My name is Luke Ferran. I’m a licensed architect and development lead working at the intersection of architecture, construction, and real estate development.
I advise private owners and investment principals on the planning, design, and delivery of complex residential and estate-scale properties.
I’m based in New York, but have collaborated on project sites in Florida, Texas, the Bay Area, Portugal, and the Bahamas.
I lead the planning, design, and delivery of complex residential and estate-scale developments on behalf of private owners and investment principals. My role spans architecture, construction, and real estate development—governing teams, scope, and capital, and translating vision into built reality with discipline and control.
I operate as a development lead and owner’s representative, curating architects, builders, and consultants, structuring delivery systems, and maintaining architectural coherence from raw land through completion. My focus is not on designing individual buildings, but on directing the process that turns ambitious ideas into durable, well-executed real estate.
My background as a licensed architect allows me to protect design intent, while my development leadership experience ensures disciplined budgets, schedules, and risk management. This dual perspective enables me to operate as a strategic integrator—aligning architecture, construction, and ownership objectives into a single, coherent delivery framework.
I am most often engaged on multi-residence, amenity-driven, long-horizon projects where governance matters. I structure decisions, sequence work, and curate options to control scope creep, mitigate execution risk, and protect long-term value.
I am a licensed architect with over twenty years of experience in residential architecture, development, and construction leadership. I operate as a long-term steward of complex real estate projects, not a short-term consultant.
Development Leadership
I lead the planning, design, and delivery of complex residential and estate-scale developments on behalf of private owners and investment principals. My role is to direct teams, govern scope and capital, and translate vision into built reality with discipline and control.
Estate-Scale Projects
I am most often engaged on multi-residence, amenity-driven properties that unfold over multi-year horizons. These projects demand architectural coherence, disciplined sequencing, and a single point of accountability across design, construction, and development.
Consultant Governance
I curate and govern architects, builders, and specialized consultants, structuring delivery systems that prevent scope drift, misalignment, and execution risk. My focus is not on coordination, but on authority, clarity, and accountability.
Capital Stewardship
I operate as a steward of capital, not a cost-cutter. I structure budgets, contingencies, and procurement strategies to protect long-term value while preserving design ambition and execution quality.
Design Integration
As a licensed architect, I engage deeply with design teams to protect design intent and maintain architectural coherence. My role is not to design buildings, but to ensure that ambitious design is delivered without compromise or distortion.
Long-Horizon Delivery
I work on projects where success is measured over years, not milestones. My operating posture is deliberately long-term, focused on durability, coherence, and disciplined execution from raw land through completion.
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I serve as the senior development lead and owner’s representative for a large-scale private residential development in New York, delivered as part of Discovery Land Company’s private residential and hospitality portfolio.
The project comprises approximately 100 high-end residences and a portfolio of amenity buildings spanning several hundred acres and unfolding over a multi-year horizon. The community is anchored by an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Tom Fazio and structured around an exclusive private membership model, with a full suite of social, recreational, and hospitality amenities.
The total development scope is in the high nine-figure range, encompassing residential construction, clubhouse and amenity buildings, site infrastructure, and landscape systems. My role is to govern the planning, design, and delivery of the full portfolio, integrating architecture, construction, and development into a single, disciplined execution framework.
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I operate as the single point of accountability between ownership, architects, builders, and specialized consultants. My responsibilities include governing teams, structuring delivery systems, sequencing development, and directing capital deployment to align near-term activation with long-term value.
I am not the project architect or the construction manager. My role is to direct the system that governs both.
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The project includes a mix of private residences, guest houses, and amenity buildings such as a large clubhouse, sports facilities, and social venues. Delivery is phased, with multiple homes and amenities under active construction at any given time.
This environment requires governance rather than coordination. I structure decision authority, sequence workstreams, and maintain a disciplined change-management framework to prevent scope drift and execution risk across a long-horizon development.
Key governance responsibilities include:
• aligning architectural standards across multiple designers
• maintaining a consistent product ladder across residence types
• governing owner-driven design changes
• managing cross-consultant dependencies
• sequencing amenity delivery to support near-term activation
• protecting long-term design coherence as the master plan evolves -
The residential portfolio includes homes ranging from approximately 3,000 to 10,000+ square feet, with construction budgets typically in the $4–10M range per residence, depending on program and finish level.
At the development scale, this requires disciplined capital governance rather than project-by-project optimization. I structure:
• budget frameworks and ROMs
• contingency strategies
• procurement sequencing
• value-engineering exercises
• scope prioritization
• delta-based decision packages for principalsMy operating posture is not cost-cutting. It is long-term capital stewardship: protecting value while preserving architectural ambition and execution quality.
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The project involves multiple architecture firms, a primary residential builder, landscape architects, interior designers, lighting designers, and specialized consultants.
I curate and govern these teams, structuring a delivery system that prevents misalignment, scope drift, and execution fragmentation. My role is to:
• establish decision authority
• define consultant lanes
• govern deliverables and review cycles
• control interface risk
• enforce accountability across disciplinesThis allows ownership to engage with a single point of accountability rather than managing fragmented professional silos.
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As a licensed architect, I engage deeply with design teams to protect design intent and architectural coherence across a large portfolio of residences and amenities.
My role is not to design buildings, but to govern architectural quality at the portfolio level. This includes:
• maintaining consistency of standards
• protecting key design principles
• governing product ladder differentiation
• managing finish and material systems
• aligning architectural ambition with capital disciplineThis dual perspective — architectural intelligence paired with development authority — allows ambitious design to be delivered without compromise or execution drift.
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At peak delivery, the project carries:
• 20–30 active residential builds
• multiple amenity buildings under construction
• overlapping consultant workstreams
• long-lead procurement pipelines
• entitlement and regulatory dependencies
• owner-driven design change cyclesThis level of concurrency requires systems thinking, disciplined sequencing, and governance-driven execution rather than ad hoc project management.
Case Study
Large-Scale Private Residential Development, New York
This project reflects my role as a single point of accountability for a long-horizon, multi-asset residential development within Discovery Land Company’s development platform, with responsibility spanning consultant governance, capital stewardship, and architectural integration.
Selected Prior Leadership & Collaborations
I previously served as a Partner at Kevin O’Sullivan + Associates, a boutique architectural practice focused on refined modern residential work in the Hamptons and New York City, where I was responsible for architectural leadership, client engagement, and the governance and delivery of bespoke residential projects. In that role, I operated at the intersection of design direction and execution governance, integrating architectural ambition with budget discipline, consultant coordination, and long-horizon project planning.
I also served as Director of Architecture for Robert Stilin, a New York–based interior design studio consistently recognized on Architectural Digest’s AD100 and Elle Décor’s A-List. In that capacity, I led architectural direction and integration across high-end residential projects for prominent private clients, governing architectural scope, coordinating with external architects and engineers, and aligning design intent across architecture and interiors to ensure coherent, well-executed outcomes.