture with a unique sense of style and place. Our work is site-specific, sensitive to the environment, and typically modernist in its approach to character and proportion. On historic renovation projects, we very much appreciate the history and grandeur of 19th century buildings and the effort it takes to preserve them.

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Jon Powell

Founder, Architect and Designer

Jon Powell was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri where he attended the Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School. He pursued a bachelor of science in architecture at Washington University, graduating magna cum laude in 2004. This formal training continued at the Rhode Island School of Design where Jon was awarded the AIA Henry Adams Award, graduating with a master of architecture in 2007.

Maya Lin Studio, based in Manhattan, hired Jon upon graduation, and he worked there for 11 years, from 2007-2018. At Maya Lin Studio, Jon was a project manager on all phases of the design and construction of numerous architectural and sculptural works in the US and abroad. The most noteworthy are the 181 Massachusetts Avenue building of the Novartis Institutes of BioMedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Shantou University Gateway and Bell Tower in Shantou, China, and the Smith College Neilson Library in Northampton, Massachusetts.

In 2019, Jon started Jon Powell Architecture (JPA) in New York City and in 2022 he was awarded the Lotos Foundation Prize in the Arts and Sciences for distinguished accomplishments and exceptional talent as an architect. JPA’s projects have been featured in major publications, including Architectural Digest, Elle Decor and Dwell.

 
 

Dylan Chan

Architectural Designer and Project Manager

Dylan was born in Singapore and grew up in Croton-on-Hudson, New York. He graduated from Washington University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture, joining JPA after some time spent working as a carpenter’s assistant. Dylan spent his college summers interning with fabricators and architects in the New York area, and now supports a variety of projects at JPA as a designer and project manager.

 
 

Oliver Chene

Architectural Designer and Project Manager

Oliver was born in Connecticut and raised in London until he moved back to America for university. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Architecture at Brown University in 2020. After graduation, Oliver began his career in New York, working as an architectural designer for residential and small-scale commercial projects at LWH Architecture. He then joined the team at JPA in September 2021, where he now works as a designer across several projects.

 

Mackia Zhu

Architectural Designer

Mackia was born in Shanghai and now resides in Brooklyn. She graduated from Pratt Institute in 2023 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design and Art History. Mackia spent her summers in college working on design-driven residential projects in the US and abroad. Mackia joined the JPA team in June 2023.