Pictured: Stofft Cooney Architects handles homes in Tampa and St. Petersburg all the way to Boca Grande. Photo courtesy Stofft Cooney Architectural Group.

After eight years as a satellite office in Sarasota, Stofft Cooney Architects has officially opened under the direction of Gage C. Duran, the firm’s newly appointed Sarasota-based senior project architect. Duran previously owned and led GDArch, where he managed several multi-million-dollar custom homes nationwide.

“The best thing is that we can get to a site quickly,” Duran says about the Sarasota office. “We can support someone as they’re thinking about what they want to do on their property and understand what their vision, style and hopes are for their custom home.”

Founded in 1985, the architectural group has headquarters in Naples and Delray Beach, led by Randall Stofft and John Cooney, respectively. Cooney, the company’s CEO and owner, says Sarasota clients can expect the same high level of architecture that the entire firm is known for.

“About 98% of our projects are on the water,” Cooney explains. “This level of architecture executed on the water requires a certain expertise to not only do great architectural designs, but designs that have longevity and minimal maintenance.”

While the Sarasota office had previously been by appointment only, it’s now becoming a full office with Duran’s hiring and the addition of two local designers.

“The great thing about this office is that we have the full support of our Naples team,” Duran says. “We’re able to focus and be the boots-on-the-ground here, while also having a lot of production and design horsepower from our Naples office.”

Duran says supporting the contractor is an integral part of executing the completion of a home, and the firm is hyperfocused on both its presence and becoming even more integrated within the architecture and home-building community.

“We’re able to support on the office side and communication side, but also get on site and support the contractor,” he says.

With a full-time staff at the new office, Stofft Cooney Architects will be able to organize initial concepts and support project construction in the heart of Sarasota.

“We’ve always had a very nice, steady workflow in the area,” Cooney says. “What this will do is elevate our presence to have a full-time key person making decisions, and will upgrade our service to our clients.”

100 N Washington Blvd, Sarasota

Pictured: Stofft Cooney Architects handles homes in Tampa and St. Petersburg all the way to Boca Grande. Photo courtesy Stofft Cooney Architectural Group.