About - ARO Architecture Research Office

Architecture Research Office is a New York City-based firm led by Stephen Cassell, Kim Yao, and Adam Yarinsky.

We founded the firm in 1993 believing that curiosity and inquiry could be the basis of a new type of architecture practice.

Our research gives our work purpose and intention. Our architecture unites beauty and form with strategy and intelligence. Our office creates buildings that inspire people, further institutional missions, and advance equity and resilience.

Today, Architecture Research Office is a diverse collective united by a collaborative process, commitment to accountable action, and social and environmental responsibility.
We work with imaginative leaders and communities to design cultural, educational, commercial, and residential projects revealing the hidden potential within complex architectural and urban constraints.

ARO office portrait in bright office corner. Photo by Jason Schmidt.

ARO’s vision, artistry, and dedication to craft have earned the firm over one hundred design awards including the 2020 Firm Award by the American Institute of Architects – the highest honor given to any architecture practice, the AIA New York State Firm of the Year Award, and the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Architecture. ARO is an ILFI Just organization.