About:

Old Alt New

Old Alt New is an architecture, design, and consulting office in Denver, Colorado. It was founded in 2021 by architect Stewart Gohringer.

Old Alt New is a product of its time and hopes to produce small but meaningful improvements to our collective built environment. This office is committed to:

urban infill - sensitively adding density to existing neighborhoods
the use of low-carbon construction materials
high-performance building standards that optimize comfort
contributing something beautiful and unique, every time

These commitments are not dependent on the client, project, or budget.

Many of our world’s challenges are overwhelming and intractable. A frustrated architect cannot solve all of these problems, but optimistic architecture will stop repeating the mistakes of the past and present.

What’s with the name?

old [ ōhld ]

definition:

something that's already been created
something that has seen some history
something we need to deal with one way or another

Let's focus on what we already have.

Existing furniture. Existing housing stock. Existing neighborhoods. Existing infrastructure. Existing communities.

We've already built most of what we need...let's use it.

abbreviation of alter [ al-ter ]

abbrev. of alternative [ al-tur-nuh-tiv ]

definition:

to change, manipulate, or reconfigure
a different way of thinking about the status quo
in German, 'alt' just happens to be the word for 'old' - which is a nice coincidence

The status quo is not sustainable. Adjust, adapt, renovate, restore.

We cannot change the past, but thoughtful design can alter the future.

new [ nu ]

definition:

something generated from the present
an appropriation of limited resources
an improvement from what we have now...otherwise, what's the point of being new?

Progress requires new approaches to existing challenges.

New purpose, new equity, new resource-adjusted standards of beauty.

But the use of new resources and materials should only come after great scrutiny and consideration.

Our new and better world starts with the world we already have.

About:

Stewart Gohringer

Stewart is a licensed architect and a Phius Certified Passive House Consultant. His architectural experience has included university campus master plans, a theoretical and experimental physics research lab, a Division I basketball training facility, a student commons concourse, and several multi-family apartment buildings in metro Denver.

Since 2021, Stewart has focused on residential design and renovation, starting his practice, Old Alt New LLC, with a gut renovation and deep energy retrofit of an old, small, derelict house in North Denver.

Stewart and his family live in the La Alma / Lincoln Park neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, USA.

Location History:

Rochester, NY -> Muskoka, Ontario -> Buffalo, NY -> Somerville, MA -> New York, NY -> Denver, CO

Education History:

Brighton High School -> University at Buffalo, SUNY -> Harvard Graduate School of Design -> YouTube -> Phius (Passive House Institute US)

Employment History: