by Dan D’Agostino, AIA
I was raised in North Bergen, NJ, where I attended Our Lady of Grace in Fairview for my K-8 education before moving to Lyndhurst, NJ for high school. My education in private elementary school and Lyndhurst High School public education taught me discipline and adaptability. At Lyndhurst High School, I immersed myself in technical drawing classes that would prove foundational to my future career.
I loved to draw and sketch as a child, filling countless pages with my imagination. Family vacations to the Jersey shore exposed me to coastal architecture that fascinated me – the way buildings responded to their environment, the relationship between structure and the sea. These early experiences planted seeds of architectural curiosity.
In high school, my drafting teacher, Peter Summers, became a pivotal figure in my life. He didn’t just teach technical drawing; he introduced me to the field of architecture and saw potential in my work. Mr. Summers became my mentor and eventually helped me secure my first job in architecture. His guidance and belief in my abilities set me on a path I hadn’t fully recognized as my calling.
The moment everything crystallized came when I won a competition for NJIT’s School of Architecture. That recognition confirmed what I was beginning to understand – architecture wasn’t just what I was good at, it was who I was meant to become. The validation from the competition solidified that architecture was my future.
I went on to attend the New Jersey School of Architecture at NJIT, graduating in 2006. What a transformative experience that was. My most notable professor and mentor was Peter Papademtriou, whose guidance shaped not just my technical skills but my understanding of what it means to be an architect. The rigorous program at NJIT prepared me for the challenges ahead and reinforced my passion for design.
My first significant design experience was conceptual work on a mid-rise mixed-use building in West New York during my internship at Marchetto, Higgins, Steive in Hoboken. Working on that project taught me about the complexity of urban development and the impact architecture has on communities. It was there I learned that being an architect is fundamentally about listening and responding – that’s the key to success.
When I eventually opened my own practice, I discovered that single-family residential work was my real passion. There’s something profound about creating homes, about understanding how families live and designing spaces that enhance their daily experiences.
I have served and continue to serve on local zoning boards, where I can contribute my architectural expertise to community planning decisions. This public service allows me to give back and help shape the built environment beyond my individual projects.
Today, I serve as the founder and principal of Plan Architecture, which I established in 2014. Over the years, we’ve grown to employ nearly 20 individuals across architecture, interior design, and administration. Leading this team has taught me that architecture is not just about individual creativity but about collaborative problem-solving and mentorship.
I believe that each project we work on serves the greater community through good design and community building. Architecture has the power to bring people together, to create spaces that foster connection and improve quality of life. As a product of New Jersey’s educational system and communities, I feel this is where I am most comfortable and can do the most good – serving the places and people that shaped me.
