WHO WE ARE

Our female-led team revels in space that defies standardization and insists upon a universal language of friendliness and sublime moments. Our studio uses a palette of light, color, texture, and sometimes unexpected contours in a new modernism that taps into the ancient. At the intersection of pared down modernity and a painterly warmth, and in collaboration with each client, we discover magic.

VSA focuses on family homes, resilient apartment buildings and inventive pavilions. Our home designs give expansive comfort while also attaching to an integrated design concept that weaves through all aspects, from structure to interior textiles. In our effort to deepen a sense of place, we attempt novel, carbon-friendly solutions. Each VSA project marries logic with sensuality. On an array of scales, from a wellness center in Southern California to a Manhattan high rise apartment, our designs revitalize and reimagine.

Schweitzer’s work has been compared to that of Philip Johnson in the New York Times, 2020, and been published around the globe in over 15 countries. She studied philosophy and architecture at Princeton University, where she received the Class of 1869 Prize in Philosophy and the Alexander Guthrie McCosh Prize. She received her Master‘s of Architecture with high distinction from UCLA ‘s Architecture and Urban Design Department.  She has worked at New York based firms, Skidmore Owings and Merril, Gruzen Sampton and Malhotra Architects before starting her own practice in 2010. VFS is registered in New York State, Connecticut and Wyoming, holds an NCARB record, and is a member of the AIA.

Schweitzer has been chosen as the head juror of the Architecture Master Prize since 2022. She is a current or recent juror for other global platforms like World Architecture News, for whom she discusses the current climate of non-inclusivity and prejudice in an article, Can Architects Help Raze the Hate?

Please call our office in NYC at 212.706.0160 or call Valerie direct at 917.679.8177 for a phone consultation.