Testimonials

“..elegant, unobtrusive, and sculptural. All structural elements work seamlessly and blend well—providing both contrast and connection … so that together they form a unified, tranquil, and interesting space.”

- Deborah Needleman, Editor in Chief, T: The New York Times Style Magazine

We selected Jennifer Weiss Architecture because of Jennifer’s rigorous design background and education, and for her construction management skills. She and her team exceeded our expectations, and emerged as leaders of our project’s multi-layered team.

The challenges of our project that Jennifer and her team inherited were significant, and yet they were able to not only manage the project successfully and efficiently, but also with great success with regards to the design, permitting, and building a team of the best in their industries.  Including: obtaining a challenging permit in a few months instead of years as quoted by others; generating and developing inspired, rigorous and informed design; and superb project management.

Jennifer became our trusted single point of contact. Living overseas also limited our availability for the project. Jennifer compensated for this by preparing methodically for our infrequent visits  - her presentations were thorough, efficient, with all consultants as needed, questions anticipated, and team members coordinated.  

There were various hurdles on our side, out of Jennifer’s control, that caused the project to pause intermittently, but the pace at which Jennifer and her team were able to make progress was consistent and reliable.

Jennifer and her team are a pleasure to work with - professional, constructive, creative, solutions-oriented, hard working and effective. We give them our highest recommendation.

- Client, Presidio Heights Esherick (GOLDMAN) House

"I have followed the work of Jennifer Weiss with interest and admiration from the moment we recruited her to join us at SOM upon graduation from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. Jennifer’s conceptual design talent was immediately obvious and the rigor and intelligence with which she approached her work in our design studios consistently impressive. Her early promise as an architect has been more than fulfilled within the context of her own practice, Jennifer Weiss Architecture. Jennifer’s work is mature, elegant and beautiful with not a false note to be found. She is one of San Francisco’s great design talents." 

 - Craig W. Hartman, FAIA, Design Partner, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

"JWA has my full endorsement as an outstanding architecture firm. My company has been involved in hundreds of construction projects over the past 18 years and we have worked with many highly regarded architects. I have had the pleasure of working with Jennifer Weiss and her team on 10 projects over the past 10 years. In all instances, Jennifer and her team have been incredibly responsive when it comes to providing detailed drawings and information to support the project. Jennifer is very organized, extremely intelligent and has an amazing eye for modern design. Jennifer has built a network around her that includes the city's top industry professionals.  At each turn of the construction process she has an informed answer to our technical questions, which allows the project to drive forward without delay. Access to this type of information is instrumental in the success of a project from a GC's perspective. JWA has the depth of knowledge and experience to lead a project from pre-construction planning thru to completion like very few others. From a builder’s perspective, our success can often rely on the architect's support & collaborative involvement. The JWA team is incredibly responsive and provides us with timely answers and architectural details as issues come up in the field. I also attribute the success of our past jobs to Jennifer's ability to bring out the best in the project team - from the engineers, vendors, sub-trades, GC ... even the clients. Under Jennifer's lead, everyone is motivated to put their best effort forward for the common goal of making the project a success. San Francisco does not suffer from a shortage of architects, and in a crowded field, only a small group of firms stand out in my opinion. I consider Jennifer Weiss Architecture to be one of the very best."

-Mark Manning, Owner, Farallon Construction

“Designing spaces that are specifically well suited to the display of art is second nature for Weiss.”

- julie carlson, design writer, california home+design

"Jennifer and her staff of talented architects have been a pleasure to work with. They work collaboratively with other design consultants and general contractors to ensure that all of the client’s vision, program, and objectives are met. I have had the opportunity to work with Jennifer on numerous small and large complex projects and have been impressed with Jennifer’s ability to manage teams, her careful attention to details, and her passion for great design and architecture that lead to successful projects."

-Denny Kwan, Principal, Holmes Structures (formerly Holmes Culley Structural Engineers)

"Working with Jennifer and her team was a pleasure. They balanced the architectural vision and the project realities beautifully, had a deep understanding of our priorities, and operated responsively and professionally to all matters. The blend of her personal style and an understanding of ours led to a beautiful, practical, and unique home."

- Client, Cole Valley Residence

“It only took one meeting to realize that Jennifer’s capacity and talent far exceeded the 4 other architects I had interviewed. I have been continually impressed by her attention to detail, follow through and ability to balance client desire with incredible design. Jennifer has the unusual ability to balance world class design with real world application. She also brings her extensive construction background to every project. During construction I realized that those skills were invaluable in turning design into reality. Specifically, Jennifer held the project to a high standard and made sure the design vision was properly implemented. Jennifer and her team at Jennifer Weiss Architecture get my highest recommendation."  

- Client, Alta Plaza Residence

“There are so many reasons to hire Jennifer- but the one that I think is the most impressive is her three years as a project manager with high-end residential contractor Ryan Associates. Her Harvard credentials and superb sense of aesthetics are more powerful when combined with her comprehensive understanding of the practical side of remodeling.  She knows how much things really cost and knows when the general and subs could approach a challenge from a different angle. She helped me make decisions on how to spend my budget- helped me prioritize what was ‘nice to have’ and ‘need to have’. The project came in on budget plus the 10% worth of ‘change orders’ that she told me to expect. On top of all that she is a pleasure to work with- always pleasant and professional.” 

- Marianna Stark, Client, Russian Hill Residence

"Jennifer managed projects … having overall responsibility for the successful execution of our contractual responsibilities. In this role, she negotiated contracts and subcontracts, supervised our personnel and served as primary contact to our clients. Her overall performance was excellent, and in one case in particular, so exceptional that is prompted an unsolicited expression of praise from one of our more demanding clients. This brief summary of Jennifer’s performance, while accurate, does not begin to tell the entire story of her work with us. Jennifer’s original expectation was to spend a few months with us, in order to develop some appreciation of the builder’s point of view with regard to construction projects. Before coming to Ryan Associates, Jennifer had been educated at prestigious universities, and had worked in major architectural offices. We always expected her to return to architecture after a brief sojourn with us. But, we did not expect her to remain long enough to actually achieve a real mastery of management. This is a highly unusual accomplishment, and one sure to serve her well as she re-enters the profession for which she has been trained. Very few architects have an appreciation of the financial aspects of building. Jennifer understands costs, the reason for cost changes, and the consequences of design changes on construction projects. She is certain to be a far better architect as a result of her newly acquired knowledge. We are sorry to have lost an outstanding employee, but delighted to have contributed to her training.”  

 -Jim Friedman, Chairman and Co-Founder, Ryan Associates General Contractors

“While at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP, Ms. Weiss was a hard working member of a project team. She demonstrated good judgment, a positive attitude, and excellent communication skills. Most importantly, we felt she solved problems with careful and detailed study which established a trust in her conclusion. I can recommend Jennifer Weiss without qualification.” 

- John Kriken, FAIA AICP, Partner, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP

References

Toshiko Mori

Chair, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Architecture Department, and Principal, Toshiko Mori Architect

Contact information available upon request.