About

WaCa Design is a collaborative studio founded in New York City in 2017 by Walter Cain.

WaCa is pursuing a radical approach to design focused on sustainable building materials.  Buildings are frequently designed with low-to-no net carbon consumption during occupancy, but construction materials for these buildings have heavy carbon and toxicity footprints. Using cradle-to-cradle product design and locally-sourced materials, WaCa develops sustainable buildings which are beautiful, comfortable, and unique to their sites.

Walter is a NY-State licensed architect providing architectural services through Walter Cain Design Architecture PLLC. Current and former collaborators include Karla Karwas, Paul Michael Graves, Michael Lu, Morgan Ruth Parrish, Helena Pestana, William Ramsay Rose and Vera Montare Savory.

Walter is pursuing architecture as a second career, following a successful career in investment management.  He received a Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University in 2015 and his NY State architecture license in 2023.  Before founding WaCa, he worked at ORE Design + Technology in Brooklyn, where he was project manager for Project Farmhouse, an interior buildout of a multi-use event space for GrowNYC near Union Square in Manhattan.  He was also a project manager at Raeven Architecture, based in the lower Hudson Valley. In his previous professional life, he was a partner at private equity firm Lexington Partners, where he co-founded and managed the Co-Investment Partners series of funds.  Prior to Lexington, he ran the private equity portfolio at GM Investment Management in New York City.  He holds an MBA in finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in English from College of Charleston in South Carolina.

Karla is a licensed architect providing architectural services through Raeven Architecture PLLC, where she is founder and principal.  She has worked on a wide range of projects in New York City since receiving her Master of Science, Advanced Architecture Degree from Columbia University in 2007, including managing projects for OMAS:WORKS and NADA.  Her experience includes apartment re-designs for private clients and developers, commercial and residential lobbies, retail and restaurant design, and speculative projects such as "Party Dress".  She received her BA in Environmental Design from the University of Missouri and also holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Kansas.

Paul is an artist, photographer, and freelance designer.  His paintings have been featured in numerous group shows and private collections in New York City and the Hudson Valley.  Paul is pursuing art and design as a second career following 11 years in the U.S. Air Force, most recently advising, training and assisting foreign militaries as a Special Operations helicopter pilot.  He earned a Master of Architecture from Columbia University in 2015, an MBA from American Military University in 2011, and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Sciences from the Air Force Academy in 2000.

CONTACT                                 walter@waltercain.com

One Rockland Road, Piermont, NY  10968