Jay W. Cox

RA, NCARB, SAME, ALA – MANAGING PARTNER

With his 35+ years of combined experience in the architecture and construction industries, Jay oversees the production and business management of the firm. His portfolio includes educational (K-8 and post-secondary), senior housing, historical preservation, correctional facilities, medical, multi-family, clubhouse, retail, hotel, restaurant, single-family residential, industrial, fire restoration, site planning, and construction phase services. Jay’s extensive and varied experiences have provided COBU with solid expertise in project development, site evaluation, and supervision of project teams and contractors. Jay will ensure the team has the resources to deliver the project documents on time and to your satisfaction.

Justin J. Bucy

RA, NCARB, ALA – PARTNER

Justin, a founding partner of COBU Architecture Studio, is dedicated to the success of our projects. His experience ranges from commercial to residential projects. He uses various construction techniques and is currently working on custom and production-type residences across the country, including commercial clubhouses and amenities. Justin is NCARB certified, a member of the Association of Licensed Architects, and a registered architect. He received his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Justin is an active member and serves on the Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago board.

Thomas Knapp

RA, NCARB, ALA – PROJECT ARCHITECT

Tom is a seasoned architect and project manager with 30+ years of experience in building, design, and construction. His past projects include custom single-family homes, residential remodeling/additions, low rise multi-family and mixed-use projects, as well as various commercial interiors, restaurants/bars, outpatient medical offices, and small industrial remodeling projects.  He has designed and managed restorations of several national historic landmark buildings including custom home additions and commercial interiors. Tom firmly believes that historic buildings of our past create the fabric of history which holds the promise for our future.

Tom is NCARB Certified, a member of the Association of Licensed Architects, and a Registered Architect.   He received his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Chicago and attended the study abroad program at the Ecole Nationale in Versailles, France.

Adrian Rodriguez

PROJECT MANAGER

Adrian has over 20 years in the architecture field. He coordinates and manages the day-to-day operations and the staff assigned to projects to assure quality and timeliness. He is involved in single-family, multi-family, mixed-use, and commercial projects. In addition, he is integral in ensuring code compliance and quality control through specifications analysis. His passion for architecture reflects in his architectural style. He identifies our Client’s needs and concerns and works to satisfy them.

Steven J. Drews

PROJECT MANAGER

Steven, involved in the building and architecture industries for over 35 years, has experience in design through construction of various project types. His past projects include production and custom residential, multi-family residential, and various commercial projects. His developed relationships with architectural firms, builders, developers, and construction contractors add deep value to our firm. Steven puts our clients’ interests first and is an excellent asset for coordinating production documents and value engineering.

Tod Hurlbert

JOB CAPTAIN

Tod has worked in the architectural field for over 25 years. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Lawrence Technological University and a Master of Architecture degree from the Boston Architectural College. His interests in phenomenology lead him to his Master’s thesis project, Sloterdijk’s Spheres, an Architecture of Pluralistic Interior Space. Tod continues to work on various commercial and residential projects at COBU.

Julie Bartocci

JOB CAPTAIN

Julie comes to COBU with international experience.  She started off her architecture career at the University of Illinois at Chicago where she earned her Bachelor of Architecture.  She continued her educational pursuits at the City College of New York where she earned her Master of Architecture degree.  Julie is currently working towards licensure in Illinois.  Her prior experience includes cultural and civic projects from her time working in Japan and Taiwan.  In addition to that Julie worked on high-end single-family projects in New York City and Connecticut.  Since she has joined us at COBU, Julie has primarily worked on single-family projects and coordinated with consultants to produce drawings that satisfy our client’s needs.

Tamsan Mora

SENIOR ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATE

Tamsan is an aspiring architect who is currently on the path to licensure. Her primary responsibilities have included designing and developing projects through the schematic design and construction documentation phases. In addition, at COBU, she has assisted with the development of townhouses, single-family homes, and adaptive reuse projects. Tamsan studied architecture at the University of Arkansas, where she earned her Bachelor of Architecture degree with honors. Her scholarly and career interests center around affordable housing, and her honors thesis focused on affordable housing in Chicago.

Bradley Polan

ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATE

Brad is a graduate of Judson University in Elgin, IL. He received his Bachelor of Art in Architecture and has plans to return to Judson to complete his Master’s degree on his path to becoming licensed. While at COBU, he has worked on projects consisting of townhomes and single-family residences. Coming from a background in remodeling, Brad can apply his skills and knowledge taken from the field to his work in the office. He is also proficient in 3D modeling and rendering.

Dermeei Perez

ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATE

Dermeei is a graduate of Judson University in Elgin, Illinois where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Architecture. She intends to return to Judson to earn her Masters of Architecture on her way to pursuing licensure. While at COBU, she has worked on single family residential, multifamily apartments, site planning, commercial projects and renderings. She also has previous experience designing religious buildings and landscape projects. This experience has lead her to develop an eye that can envision projects of varying scale.

Daniel Martinez

ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATE

Daniel is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Studies. During his time at COBU, Danny has worked on both residential and commercial projects while gaining experience and knowledge from the team. He has plans to continue his education to complete his Master of Architecture degree and become a licensed architect. Danny grew up playing sports and going to concerts, so his future career goals include designing commercial buildings for entertainment such as stadiums, arenas, and venues.

Jennifer Cox

OFFICE MANAGER

Jennifer has been with COBU since we began this venture in 2018. Before joining COBU, Jen served as a Medical Corpsman in the United States Navy. She also worked in the medical field in various clinical and leadership capacities over a multi-decade career. Jen keeps our business running by taking care of human resources, implementing firm policies, managing payroll, billing, collections, and many other office needs.