lectus
News & Projects
Interview with design visionary James Wines (BOMB Magazine, upcoming)
Neptune Sea House (architecture & interiors, upcoming)
Carbon-neutral Limestone (materials research & development, ongoing)
33 1/3 Series (Bloomsbury Press, interview, upcoming)
This Sidewalk Pond in Brooklyn (Complex, interview)
Us vs Them (Abrams Press, interview)
Solare Design (Gangemi Press, design feature)
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Neptune Sea House
Category Architecture & Interiors
Location Staten Island, New York
Client Private
Status In Progress
2 family home on an urban lot near the Atlantic Ocean and in a flood zone.
Simultaneous communal and private experiences. Outdoor shower, planted walls, semi-outdoor breezeway / balcony. Hydropanels for clean water. Solar for electric. Gas-free.
Living and utilities are raised 12’ to be above the flood plane.
Flood proof and resistant to climate change.
Nature (series)
Category
Scientific Research
Sculpture
Years
2023-Present
Materials
limestone
concrete
steel
copper
algae
salts
iron
Description
An ongoing research project to create carbon-negative limestone from waste concrete and other sources. Objects are grown underwater in an electro-chemical process similar to the origin of life. The resulting objects are colored by their environment - cream and white limestones, red irons, green coppers, and blue algaes.
A New York City based studio focused on sustainable architecture, public spaces, research, writing and policy. It was founded in 2016.
Projects include the flood-resistant Neptune Sea House (2024-present), lab-grown limestone (2023-present), Bed-Stuy Aquarium (2024), and sculpture Bed of Roses (2022), a finalist in the Times Square Arts competition.
Press
NPR
Gothamist
Complex
NHK Japan
Wired
MIT Technology Review
Architects Newspaper
Architectural Digest
Vogue
New York Times
Village Voice
Solare Design
Clients and Collaborators
NYCHA
Arakawa and Gins
Anita Dongre
Duke Riley
Galia Lahav
MoMA
Department of Parks
A graduate of New York University’s Stern School of Business and Parsons School of Design, Devang combines scientific thinking and a human approach to system solutions.
The upcoming Neptune Sea House is a prototype flood-proof, self-sufficient, gas-free, solar electric home in a temperate climate zone.
Devang co-founded the think tank Maidan Center in 2026. His approach brings crystallized form to policy decisions and civic problem-solving. At Maidan Center, he leads the design strategy wing of the institution — shaping how policy interfaces with spatial and cultural reality. Culture is at the root of his approach - solving technical problems in ways that give meaning.
Since 2023, Devang has conducted scientific research to chemically grow limestone using waste concrete. The process takes place underwater, using an electrical process similar to the theorized origin of life in the ocean. The method has potential to create carbon-neutral building materials or to serve as a carbon-sequestration pathway.
Devang’s work with the Bed-Stuy Aquarium in New York City worked towards creating a legal pathway for community projects on sidewalks. After passing scrutiny with the NYC Parks Department, Dept of Transportation, and Dept of Environmental Protection, the coalition has the greenlight to create a community-run project sanctioned by the city.
Devang previously worked with NYCHA and futurists Arakawa & Gins. His upcoming interview with architect and design visionary James Wines for BOMB Magazine will be released in the summer.
D A S . L T D
Devang Arvind Shah Architecture PLLC
registered architect New York State