Forbes launched its architecture vertical under the editorial direction of Richard Olsen, its Senior Architecture Editor, out of a conviction that the architect's role in how Americans design and inhabit their homes had gone largely unrecognized at a national scale. The inaugural America's Top 200 Residential Architects list, published in October 2024, was built to change that — a platform to connect clients with accomplished practices across the country, well beyond the established coastal markets. The list was open to any firm with an online presence, with no entry fee and no geographic bias built into the process.

How Forbes Selected the Top 200

The process began with a national survey of more than 18,000 AIA-member firms, assessed across all 50 states and the District of Columbia for the degree to which residential work was central to their practice. From that field, over 750 firms were invited to submit up to three completed houses — each built in 2019 or later — considered exemplary in the way the work responded to the particulars of place. Each submission was then scored through a structured three-tier evaluation: the first assessed the firm's overall professional record, including published work, awards, and the integrity of its online presence; the second evaluated a single featured house against the foundational measures of stability, utility, and beauty; the third measured the work against seven defined principles — siting and local context, architectural form and detailing, material selection and craft, spatial configuration, environmental systems, physical and psychological effects, and appropriateness to regional climate. Top-scoring submissions advanced to a semifinalist stage, where the Forbes Architecture editorial team and a regionally diverse advisory board of twelve leading experts re-evaluated the work using the same criteria. The final 200 represented those firms whose projects most fully met the standard across all three tiers.

America's Top 200 Residential Architects - 2025

Forbes evaluated more than 18,000 residential architecture firms across the country. J Reinert Architecture was among the 200 selected nationally — one of only four firms recognized in New Jersey, and the only firm in South Jersey. The recognition reflects a body of work defined by place, craft, and a disciplined approach to how homes are designed to be lived in.

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View the full Forbes Top 200 list.

Best-in-State Residential Architects, New Jersey - 2025

The Recognition

The Forbes Best-in-State Residential Architects list was developed as a companion to the Top 200, extending the evaluation to identify outstanding residential practices in each state. J Reinert Architecture was named Best-in-State for New Jersey — a recognition earned through the same rigorous three-tier process that produced the national list.

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‍ ‍View the Forbes Best-in-State list.‍ ‍

These are distinct recognitions. The Top 200 is a national ranking across all 50 states. Best-in-State acknowledges the leading practice within New Jersey specifically. J Reinert Architecture holds both.

In the Broader Conversation

The Forbes recognition extended beyond the list itself. Richard Olsen's essay "Architecture and the American House Now", published in Forbes in October 2024, served as the editorial foundation for the entire initiative — an argument for why the architect's role in residential design matters now more than ever. Olsen wrote that the list was meant to point to architects "to whom you can turn, no matter where you are across the nation, to help you create a house that meets both your personal demands and the outsized existential demands of our times." Being part of that conversation reflects something about how the work at JRA is understood: grounded in place, shaped by how people actually live, and resolved with intention.

Also Recognized

Excellence in Architecture, Merit Award - 2025

In addition to the Forbes distinctions, J Reinert Architecture was honored by the American Institute of Architects - New Jersey Chapter with a Merit Award for Excellence in Architecture for the design of Hadro House in Haddonfield, NJ.

View the AIA New Jersey Announcement.

Work With a Forbes-Recognized Architect

J Reinert Architecture serves clients in Haddonfield, Moorestown, Cherry Hill, the Jersey Shore, and throughout New Jersey and the region. If you are considering a custom home, addition, or thoughtful renovation, the process begins with a conversation.

Schedule a call.

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Forbes Top 200 Residential Architects in America J Reinert Architecture - 2025

J Reinert Architecture — 2025 Forbes Top 200 & Best-in-State, New Jersey

View the J Reinert Architecture profile on Forbes.

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