ORE
/ôr/, noun:
1. Analogous natural systems, technology transfer from adjacent industries and burgeoning research refined into design solutions.
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.
SunGlass – Solar power/water generators 3d printed from desert sand
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.
Thomas Kosbau is the Founder and Principal Architect of ORE Design and Technology, based in Brooklyn, NY and Los Angeles, CA
Thomas in Food System designed for Mars Colonization
Thomas’ design work balances his experience developing proprietary clean-tech with the project management rigor involved the delivery of award winning buildings.
Thomas specializes in lateral thinking with common technologies and materials, striving use these to bring health into the everyday experience and beauty into sustainability. ORE’s architectural practice engages in residential, commercial, and urban design, in which Thomas incorporates an integrative building design process to use building systems as that push the boundaries of today’s urban typology.
Thomas won design: retail’s 40 under 40 award for his entrepreneurial incubator work in urban neighborhoods, and was named New Talent 2018 by Metropolis Magazine.
Thomas is an integral member of the Sea20 Initiative (Download Sea20 White Paper) – an international group made of industry leaders and heads of state with the mission to remediate Oceanic/Global pollution via a civic/sea interface redesign.
Thomas has lectured at universities around the world, including Columbia, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, University of Stuttgart, and the University of Oregon. He’s been the keynote speaker at the Biennial Oregon AIA Convention, the Verge Green Technology Conference, and Dubai’s Innovation Week.
Thomas is honored to be a 5x nominee for the Smithsonian Design Museum’s National Design Award.
