Jake Sandmann, AIA

Jake Sandmann came to architecture by way of construction and philosophy. He can swing a hammer while deconstructing the cognitive scientist Daniel Dennett’s views on the compatibility of free will with the natural world.

Jake grew up in Arlington, Virginia, rowing in a “lightweight four” for the Yorktown High School crew team. Following a brief stint at West Virginia Wesleyan College, Jake moved to New York City to attend Queens College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with a minor in Philosophy. His high school carpentry experience combined with his environmental strivings as he considered architecture as a career path, leading him to the Parsons School of Design, where he received his Master’s of Architecture.

While at Parsons, Jake became interested in how the identities of New York’s neighborhoods were shaped by the mash-up of modern and historic architecture. He was particularly drawn to Brooklyn, where after graduation he was part of a team at Rogers Marvel Architects that designed a mixed-use complex in Brooklyn Bridge Park. From there, Jake joined Fogarty Finger Architecture, working his way up as the firm’s portfolio grew to encompass commercial office renovations and large multifamily developments. His most rewarding project conceived a low-and-midrise neighborhood in the Inwood section of Manhattan that includes a public library, a preschool, a community center, and affordable apartments. He thrived as he balanced its stakeholder and land use complexities.

When the pandemic hit, Jake and his wife Emily, finding their fourth floor walkup tight on space with an infant and a toddler, decamped from Prospect Park to her parent’s home in Guilford, Connecticut. What they thought would be a brief stay became a permanent move, with Emily (also an architect) keeping her job in New York while Jake looked for one closer to home. Drawn to Centerbrook’s diverse projects and bucolic setting, Jake joined our staff in 2023.

When not running, cycling, or chasing Margot and Hugo, Jake is renovating his quirky architect-designed house to suit his family. His carpentry skills also come in handy maintaining the family’s 16-foot Fenwick Williams wooden catboat, which plys Long Island Sound out of Sachem’s Head Yacht Club.