Founded in New York in 1946, our company has continuously been committed to making efficient, high quality, and functional interior spaces since its inception. Originally formed as Michael Saphier Associates, it later evolved into Saphier, Lerner, Schindler (after Michael Saphier, Lawrence Lerner, and Bud Schindler) as the company grew, and then shortened to SLS, before finally becoming SLS/Environetics.
The Environetics name came from the portmanteau of (interior) environments, where we practice our skills, and cybernetics, the study of human behavior established in the mid 1940’s by Dr. Nobert Wiener. Around 1962, SLS was dropped and Environetics remained.
Although we have since rebranded ourselves to ENV, the principles and ideals we began with live on. The rich design legacy of ENV continually informs the design intelligence of the firm. We are passionate about accommodating fluid teamwork with client interaction while also fostering mentorship, creativity, and environmental sensitivity.
During the early 1960s, NASA retained ENV to design an office complex for the Goddard Space Flight Center. As the project developed, we came into contact with the computer technology utilized to interpret data supplied from satellites. This was to be the spark that led to the creation of the first computer graphics system used in interior design.
While at NASA, Larry Lerner, one of ENV’s founders, witnessed a machine draw meteorological plots with a pen and reasoned that if a machine could draw those complicated line patterns, it could manage architectural drawings.
Once the word spread that ENV was pursuing the use of computer graphics, Litton Industries came to the firm with a merger proposition. ENV, armed with the new strength and influence from Litton, won the sought-after position as design consultants for Sears Roebuck, for their new tower to be built in Chicago from 1969-1974.
Under our founder’s direction, ENV pioneered the use of computer generated graphics for architectural design and space planning. The interior of the Sears Tower was designed via the new computer assisted drafting system, and the project became a landmark for the firm, as well as the entire industry.
In 1978, the company’s architectural group was formed under the direction of Richard Korchien, AIA, to advance our design philosophy. The methods and systems that had been developed over a third of a century could now be used for the creation of structures. Our clients could now commission the creation of a total environment, knowing it would be functional, cost efficient, and aesthetically pleasing in every aspect.
Through the 1980s and present, the company affected a number of mergers bringing into the fold offices in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Alongside these, there have been many strategic alliances established in major cities throughout the world.
With the advanced technologies created through the various mergers, our objective to investigate and create new methods of design will continue well into the future. Today, Environetics continues to provide professional services to our clients throughout the world. The experience that each principal and staff member brings to the firm is unique in the interior design and architecture fields. As the world evolves, and as the practice of interior design and architecture evolves, so too does ENVironetics to |E|N|V|. We will have the same passionate people with the same philosophy established in the 1940s by Lawrence Lerner, and the same passion to provide design leadership for our clients throughout the world.