Halflants + Pichette / Studio For Modern Architecture

09/30/2026

We are honored to share that Halflants + Pichette has been named to Forbes 2026 America’s Best-In-State Residential Architects list.

For nearly two decades, our work has been shaped by a simple belief: meaningful architecture begins with place.

Each residence is an opportunity to respond to light, landscape, proportion, climate, and the way people actually live.

To be recognized by Forbes among leading residential architects is a meaningful acknowledgment of the care, discipline, and design rigor our team brings to every project.

We are grateful to our clients, collaborators, builders, and team members who continue to make this work possible.

Read the full Forbes list here:

America's Top Residential Architects: Best in State List highlights the finest architects across each US state. See which residential architects are best near you.

09/23/2026

A review like this means even more when it comes from someone with a deep background in both architecture and construction.

Andy’s words reflect what Halflants + Pichette strives to bring to every project: design excellence, technical precision, and a collaborative process that feels approachable from beginning to end.

Modern architecture can be bold, refined, and highly detailed without feeling distant or intimidating. The best projects are built through trust, clarity, and a shared commitment to the final result.

We are grateful for clients and collaborators who recognize not only the architecture itself, but the knowledge, care, and partnership behind it.

Thank you, Andy, for the thoughtful review and kind words.

Halflants + Pichette
Architecture shaped by design, detail, and collaboration.

09/16/2026

The Gallery’s street façade expresses the building’s interlocking two-story residences through a composition of projecting balconies, deep openings, and shifting vertical volumes. Stairs, stoops, landscaping, and oversized balconies animate the sidewalk and give each residence a distinct presence along the street.

At the penthouse level, pairs of balconies are joined by slender steel beams, extending the architecture outward to form a rhythm of dramatic frames above the sidewalk. The open frames capture pieces of sky and bring a lighter scale to the building’s upper edge, while tying the individual residences into a larger composition.

At the corner, the building opens to a ground-floor restaurant, while the taller volume marks the intersection of 4th Street and Cocoanut Avenue.

09/09/2026

Zahrada II is the second phase of the Zahrada development in downtown Sarasota. While the original Zahrada introduced six contemporary luxury townhouses, Zahrada II transforms the adjoining vacant lot into a vibrant mixed-use residential building, completing the block while preserving the original homes.

The new building adds eighteen condominiums above street-front retail, with all parking concealed behind active uses and accessed exclusively from the rear alley. Together, the two phases create a more diverse neighborhood by offering a wide range of housing—from 700-square-foot studios and one-bedroom residences to 3,000-square-foot townhouses—inviting residents with different lifestyles and budgets to live within the same community.

Every residence is designed to maximize light, air, and outdoor living. Eight homes open onto private courtyard gardens, while the remaining residences feature generous terraces. Double-height living spaces, minimal shared corridors, and views to both the north and south create homes that feel significantly larger than their footprint.

Rather than simply increasing density, Zahrada II demonstrates how thoughtful urban infill can strengthen the public realm, broaden housing choices, and create architecture that contributes to a more walkable and vibrant downtown.

Architecture: Halflants + Pichette Architects
Photography: Seamus Payne Architectural Photography

09/03/2026

While keeping Sarasota as its home base, Halflants + Pichette Architects is continuing to grow in Tampa Bay.

Please join us on October 19 to celebrate the opening of our new two-story office in Channelside. The new location expands our presence in the region while our Sarasota office continues to serve as the home base of our practice.

Models and renderings of upcoming H+P projects from Sarasota to Clearwater will be on display, highlighting the range of work currently underway across the Gulf Coast.

October 19 | 5:00–7:00 p.m.
Ribbon Cutting with Mayor Jane Castor at 6:00 p.m.

101 S. 12th Street, Suite 104
Tampa, Florida

Join us for sushi and aperitifs as we celebrate this next chapter for H+P!

08/27/2026

Architecture and art should never be separate conversations.

At Zahrada II, two sculptural installations rise the full height of the building's shared stair towers, transforming everyday circulation into a memorable civic experience.

Suspended above the primary entrances and extending five stories, the sculptural screens filter daylight into the stairways while animating the façade with changing light, shadow, and reflections throughout the day. More than an applied artwork, they become an integral part of the building's architecture, giving the project a distinct identity from the sidewalk.

The integrated artwork was designed by Edwin Martinez of Halflants + Pichette Architects and beautifully fabricated by Modulo. Their collaboration demonstrates how thoughtful craftsmanship can elevate architecture beyond building to placemaking.

08/13/2026

The Halflants + Pichette team just got a little bigger.

We’re excited to welcome Lucy, daughter of H+P Project Architect Ed Smith, to the extended H+P family!

She’s already representing the firm well, although we’ll give her a little time before assigning her first project. 😉

Congratulations to Ed and his family on this very special new addition. Welcome, Lucy!

08/05/2026

We are honored to share that Whitaker Lofts has received an AIA Florida / Caribbean Design Award.

This recognition is especially meaningful because Whitaker Lofts was the only residential project in Florida to receive a state design award this year.

Located at the first roundabout on Tamiami Trail between Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport and downtown Sarasota, Whitaker Lofts was envisioned as a gateway to the city and a catalyst for the North Trail district.

The quarter-circle site presented unique challenges. The building curves around a magnificent live oak with a 75-foot canopy, preserving the tree while creating an elevated courtyard for the residents. A monumental four-story stair connects the courtyard to Whitaker Bayfront Park across the street, while deep balconies and two-story shadow boxes animate the curved façade with changing patterns of light and shadow throughout the day.

The project brings together 20 residences above street-front retail, demonstrating how thoughtful urban housing can strengthen both the public realm and the private living experience.

It was a privilege for Edwin Martinez and Michael Halflants to represent Halflants + Pichette Architects at the AIA Florida Convention to accept this award. Edwin's talent and dedication continue to elevate our work, and this recognition reflects the collaborative effort of our entire team, our consultants, and our client.

Thank you to the AIA Florida / Caribbean jury for this incredible honor.

07/31/2026

Every historic building has two futures: to be forgotten or to be reimagined.

What was once an abandoned historic bank at one of Downtown Clearwater's most prominent intersections has been thoughtfully restored and given a new purpose.

As both architect and builder, Halflants + Pichette led this ambitious design-build renovation from vision to completion, preserving the character of the building while preparing it for its next chapter.

From the restoration process to the unveiling of the historic clock and the upcoming arrival of Streetlight Taco, this project is a reminder that great architecture doesn't just preserve history, it creates a future for it.

We're honored to have played a role in bringing this landmark back to life and can't wait to see it become a vibrant destination for Downtown Clearwater.

07/23/2026

Preserving history means more than restoring a building. It means respecting what made it worth saving in the first place.

The Brown Brothers Building restoration is rooted in documented history, from the original brickwork and mortar composition to the storefronts, windows and defining steel canopy. Every detail is being carefully reconstructed to preserve the building’s natural character, not replace it with a modern interpretation.

A landmark restored with purpose, precision and respect for its original identity.