OFFICE

OSD—Office of Strategy + Design—is a multidisciplinary design and planning office that believes the key to a thriving and resilient future, in this time of rapid global changes, should holistically integrate all components of the built environment–from structures to shorelines, and streets to social spaces.

Based in NYC, with an office in the Rocky Mountain West, OSD works with local communities, private institutions, public agencies, business improvement districts, and private individuals. Our award-winning work ranges from the future of food systems, mixed-use communities, strategic visioning for mobility and placemaking in 110 acres of central Manhattan, to the design of campuses, and schools focused on transforming traditional models of health and wellness. OSD has received national and international awards from platforms such as Architect’s Newspaper, Rethinking the Future, AZ International Awards, Landizer, and has been Selected as Member of UN-Habitat Planners for Climate Action as well as the Walton Family Foundation Design Excellence program.

STRATEGY

The world has too long been built by short term solutions that ignore the needs of ecology and users. As the planet rapidly evolves, this leaves us vulnerable to changing climate, economies, and communities.

We work with clients to strategize new and robust approaches to our built environment by integrating multiple disciplines and strenthening the value and quality of our lands, communities, and ecologies. Through creativity and collaboration we devise strategies to solve problems that often push beyond the practice’s usual challenges, we focus on impact-driven projects, aiming to prove that forward-thinking and creative design can be a strategic tool to translate needs into smart solutions. By embracing diversity over homogeneity, and innovation over repetition, we continuously challenge the most standard and conventional ideas by not settling for the present day solutions, always looking for the added value of each project.

DESIGN

We pro-actively design from the outside-in: asking ourselves how we can combine both cutting edge technologies and nature-based wisdom to create holistic environments that bring newfound benefit to the environment, ecology and users. In this way we step beyond traditional silos of design, and build value for our clients by working flexibly and holistically to plan and design all components of the environment, from streets, to structures, shorelines, and social space. The result is a world that enriches, rather than depletes, the natural environment and our human experiences.

PEOPLE

Simon David, Principal & Creative Director, has over two decades of international experience practicing in New York City, Los Angeles and Thailand. Prior to founding OSD, Simon was Project Leader at BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, overseeing multidisciplinary projects with a focus on resiliency, leading the East Side Coastal Resiliency in Manhattan - a 2.5 flood protection system that combines buildings, floodwalls, levees, bridges, and parkland into a cohesive coastal protection system. In 2011, Simon was awarded the national Gabriel Prize by Western European Architectural Foundation. Simon lectures and writes about resiliency and urban public space, and has taught studios on Architecture; Urban Design and Climate Change; and the Future of Mobility and Urban Communities.

Shyam Chandarana Shyam Chandarana is an Architect and Designer born and raised in Mumbai, India. Shyam has over seven years experience in architecture, interior, graphic design, product design, and urban design. Shyam graduated from the University of Mumbai in 2015 and since then has worked in various roles in the design industry. He is a foodie, a technophile, an avid cricket and F1 fan, and loves traveling.

Vignir Eythorsson is from Reykjavik, Iceland, and is an architectural designer and landscape architectural designer with 15 years of experience in the building industry. Vignir holds a BFA in architecture from Iceland University of the Arts and has a talent for capturing, conceptualizing and communicating ideas of all scales. Vignir handled data analysis and visualization of pedestrian counts for OSD’s covid plan for the Flatiron and NoMad District during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, an effort which was crucial to identify hot spots in which placemaking could occur, and in which pedestrian and bike safety could be enhanced. Vignir’s diverse skills make him an integral part of OSD’s multidisciplinary projects.

Glenda Fletcher is OSD's Accounting Manager. She has extensive knowledge and experience in growing small businesses, having owned a couple of her own. She is well-versed in all facets of business accounting, financing, administration and HR. She has over 25 years of experience in her field, and has a passion for helping businesses thrive.

Alex Heid is a designer, builder, and teacher with over 15 years experience working in design and construction. Prior to joining OSD, Alex worked independently providing project management, consulting, and owner’s representation services to clients developing design-forward building projects. Alex has managed construction administration of several new public parks, designed masterplans, and developed interpretive programs for public spaces. Alex holds an MLA from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelors in Studio Art from Carleton College. Alex has worked as a Mangrove Ecologist in Australia, taught in academic workshops, built houses with the Opaskwayak-Cree nation, taught architecture studios in post-Maria Puerto Rico, and collaborated on a variety of public art installations around the country.

Scott Kelly earned his Bachelors of Landscape Architecture from Cornell University and has over 10 years of experience in the design and execution of the built environment in various scales and phases. Prior to joining OSD, Scott worked on A Gathering Place for Tulsa, an 83 Acre Public Riverfront Park, while at Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. Scott held a key role in leading the design and documentation into Construction Administration. Scott’s work experience also includes time at NYC Parks as a Landscape Architect Assistant, and at HNTB in the role of Urban Development and Planning. Scott provides an integral element to all facets of the design processes that continues to result in the success of each project involvement.

Ethan McKnight has over 10 years of experience in the building and design industry. Ethan enjoys solving complex design issues through thoughtful collaboration with clients and consultants and he has worked on award-winning urban design and landscape projects around the world. Influenced by an academic background in history and philosophy, Ethan excels at grounding projects in their particular cultural and physical context to create spaces of authenticity and simplicity. Prior to joining OSD, Ethan was an Associate at Coen+Partners, where he led a variety of projects including civic and cultural campuses, residential landscapes, urban development and planning, waterfront parks, wellness resorts, and more.

Kiran Mohanty is an architect and contemporary artist whose interests in design focus on aesthetics and innovation. Kiran is passionate about promoting the arts and strives to create spaces and experiences that are both functional and emotionally resonant.

Ezra Royce Ezra Royce was born and raised in Vermont, and has professional experience in Colorado and New York working on institutional, civic, and residential projects. Prior to becoming a designer, Ezra gained experience in bio-dynamic agriculture. Ezra graduated from Ohio State’s Knowlton School.

Soham Waghela is an Architect, Urban Designer and Skatepark Designer from Mumbai,India. Soham is passionate about Producing Music, Skateboarding, and how design can be a way to create spontaneous joy in architectural and urban contexts.