ORE Design + Technology

ORE Design + Technology is a holistic design firm that combines cutting-edge clean-tech development with innovative architectural solutions. Founded and led by Thomas Kosbau, a visionary architect with a passion for sustainability, ORE aims to create healthy, beautiful and resilient environments that enhance the quality of life for people and the planet. ORE's clean-tech portfolio began with Photosynthetic City, a scheme for a building powered by algae panels that won an international "Energy Revolution" Award in 2003; and includes VENA, the first scalable, zero-energy atmospheric water generator that spawned two clean-tech companies, Grow Energy and VENA Water; and other novel technologies that challenge the status quo of urban design. ORE's architectural practice spans residential, commercial and urban design projects, where Thomas applies his expertise in integrative building design to create systems that push the boundaries of today's urban typology. ORE’s work includes 275 South Street Mixed Income Housing (ULI Award for Excellence in development) DeKalb Market, Riverpark Farm, and Square Roots: a hydroponic farm incubator; GrowNYC’s community, food-education center called Farmhouse. Dekalb Market won the 2012 NYC Design award and the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce’s “Building Brooklyn Award,” the Riverpark Farm won the Municipal Arts Society of New York’s “City Livability Award”, an Architizer “A+” award and won the Financial Times/Citigroup Ingenuity Award for "Revolutionary Civic Infrastructural Design". ORE took first place in the IIDA Awards competition with a proposal to replace Incheon, Korea’s infrastructure of conventional asphalt roads with organically grown sandstone streets. Thomas took first place in the California AIA “Drylands Competition” with a proposal to re-engineer Los Angeles’ fresh water supply system pioneering a zero-energy desalination system.