by: AIA New York
In response to historical inequities, Nicole Hollant-Denis, FAIA, NOMA, Founder and Principal of Aaris Design Architects, intentionally manages an inclusive practice, nurturing and affirming the cultural identities of her staff, while inspiring them with the knowledge to develop projects that benefit their communities. Her over 25-year career ranges from aviation design and cultural heritage memorials to permanent hurricane and earthquake safe housing in Haiti. Currently, she is working on the John and Alice Coltrane Home and Exhibit in Dix Hills, NY in addition to concepts for upcoming museums. Hollat-Denis and her design team are proud winners of the NOMA Design Excellence Honor Award—now called the Phil Freelon Professional Design Award—for the African Burial Ground National Monument in downtown Manhattan. As a proponent of creating spaces that evoke connectivity and create a sense of belonging, her team is also returning to healthcare design for Delivery and Labor wards which respond to a community assessment needs study funded by congressional grants. Hollant-Denis also has led a team as Associate Architect for the award-winning Columbia Business School in New York City, with design architect DS+R and executive architect FXCollaborative. She has proudly served on several professional design juries. Hollant-Denis studied architecture at Cornell University and the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
This year, the Jury of Fellows of the AIA elevated Hollant-Denis to its prestigious College of Fellows in the second category of Fellowship, which recognizes architects who have made efforts “To advance the science and art of planning and building by advancing the standards of practice,” according to the organization’s definition. Only three percent of the AIA’s membership is distinguished with Fellowship. Hollant-Denis’ distinction was celebrated at the AIA Conference on Architecture from June 5–8 in Washington, DC, and was also recognized at AIA New York’s Center for Architecture during the 2024 New Fellows Celebration.
Q: How and why did you decide to pursue Architecture?
Towards the end of fifth grade, students who showed academic potential were invited to the Robert F. Kennedy Incentive program in Brooklyn for junior high school. I was one of those lucky students. In this program, we were motivated to understand our environment. At an early age I knew that I would like to do something about the dilapidated neighborhoods we were living in. When my family first moved into Cambria Heights, NY, it was a beautiful lower-middle-class neighborhood that was subsequently de-gentrified and neglected. It became the red-lined neighborhood on the other side of the tracks. I knew I wanted to do something to bring beauty back into our world. I was always an artist and once I learned about architecture, I knew it immediately became my vehicle for giving back to our community.
Q: What are some of your favorite recent projects that you’ve worked on?
Currently, we are working on an exhibit at John and Alice Coltrane Home in Dix Hills, NY, among others. This project is one of my absolute favorites. Firstly, it preserves American cultural history that has been suppressed, due to our country’s tragic history of slavery and racism. What makes the story so powerful is how John Coltrane used his talent for music to free himself from addiction and to grow his relationship with God. And then, after hearing how much of a musical genius his wife, Alice Coltrane, was in her own right, I developed a deep affinity for this project. The process of designing a story that can help bring joy and inspire people is ultimately what I love about architecture. We are also designing Labor and Delivery wards to be more welcoming to families of diverse backgrounds.
Q: Do you have a favorite building? Why?
I have two favorite buildings, the TWA building by Eero Saarinen and the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku by Zaha Hadid. I love them almost equally because they have similar characteristics; walls that become the roof and they are both undeniably sculptural. They are works of art more than they are buildings. If I had to choose between the two, it would be the one by Zaha Hadid because as a woman, I know she had to probably work a lot harder to get it done!
Q: What do you think are the biggest challenges, or opportunities, facing cities today?
Our cities have the great challenge of converting commercial space into homes while meeting environmental sustainability goals. There are also enduring socio-political issues, crippling our local communities. The role of architects is to research through study and design to reach a higher understanding of what it means to be humane, and to have a humane civilization. There are challenges which include cultural preservation and telling the untold or hidden stories of Americans of diverse backgrounds. Our great American cities need to reflect the cultures of all those who are part of the fabric of society.
Q: What are your greatest sources of inspiration?
One of my greatest sources of inspiration is my shero of all sheroes, Harriet Tubman. She escaped slavery, created the underground railroad, freeing a large number of Africans from slavery. She adopted a daughter, was 20 years older than her second husband who she outlived by about 20 years. A phenomenal, fearless and faithful leader!
Editors’ Note: This feature is part of a series celebrating the members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York Chapter who are elevated each year to the AIA College of Fellows, an honor awarded to members who have made significant contributions to both the profession and society. Learn more about Fellowship here.