MA | Morris Adjmi Architects: Delivering an Array of Incredible Design Services

The inside story highlighted here outlines the success trajectory of Morris Adjmi, FAIA, and his brainchild, MA | Morris Adjmi Architects, a multidisciplinary design practice known for delivering beautiful buildings informed by art, history, and context using sustainable technologies and innovative materials. The sheer motto on which MA relies is to create iconic buildings that stand out by fitting in. From site planning to façade articulation to interior design to art selection, the firm considers every detail to imbue each project with a distinct sense of place and purpose.

MA at a Glance

In 1997, Morris Adjmi established MA in New York City after a 13-year collaboration with the Pritzker Prize-winning architect Aldo Rossi. On that strong foundation, Morris built a practice that offers a uniquely comprehensive approach to planning, architecture, interior design, FF&E, and art services. The firm now has over 100 employees in New York City and New Orleans, with projects totaling more than 27 million square feet of built space worldwide.

Over the past 25 years, MA has earned a reputation as a leader in creating compelling, community-oriented projects within historic urban contexts. The firm takes great care in designing buildings and environments that respond to a neighborhood’s identity and the surrounding urban fabric. According to Adjmi, “We are very focused on creating value through contextual design, not only in terms of financial returns for our clients but also in terms of the positive impact our buildings can have in the communities where they are built. We strive to design buildings that bridge a community’s past, present, and future.”

Morris Adjmi and His Journey: The Sheer of Inspiration

Adjmi’s hometown, New Orleans, inspired him to become an architect. Growing up, he spent countless hours drawing the French Quarter’s buildings, balconies, and ornate ironwork. However, as Morris began his formal studies at Tulane University, he realized that, as much as he loved the city’s various and distinctive buildings, they belonged to a particular time in history. This realization was crucial for Morris regarding how he created his design philosophy and approach to architecture.

As an architect, Morris wanted to avoid imitating the buildings he loved, but it felt essential to learn from them. This line of inquiry led him to Rossi, whose Teatro del Mondo had captivated his attention. As a result, Morris enrolled in the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies in New York in 1980 to take an advanced design workshop with Aldo and subsequently had the good fortune to collaborate with him on a design competition in Milan. The project was only expected to last a few weeks, but those few weeks evolved into a few years, and those few years turned into a long-lasting professional relationship.

The Tale of Inception: A Bittersweet New Beginning 

When Aldo passed away in 1997, Morris didn’t feel it right to continue on the same path without him. So Morris closed their studio and opened MA after completing unfinished projects, including the Scholastic Building in New York City’s SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. While Adjmi’s time and experience with Aldo laid a solid foundation for the new practice, much of his prior work with Aldo was fundamentally unique to Aldo’s experiences and a distinctly European design approach. For MA, it felt appropriate to reformulate what Morris had learned during his time with Rossi into a practice informed by his own experiences and the period and location he was practicing architecture: the American city at the start of the twenty-first century.

Unique Selling Propositions of MA

What sets MA apart is the firm’s meticulous, research-based approach to contextual design. The practice is rooted in developing a detailed understanding of context and history, but the work is not historic. Instead, it is influenced by art, innovation, and technology as well as tradition, and there is an underlying modernist sensibility to everything MA creates. Adjmi believes this approach allows for the design of buildings that have an emotional resonance. He stated, “We aim to create buildings that evoke images, ideas, and memories related to their historical contexts but are still relevant to how we live and work today.”

MA’s ability to offer comprehensive design services is another differentiator. What began as a small architectural studio has grown into a dynamic multidisciplinary practice that provides a holistic approach to urban planning, placemaking, architecture, interior design, and art services “under one roof.” By leveraging the in-house expertise, passions, and experiences of the firm’s diverse employees, MA develops cohesive and compelling design narratives that align all aspects of a project. Adjmi believes this approach results in better buildings and a more efficient design process. He elaborates, “Providing comprehensive services, such as architecture and interiors, allows for greater attention to detail and a higher level of design quality. The project’s exterior and interior components are developed in concert from the earliest concept, then carefully carried through construction.”

Distinctive Work Culture based on a Collective Passion

MA has a distinctive culture founded upon a collective passion for continuing the legacy of architecture in history and community building, both in and out of the office. The firm’s employees are guided by a shared mission to create buildings that contribute meaningfully to their community contexts—buildings worth preserving and restoring in the same way MA often works to bring new life to historic structures.