Caplow Manzano is a company of architects, engineers, and designers. Our business is innovation. Our goal is buildings that are healthier, more sustainable, and longer-lasting.
Ted Caplow, Phd
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Ted's background as an environmental engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur makes him well suited to co-lead Caplow Manzano. In order to maximize the performance, durability, and positive impact of every Caplow Manzano project, Ted pushes himself and the team to always flex their creativity, analyze every detail, and never settle for ordinary.
A pioneer in the field of building-integrated agriculture, Ted designed and developed several urban farm prototypes, most notably the Science Barge floating environmental education center (featured in National Geographic and operating continuously since 2008). He also patented the Vertically Integrated Greenhouse, a system for implementing industrial scale agriculture on a small footprint of land. In 2004 Ted founded NY Sun Works, a non-profit organization that builds hydroponic farming labs in urban schools, and still serves as the board chair. NYSW maintains science labs in over 250 schools and reaches over 120,000 students each year; generous local and federal funding continue to power the organization’s growth. In 2008, Ted co-founded BrightFarms, a commercial indoor agriculture company that supplies fresh, pesticide-free produce to major grocers like Walmart, Kroger, and Ahold Delhaize throughout the northeast, midwest, and mid-Atlantic regions. Brightfarms was acquired by Cox Enterprises in 2021.
Ted was born in New York City and raised in Virginia. He received an BA degree from Harvard University, an MS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Princeton University, and a PhD in Environmental Engineering from Columbia University. He began his career in New York City, working as a clean energy consultant, a naval engineer, a restaurateur, a theatrical producer, and a documentary filmmaker. Ted has been living in Miami since 2009, where, together with Nathalie, he helps raise five children. A lifelong sailor and boater who lives blocks from the ocean, Ted is seriously committed to the future of our coastal residences in the urban tropics.
Nathalie Manzano
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Nathalie co-leads Caplow Manzano with a focus on creating homes that prioritize human health and wellness. Developing allergic asthma in her youth, she is specifically interested in how the indoor environment impacts your health.
Nathalie has spent the last two decades directing programs focused on public health and environmental sustainability in various entities including ASME, City of Miami, and the National Hispanic Health Foundation. In 2016, she won the Knight Foundation’s Knight Cities Challenge for her work on the Miami Science Barge. Nathalie was also the program designer for the Inventors in Residence Lab at the Frost Museum of Science.
Born and raised in Miami, Nathalie brings with her a local’s insight into Miami's diverse neighborhoods. She graduated from Florida International University with a BA in Political Science and a Masters in Public Administration. Over the years, she's developed strong connections to local organizations that share her vision to keep Miami around for decades – and centuries – to come. She is currently raising her family in Coconut Grove, Miami's long term viability as a healthy community is not just her business, it is personal.
Kristy Price
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Kristy is a WELL AP and LEED Green Associate who works closely with the Principals to keep the company mission moving forward. As an early member of the team who has held various roles at Caplow Manzano, she has evolved into an irreplaceable jack of all trades. Beyond operations and team development, Kristy manages financials and represents the company in multiple settings.
Kristy holds a Masters of Architectural Studies in Sustainable Design from UF, where her research focused on resilience in comprehensive community planning in Miami. She also received a Bachelor of Business Administration from FIU. As a neurodiverse person who has a history of eczema, Kristy understands first-hand how important it is to design healthy living spaces – for both our physical and mental well being.
Kristy was born and raised in Miami. She is passionate about protecting natural landscapes throughout the world and loves to spend time outdoors – so much so that she has already hiked 40 National Parks, more than halfway through her goal to visit all 63 in the country. Kristy is also a gifted photographer and companion to Clover, the big brown dog always by her side.
Alvaro Membreno, AIA
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Alvaro is a registered architect in the State of Florida and a home design specialist. Often neglected on large-scale commercial projects, the intimate human-scale living space is Alvaro’s wheelhouse. His work is focused on the needs of the individuals inside the home.
After graduating from FIU with a Masters Degree in Architecture, Alvaro worked at a multidisciplinary design studio involved in the research of sustainable materials, art installations, furniture design, and small-scale urban planning. Since then, he's continued to develop his talent for managing medium and large sized custom homes in South Florida.
Alvaro is a Miami native. Growing up in a single family neighborhood near limestone quarries and cement plants, he developed an interest in home design and construction at a young age. And having lived through multiple hurricanes – walking through flooded streets, listening to the radio in the dark after a power outage – he knows what it means when they say Miami is at the forefront of climate change and sea level rise. In 2022, he joined Caplow Manzano to help his hometown become a more sustainable, more livable place. Miami's residential architecture is just beginning to make its mark on the field and Alvaro is proud to be part of that history.
Pedro Alberni
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Pedro is tasked with bringing our residential designs to life. He takes the raw numbers from an architectural plan and turns that into the structure that will soon be someone’s home. Given Caplow Manzano’s extremely high standards for durability, functionality, and human health, Pedro’s ability to manage all the moving parts of a construction project make him an invaluable member of the team.
Pedro has a strong background in civil engineering and construction management. He received his Bachelors in Civil Engineering from Florida International University and has since managed a wide variety of projects, including heavy infrastructure, marine construction, deep foundations, and clean energy home improvements.
Outside of work, Pedro can be found planning his next kayaking expedition, camping in the Everglades backcountry, or growing native plants at his home in Coconut Grove. Born and raised in Miami, his bond with South Florida’s land and sea are as strong as the building foundations he helps to build. More than just a lover of all things outdoors, he is a skilled nature photographer and a longtime volunteer for local habitat restoration projects. We are lucky to have Pedro at Caplow Manzano – and proud to be a company where he can apply his professional skills in service of creating construction alternatives that will benefit the future of our regional ecosystem.
Jorge Tannous
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Jorge has experienced great design across three continents and brings global ideas to the Miami context. At the intersection of form and function, Jorge helps create spaces that are beautiful, spaces where people can feel connected, and spaces that deliver on Caplow Manzano’s health and sustainability objectives.
Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Jorge completed his bachelor’s degree in architecture at Universidad Central de Venezuela. From there, he was off to Europe to earn a master’s degree at the Politecnico di Torino in Italy. As a student, he exhibited two projects at La Biennale di Venezia, including a vertical sculpture designed to collect and harvest potable water from the air in Ethiopia. After graduation, Jorge worked as an architectural drafter in Berlin, Germany – one of his all-time favorite cities. He moved to Miami in 2018. Prior to Caplow Manzano, he worked at a high-end interior design firm and even did professional stage design at the Tower Theater in Little Havana.
Jorge is a true creative that values open-mindedness and genuine connection with others. A lover of good theater, good music, and good fashion, Jorge spends much of his free time participating in the best culture our cities have to offer – in Miami and in other cities around the world. He remains an avid traveler. Each destination inspires his work and his passion for local and global sustainability. He always dreamed of making a positive impact through thoughtful design. As an integral part of the Caplow Manzano design team, Jorge makes an impact by helping create healthy homes that will endure for generations in our community.
George-Michael Cotarelo
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In many ways, George-Michael is a unique addition to the team. He is a WELL AP, a LEED AP Homes, and an EnergyGauge software specialist. At Caplow Manzano, he dedicates himself to researching and modeling the energy demands and sustainability potential of a project before, during, and after construction. Unlike other green home builders – that typically rely on outsourcing this type of work – having George-Michael in-house means that his energy and sustainability assessments can inform the design process in real time. This helps us more efficiently ensure our homes have minimal impact on the local environment and on the global climate. Over time, his work will also help homeowners save money.
George-Michael graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering and a Minor in Sustainable Studies. In addition to his skills as a researcher and his proficiency with EnergyGauge, his deep knowledge of major green building certifications like LEED and WELL makes it much easier for Caplow Manzano projects to achieve excellent ratings on these programs – another aspect of his work that will benefit homeowners in the long run.
Born and raised in South Florida, George-Michael is a long-time local who has spent a lot of time overseas. He studied abroad in North Queensland, Australia and has traveled through much of Japan, including Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Mount Fuji, and more. An avid gamer of all stripes – video games, tabletop games, and role-playing games – he’s ready to play. He even built his own computer and video casting setup at home. At the Caplow Manzano headquarters, George-Michael is also the resident “IT guy”, birthday cake baker, and afternoon cafecito specialist.
Katie Flood
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Katie is our in-house millwork and carpentry specialist. Her hands-on woodworking and carpentry experience give Caplow Manzano a special advantage. On top of her ability to design and craft millwork herself, she helps keep all relevant contractors on point, granting us a greater degree of quality control over the smallest elements of an installation. This commitment to detail is priceless for future residents, as the interior millwork is often the point of contact, or the daily “interface”, with our homes. Elevating that sense of touch is extremely important to us and Katie helps make it real.
Katie holds a Bachelors in Furniture Design and Sustainability and a Masters in Sustainability Studies from the Rhode Island School of Design. Prior to Caplow Manzano, she managed her own small business that specialized in yacht restoration and custom carpentry on various types of watercraft. Given that our homes place such high emphasis on resisting water damage, her experience in the marine industry makes Katie perfectly suited to help create our flood- and humidity-resistant buildings.
Born and raised in Miami, Katie has long-been interested in our local environment and particularly our relationship with the sea. Katie spent much of her childhood living on an old Chris-Craft Motoryacht that her parents had restored. Together with her family, she grew up exploring the islands and reefs of Biscayne Bay and the Florida Keys. She has a special love for the ocean and hopes to share that bond with the next generation. As the Race Committee Chairwoman of the Miami Yacht Club, Katie works with the non-profit Youth Sailing Foundation to help kids from low-income families connect to the sea. A competitive sailor herself, a certified scuba diver, and a researcher in sustainable marine biomaterials, there is no limit to how far – or how deep – Katie will go to help create a world where humans can live in harmony with the water all around us.
Arie Chocron
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From industry staples like AutoCAD, Rhino, and Revit, to more specialty applications like Grasshopper and Blender, Arie's proficiency with architectural software helps elevate our production process and ultimately the quality of our projects. He can quickly model design ideas, allowing the team to visualize a wide range of solutions to the challenges we set out to overcome. With an eye for graphically representing our projects, Arie often collaborates with marketing to communicate our work to external audiences.
Arie’s technical know-how is backed up by his excellent design instincts and his experience in architectural research. At Florida Atlantic University, his thesis focused on the possibility of training AI networks to complete a variety of tasks in the architectural process. The paper was published by the International Conference on Computational Design and Robotic Fabrication and went on to receive the Citation Award for Theoretical Research by AIA Florida. While at FAU, he also worked at a prominent South Florida design firm that specialized in commercial and hospitality architecture..
Born in Venezuela, but a South Floridian since the age of 2, Arie knows how much work is needed to bring our communities to the resiliency standards necessary to thrive in the era of climate change. He also loves basketball – both cheering for the Miami Heat and playing ball himself. And whether painting, sketching, or making music, Arie enjoys channeling his creativity beyond the world of architecture.
Francesca Gemelli
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Regarding Francesca's role at Caplow Manzano, her official job title does not do her justice. More than just the executive assistant that keeps leadership on-schedule and staff well-snacked, Francesca is the glue that holds our people together. Having managed other offices before, she understands how unique a team and its individual members could be. She has an appreciation for each person’s perspective and works to make our office as productive, healthy, and enjoyable as it can be. Francesca is, above all, a “people person” and her value to the team cannot be overstated.
Francesca holds a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Psychology from Florida International University. Her prior experience includes office administration and management in the real estate and design-build industries, in both the public and private sectors.
Born in California, but raised right here in Miami, Francesca loves reading, rollerblading, going to the beach, and caring for her “animal farm” (she lives with 2 dogs and 2 cats). One thing she does not like: climate change. At a young age, watching her mother recycle at their home, Francesca developed a passion for ecosystem and climate preservation. Over time, she realized that sustainability would never be achieved by individual action alone – that we would need large-scale, systemic and institutional changes – and she wanted to work with an organization that just might be part of the solution. Just as Caplow Manzano carefully considers each project’s impact on the local environment and the global climate, Francesca incorporates that same ethos into the daily life of the office.
Christian Jacobs
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Many of the architectural and scientific concepts invoked on any given Caplow Manzano project can be complicated, to say the least. Thermal bridging, radiative cooling, accessible MEP design, product life cycle assessments. It’s a lot. Perhaps the most difficult concept to describe, is the fact that the conventional materials that make up our homes can be harmful to our health. Christian is on our team to clearly communicate all these ideas to our intended audience – whether that is a potential home buyer, the South Florida public, or government policymakers.
Before Caplow Manzano, Christian had been managing a web design and development firm for almost a decade. It was a boutique design company that he helped grow from website creation to logo design, copywriting, digital advertising, product photography, and more. Prior to starting his firm, Christian graduated from the University of Florida with a B.S. in Advertising and he worked at a variety of agencies and design teams in Miami and New York City. Joining Caplow Manzano, Christian brings with him a gift for clear communication and an ability to analyze market demands and design trends.
Born and raised in Miami, Christian is a true local and a classic “Spanglish” speaker. His first language was Spanish and he began to speak English in preschool. Together with his partner, he cares for their two cats, cooks a lot of rice and beans, explores the city by bicycle, and visits loved ones around the world. Christian is passionate about ecological sustainability in its individual and social forms: from home cooking to walkable urban planning; from thrifting to green energy policy. Working at Caplow Manzano, he is happy to dedicate his time to an organization whose work aligns with his vision for a more sustainable world.
↑ Humans
↓ Animals
Angus
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Angus is a 6 year old black mouth cur (we think) who thinks he is human, loves cuddles, eats only the most exquisite butter-fried bones, likes howling at the moon, and has a big distrust of the mailman!
Chookie
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Chookie is a 6 month old great dane/black mouth cur (again, we think!) who is better described as a lanky cartoon, loves landscaping, cuddling (and annoying) his big brother Angus, and eating anything he can find!
Clover
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Clover is a gentle giant (Newfie) that befriends every human and animal she meets. If there is water nearby, she will find it and enjoy a swim! Her favorite activities are snow rolling and sticking her head out of the sunroof.
Juno
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Juno is our resident Spanish Water Dog. When she isn't at the vet's office, you can find her swimming. She is passionate about clean water and encourages you to learn about the impacts of water pollution on Biscayne Bay. Reach out to her to discuss which color crayon tastes best.
Leo
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Leo is a rescued Miniature Schnauzer Mix from Puerto Rico that loves long walks and ripping the stuffing out of any toy given to him. He is a gentleman to everyone he meets, except lizards; they are his number one enemy.
Xena & Lucy
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Forever puppies entering their golden girls era soon! Xena is a yorkie poodle mix and has everyone fooled as a well behaved lady in the streets, but a wild child at home. Lucy is a silky terrier maltese mix who prefers to cuddle and needs all of the attention. They are the ultimate security team, as they bark at every sudden outside movement, including rough winds.
Meredith & Thor
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This dynamic duo are a bonded pair. Meredith (or Mer) is a black tortie short hair and Thor is an orange long hair rescued from the same litter. Mer is a playful and curious gazelle, while Thor is a chonky accident prone Garfield. They are pandemic kitties that are happy the world opened up again so mom isn’t home all the time cramping their style. Together they run the house and have trained their mom very well.
Gimpy
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Gimpy is a fun-loving, crooked-tailed, bombay kitten who lives for wrestling his one-eyed buddy Cyclops (Cy, for short). When he's not being an absolute terror, he's demanding to be cuddled.
Mica
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Mica is a rescued German Shepard, Chow, Rottweiler, Lab mix that loves to hike. Her favorite hiking areas include Big Cypress National Preserve, the Keys, and Ten Thousand Islands. Mica recovers from hiking by rolling around in mud and eating barbeque.
Stripey & Bianca
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Stripey and Bianca are two rescue cats from the streets of Philadelphia. Now indoor cats, they spend their days and nights sleeping, cuddling, running laps around the couch, and inspecting every delivery box that comes through the door – no matter the size, they find a way to fit into the box.
Lance
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Lance, aka Sushi, is a special cat. He enjoys: playing with any and all pieces of paper, cuddling with his family, talking like a gremlin, and rolling around on the floor (hence "Sushi" roll). He has cat asthma, so he needs to be given an inhaler everyday – something he does not enjoy, but he looks very cute when doing it.