Modern homes built on tradition—that’s how architect Michael S. Wu ’73 characterizes his design philosophy. But really, he says, “My style is no style. Every house is different, and I like it when I can use different vocabularies. I think it’s much more interesting to take different attitudes along the way, rather than doing the same thing over and over again.” In the four decades since he established his New Jersey–based firm, Wu estimates that he and his team have designed and built upwards of 200 homes, establishing an impressive track record that recently earned him a spot on Forbes’s list of America’s Top 200 Residential Architects for 2025.

      Inspired by his father, who began his career as a mechanical engineer and personally restored his Vermont farmhouse, and his uncle, an architect, Wu pursued a degree from Carnegie Mellon University before moving to Manhattan to complete his apprenticeship at the prominent firm Marcel Breuer & Associates.

      His talent for design was evident from the very beginning of his career. Over the next two and a half years, Wu completely reimagined the interior of his SoHo loft, cooking meals on a camp stove before the kitchen was finished. Just a few years after he sold it, the apartment stood in as Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore’s home in the hit 1990 film Ghost.

      None of Wu’s subsequent projects have yet to wind up on the silver screen, but he may prefer it that way. “I like to keep things on a small scale,” he says. “I decided to focus on houses, rather than big corporate [projects], because I never wanted to be so removed from the work that I was just running the office. I’ve always enjoyed the design aspect of architecture, and I liked working on houses because it meant that I could get involved in every aspect of the project—sometimes even down to the toilet-paper holders!” Not that there’s anything wrong with toilet-paper holders: “I actually like to do bathrooms,” he laughs, “because it’s fun to create a luxurious space that is also very efficient.”

      After an initial meeting with the client, each new project begins in the same place—the bookstore. Whether it’s for a Dutch Colonial or a classic shingle-style house, Wu scours the shelves for research materials. And where other architects may design a home in a matter of weeks, he often devotes up to six months to a single residence, consulting with the future homeowners every two weeks.

      From the outside, Wu’s houses may look as if they were built centuries ago, but as he explains, on the inside “the actual organization is modern. In a traditional home, the rooms are organized as rooms. But the interiors of many of the houses I work on are much more open, so instead of a dining room, you have a dining area.” Ultimately, he understands that what truly makes a house a home is his client’s satisfaction. And he’s proud to say that, after 42 years, “I’ve been really fortunate to work with clients who are smart, who query a lot, and who really want to be involved in the process. I always tell them that this is like a bespoke suit. It’s custom. Anything they want, we can do.”