DDG is the New York-based architect-developer firm founded in 2009 by Joe McMillan — one of the small number of contemporary Manhattan practices structured as an integrated design-and-development organization, with architectural design and project development unified under a single firm. The firm's Manhattan portfolio includes 180 East 88th Street (Upper East Side, 2019), 40 East End Avenue (2018), 41 Bond Street (NoHo, 2010), 12 Warren Street (Tribeca, 2013), 100 Franklin Street (Tribeca, 2015), 92 Laight Street (Tribeca, 2018), and 80 East 10th Street (East Village, 2018).
The New York-based architect-developer firm founded in 2009 by Joe McMillan — one of the small number of contemporary Manhattan practices structured as an integrated design-and-development organization, with the architectural design and the project development integrated under a single firm operating across the substantial Manhattan boutique-condominium market. The firm's Manhattan portfolio includes 180 East 88th Street, 41 Bond, 12 Warren, 100 Franklin, 92 Laight, 80 East 10th Street, and a substantial continuing project pipeline.
At a glance
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founder | Joe McMillan (Chief Executive Officer) |
| Headquarters | New York City (Greenwich Village area) |
| Staff | Approximately 100 |
| Structure | Integrated architect-developer; the firm designs and develops its own projects in-house rather than operating as a third-party architectural practice |
| Major NYC residential work | 41 Bond Street (NoHo, 2010); 12 Warren Street (Tribeca, 2013); 100 Franklin Street (Tribeca, 2015); 80 East 10th Street (East Village, 2018); 92 Laight Street (Tribeca, 2018); 180 East 88th Street (Upper East Side, 2019); 41 Bond Street (NoHo) |
Why DDG matters
DDG is the New York-based architect-and-developer firm whose substantive Manhattan boutique-condominium portfolio across the past fifteen years has anchored the firm as one of the most distinctive contemporary practices operating in the city's luxury residential market. Founded in 2009 in New York by Joe McMillan with the substantive thesis that integrating the architectural design and the project development under a single firm operating both functions could produce better residential outcomes — substantively more substantively designed buildings, more substantively executed projects, and substantively better resident experiences than the conventional architect-third-party-developer structure produces — the firm has developed across approximately fifteen years into a substantial integrated practice with a substantial Manhattan project portfolio.
The firm's structural distinction within the contemporary real-estate-and-architectural professions is consequential. Most Manhattan luxury residential development operates under the conventional structure in which an architect (typically a third-party firm) is commissioned by a developer (typically a separate firm) to design a project that the developer then constructs and markets. The architect-and-developer separation produces substantial structural tradeoffs: the architect's design decisions are constrained by the developer's commercial and operational priorities, the developer's project execution is constrained by the architect's design specifications, and the substantial subsequent decisions about construction, materials, fit-out, marketing, and operational programming are routinely the subject of substantive negotiation between the two firms with different institutional incentives.
DDG's integrated architect-developer structure addresses this structural tradeoff by combining the architectural and development functions within a single firm. The firm's principals — most notably Joe McMillan as CEO and founder — operate substantively as both architectural designers and project developers, with the substantive integration producing residential projects in which the substantial architectural and operational decisions are coordinated through the substantial single-firm structure rather than negotiated across separate institutional interfaces.
For Manhattan residential buyers evaluating the firm's substantial boutique-condominium portfolio — including 180 East 88th Street, 41 Bond, 12 Warren, 100 Franklin, 92 Laight, and the broader portfolio — the substantial integrated architect-developer attribution is a substantive component of the building's structural premium. The substantive architectural craft of the firm's residential portfolio, the substantive material engagement that distinguishes the firm's exterior treatments, and the substantive operational consistency of the firm's residential buildings produce a residential context substantively distinct from the broader contemporary Manhattan boutique-residential inventory.
Founding and architectural philosophy
Joe McMillan founded DDG in 2009 after a substantive earlier career in the New York real estate and development environment. The firm was founded with the substantive thesis articulated above — the integrated architect-developer structure as a substantively better residential development model than the conventional separation.
The firm's early years (2009–2014) produced a substantive series of Manhattan boutique-residential commissions that established the firm's architectural and operational register: 41 Bond Street (NoHo, 2010), 12 Warren Street (Tribeca, 2013), and the broader early-period portfolio. The firm's substantial subsequent expansion through the late 2010s and early 2020s produced the substantial portfolio across the Upper East Side, Tribeca, East Village, and additional Manhattan submarkets that the firm has continued to develop.
The firm's architectural philosophy, articulated through the firm's continuing project portfolio, emphasizes several recurring themes that distinguish the firm's work from much contemporary boutique-residential production. The first is a substantive engagement with custom material development — the firm's residential projects routinely use custom-developed exterior materials (the custom hand-laid brick exterior at 180 East 88th Street; the custom-bronze and substantial metalwork at various boutique projects; the substantive material craft that the firm's larger Tribeca and Upper East Side projects have demonstrated). The second is a substantive engagement with substantive ceiling heights and substantial apartment-scale configurations — the firm's residential projects routinely emphasize substantial substantial apartment scale, substantial ceiling-height infrastructure, and substantive interior-architectural craft rather than the substantively standardized apartment configurations characteristic of most contemporary boutique-residential development. The third is a substantive engagement with the substantive amenity-and-operational infrastructure — the firm's residential projects routinely provide substantial amenity programs calibrated to the project's specific resident demographic.
The combination of these themes has produced a body of residential work that has been substantially praised across the New York real estate trade press for its substantive architectural craft and substantive operational consistency, and that has anchored the firm's substantial position within the contemporary Manhattan boutique-residential market.
Major works: Manhattan portfolio
The firm's Manhattan practice across approximately fifteen years includes a substantial portfolio of completed boutique-residential commissions. The works listed below represent the firm's most-recognized projects; the full body of work substantially exceeds this list.
Upper East Side
180 East 88th Street (2019). The firm's substantial Upper East Side commission and one of the firm's largest individual residential projects — a 50-story condominium tower at the corner of 88th Street and Third Avenue. The substantial custom hand-laid brick exterior and the substantial bronze detailing anchor the building's substantive material register. Covered in detail in the dedicated building guide.
Tribeca
12 Warren Street (2013). The firm's substantive Tribeca boutique commission — a 13-story condominium project in central Tribeca anchored by the firm's substantial custom material treatment.
100 Franklin Street (2015). The firm's substantive Franklin Street Tribeca project — a 7-story boutique condominium with substantive material craft and substantial residential program.
92 Laight Street (2018). The firm's substantive boutique commission on Laight Street in the western Tribeca residential register.
XOCO 325 — the firm's substantive small-scale boutique commission.
NoHo / East Village
41 Bond Street (2010). The firm's substantive early NoHo commission — a 7-story boutique condominium project on Bond Street with substantive material craft anchoring the building's substantial position within the contemporary NoHo residential register.
80 East 10th Street (2018). The firm's substantive East Village boutique commission — a 10-story condominium project on East 10th Street with substantial material treatment.
Other principal Manhattan commissions
The firm's broader Manhattan portfolio includes substantial additional boutique projects, with continuing project development across the firm's substantial Manhattan commission pipeline.
The firm's broader practice
DDG continues to operate as an integrated architect-developer firm, with substantive continuing project development across the substantial Manhattan boutique-residential market. The firm's project pipeline routinely includes substantive Manhattan submarkets where the firm has established a substantive presence — the Upper East Side, Tribeca, NoHo, East Village, and (substantially less prominently in the Manhattan-specific context) the broader Brooklyn waterfront where the firm has executed substantial projects.
The firm's integrated structure has continued to produce substantive operational consistency across the firm's portfolio. The substantive operational management of the firm's residential projects, the substantive material craft that distinguishes the firm's exterior treatments, and the substantive residential-amenity infrastructure that the firm's projects provide together anchor the firm's substantial contemporary Manhattan boutique-residential position.
Considering a DDG-designed building?
The Roebling Team at Compass works the Manhattan trophy-tier new-development inventory as a structural element of our luxury practice, with substantive engagement in the contemporary boutique-residential market. We publish this firm profile because Manhattan residential buyers and sellers deserve substantive intelligence about the firms whose work has shaped the contemporary inventory.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at 180 East 88th Street, 41 Bond, 12 Warren, 100 Franklin, 92 Laight, or any of the broader DDG portfolio, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.
Corey Cohen, Principal The Roebling Team at Compass
646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com
Run the numbers
Related buildings
- 180 East 88th Street — the firm's substantial Upper East Side commission
Related guides
- New Development in Manhattan: The 2016–2026 Research Guide — the broader context for the period's inventory
- Co-op vs Condo in Manhattan — the ownership-structure framing for new-development purchases
- Foreign-Buyer Guide — relevant for the international buyer demographic
This page reflects publicly available information on DDG's practice, the real estate trade press coverage of the firm's projects, the firm's published portfolio, and The Roebling Team transaction experience with the firm's NYC residential inventory. The Roebling Team at Compass does not represent DDG or the firm's residential commissioning clients. Specific project attributions, completion years, and current operational details should be confirmed independently. © 2026 The Roebling Team at Compass.
Buildings designed by DDG
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