Who We Are
We leverage design and construction capabilities to bring wellness to our clients and community.
HOW WE STARTED
In 2012 Ecotone began designing and building private and community gardens in Brooklyn. Since our founding, Ecotone has explored concepts in urban wellness experiences, from rooftop spas and cabins to mentoring and community-building events. We have never shied away from trying something challenging, which is why we are now top experts in creating technical and social wellness environments of all kinds in the most demanding regulatory construction environment in the country.
our team
Craig Desmond
Construction Manager
Craig Desmond is a woodworker and a natural builder and serves as Ecotone’s Construction & Operations Manager. Craig oversees design, fabrication, and installation activities and is a diligent, detail-oriented team lead.
Ecotone results from Craig’s persistence in building a team of professionals passionate about natural building, artisanal craftsmanship, and wellness-oriented design.
An ideal day for Craig starts with his construction and fabrication team, where he reviews and initiates the day’s work, creates templates, and reviews drawings and work in progress. Later in the morning, a meeting work session with the Ecotone design team and outside designers helps keep construction operations running smooth. By the afternoon, on a perfect day, Craig enjoys practicing woodworking and timber joinery without too many distractions.
Samantha Frühwirth
Lead Architectural Designer
Litisha Isidore Desmond
Studio Manager
Tisha Isidore narrates herself as loving, caring, and compassionate – attributes that she has developed by being a nanny and nurturer of young children. Tisha is from St. Lucia, but she has made Brooklyn home for half of her life. For a long time, an outlet for her creative nature eluded her, and in 2014, Tisha began volunteering with the Ecotone Apprenticeship Program. Her natural aptitude for woodworking quickly became apparent, and she has since developed a knack for crafting curated gifts for those she loves.
Not only has her love for woodworking grown, but through working with Ecotone, her once shy and anxious social skills have evolved, and she has developed the confidence to realize she wants more from life. Isidore enjoys the nostalgic climate in Red Hook, Brooklyn – the surrounding waters and many boats remind her of St. Lucia. She compares Red Hook to “back home,” where most look after each other’s well-being. Her goals for the future are to step further out of her comfort zone, continue sharpening her carpentry skills, and possibly building a furniture website – ambitions she would have never discovered if it was not for the Ecotone Apprenticeship Program.
EunJin Shin
Design Engineer
HEALING OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH WELLNESS AND APPRENTICESHIP
The founding principle of Ecotone is that everyone deserves to be well. Through design, construction, and apprentice training, we hope to improve accessibility to natural spaces for healing and wellness. Apprentice training in creating accessible wellness experiences is core to bringing our vision of community wellness to scale.
Our community projects
NYCHA Garden with Black Timber Frame Structure
Native Plant Propagation Structure
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM
Have an idea for a community project or a question about our apprenticeship program? Send us a message!
