Kipnis Architecture + Planning

Anyone who tells you that you have to sacrifice beautiful design for environmentally sustainable construction, has not met Nathan Kipnis and his team at Kipnis Architecture + Planning. KAP are expert at marrying environmentally resilient sustainable construction using up-to-date materials which are healthy for the planet with wonderful, creative design and functionality. Nathan and his team do an amazing job of listening to the goals of the client and offering outstanding plans and solutions for how their clients live. I have been amazed at their exceptional teamwork and problem-solving skills. It seems that every challenge that arises during the construction of an environmentally sustainable home, is solved with creative solutions that are a win/win for the design, construction team and the client. I has been my privilege and pleasure to work with KAP on the construction of my “forever” home which will be the first certified Passive House in Evanston, IL. I highly recommend and endorse!!

Kipnis Architecture + Planning are the professionals you want designing your home if sustainability, efficiency and practical design are important. Nate Kipnis is laser focused on creating homes designed with intention and purpose using products that bring value to luxury design.

We have had the pleasure of working with Nate and his fabulous team on several projects. They are innovative and caring on the creation of their projects. They are the masters of low carbon and high design!

Nate Kipnis and team have done an excellent job on the architectural design portion of my new two car and storage room project. They are creative, thoughtful and easy to work with. I would hire them again in the future for other projects!!!

We cannot speak highly enough about Nate Kipnis and his team at Kipnis Architecture + Planning. Our project included a complete interior rehabilitation of our 1907 home in Chicago, which we taken great care to preserve and enhance. We selected Nate and team because they understand how to work with and preserve the original material while also enhancing its performance from a functionality and energy perspective. The KA+P team worked closely with us to plan how we use the space and to take our knowledge and opinion into consideration as partners in the design and construction process. After working with Debbie on Nate's team, we had sensitively fit in a new en suite bathroom onto the primary bedroom and added a laundry closet on our second floor. When Debbie was done, she had managed to align all of the mechanicals so cleverly that we literally have only three inches of unused space in the central core. They are brilliant designers, give excellent advice about energy efficiency and resiliency using PHIUS standards, yet also respected our unique needs as users. They are intuitive designers and good communicators. Let us also thank Nate and team for helping us to find a great general contractor and project manager. KA+P helped us every step of the way, ensured we stayed within budget and helped us ensure our home will endure for another 100 years in a climate-friendly way.

Nate and his staff are easy to work with, creative solution-finders, and have been great coaches through the building process.

Nate and the team at Kipnis Architecture helped us conceptualize and design an innovative mixed use pocket neighborhood north of Chicago. The development, which includes a variery of affordable housing types, will also include small local retail, a food co-op, and a counciling center.

As an architectural interior designer, I work with lots of architects and our clients. Beyond being extraordinary at what they do, I am particularly impressed by how well Kipnis Architecture + Planning listens to their clients, and has their best interest at heart. They pay attention to the client's vision, not just their personal vision, and combine the two to create an outstanding result. They are patient, diligent, and collaborative in their process.

Berliant Builders, Inc. has been privileged to work with Nate on several large scale custom residential remodeling and new home construction projects. Nate and the entire Kipnis Architecture team are inventive, forward thinking, professional, and - most importantly - always put the client's needs above all else. Nate's collaborative approach to the design/build and value engineering processes results in projects that are better built, more cost efficient, and overall a more enjoyable and engaging experience for the client. Highly recommend!

After 20+ years in our 100-year-old Evanston home where we raised our children, we wanted to renovate the kitchen, laundry facilities, and storage areas as well as upgrade the HVAC system with the goal of making it more conducive to "aging in place" and able to support newer technologies like e-vehicles. By listening carefully to our needs, outlining a variety of plans that met our requirements and budget, and helping us bid the work with three highly qualified general contractors (we ultimately selected the skilled and reliable folks at Shardon Builders), Nate and his talented and detail-oriented team at Kipnis A + P delivered an extensive refresh of our home that exceeded our expectations. Nate's creativity and quick sense of humor made the planning process enjoyable. And working with Xander Jacobs, Nate's thoughtful and energetic project manager, meant that when questions or issues surfaced in the building process, they were managed efficiently. We would not hesitate to recommend the firm to others looking for first-rate architectural services.

We enjoy collaborating with Nate and his talented team at Kipnis Architecture and Planning. The entire team is creative, professional and experienced. Their focus on sustainability is highly desirable for us and our clients. When we collaborate with them, we find the entire project goes smoothly due to the team's attention to detail and communications. Always committed to their clients' satisfaction, a value we share, working with Kipnis Architecture and Planning is a distinct honor for us at Kitchen Design Partners.

The Kipnis team has been amazing to work with. Building our house has been a true collaboration. Nate and team listen carefully to our requests and work hard to make every one a reality. We have never felt rushed and they work with every vendor on our team. The team's passion for sustainable building is infectious and we have appreciated all the time he has taken to explain every sustainable home feature he has presented.