HKA5 Architecture
HKA5 (Previously Howard Kulp Architects, P.C.) is a Lehigh Valley based firm, established in 1978 by Howard L. Kulp offering professional services in architecture, planning, programming and interior design. The firm has planned and designed a variety of architectural projects including commercial, hospitality, gaming & entertainment, healthcare, institutional, and residential. Over the years the office has expanded to accommodate a growing staff, which currently includes three registered architects, two LEED accredited personnel, five associate architects, two interior designers and support staff.
Our office is located at 1501 Lehigh Parkway North in Allentown, Pennsylvania. This location along the Little Lehigh Creek in the Allentown Parkway is a beautiful, quiet park-like setting. The stone building was originally designed and built as an Architect’s office in 1940, and has remained as such for over seventy years.
HKA5’s primary objective is to provide excellent design services while exceeding the expectations of the client. HKA5 was named “Best of the Valley 2013” by Lehigh Valley Magazine. And the artistic works of Howard Kulp and his firm were honored by Penn State University, Lehigh Valley campus, and displayed at their Art Gallery on the third floor.
Our services include architect led designs as well as design build collaborations with notable construction leaders like Alvin H. Butz, Inc., Ondra Huyett Associates, Inc., Boyle Construction, Inc., Serfass Construction, Inc., and Skepton Construction, Inc.
We are confident that our contemporary design philosophies, proficient delivery of product and customer care emphasis will offer the perfect solutions for your needs.
Howard L. Kulp, AIA, NCARB, CSI
Howard L. Kulp founded Howard Kulp Architects, P.C. in 1978. He is a registered architect in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Alabama, and is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), AIA Pennsylvania, AIA Eastern Pennsylvania, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) and the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI). Mr. Kulp has held numerous chairmanships through the AIA, is a member of several committees for St. Luke’s Hospital’s Allentown Campus, is a member of the Advisory Board for the Pennsylvania State University, Lehigh Valley Campus and serves as chair on many committees for PSU Lehigh Valley. He is also an active member of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce and previously served on the Macungie Township Board of BOCA Appeals.
Mr. Kulp’s designs have received numerous awards, including the Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc. Award of Excellence in Construction for the R. L. Reppert office renovations in Emmaus, PA; the PA Citation for Historic Preservation from the City of Bethlehem, PA for the D’Huy Engineering design; the PA Mayoral Award for Commercial Revitalization from the City of Allentown, PA for Liberty Plaza; and for the Rodale Press Operations Center in Emmaus, PA, he received the Building Award for Energy, Consumption from Pennsylvania Power and Light and a citation from the State of Pennsylvania House of Representatives. In 2010 Mr. Kulp received the Merit of Excellence in Construction Award for his design of the St. Luke’s Heart and Vascular Center in Bethlehem, PA.
Mr. Kulp received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1973. He has taught several courses at Northampton Area Community College, including construction materials and interior design, was a guest speaker at Shippensburg University on utilizing green technologies in building design, and he frequently serves as a guest lecturer at Penn State’s School of Architecture at University Park.
Staff List
Sean P. O'Brien
AIA, LEED AP
Sean O’Brien is a Senior Architect with HKA5, where he manages all aspects of design, construction and renovation work, including Schematic Design and Planning, Design Development, Contract Documentation and Construction Administration. He also oversees staff management and HR duties for the office. Mr. O’Brien has been with the firm for more than twenty two years, and also worked in Indiana for six years as a program director at the University of Notre Dame.
Mr. O’Brien is a registered architect in Pennsylvania and a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). He has served on the board of directors for the Eastern Pennsylvania component of the AIA and previously served as its president in 2010. Actively involved in the local community, Mr. O’Brien currently chairs the Design Committee for the City of Allentown’s Main Street Program, while also serving as a board member for the Allentown Center City Association. He volunteers within his local parish of St. Thomas More as the chair of the newly formed alumni committee. During his six years in Indiana Mr. O’Brien served on the executive board of Leadership South Bend/Mishawaka, an advisory board for Catholic Charities and on the governing board for the Food Bank of Northern Indiana.
Mr. O’Brien received his Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1986 from the University of Notre Dame. He later served as an officer in the US Army Corps of Engineers, where he became a certified Army Engineer. In 2002 he graduated from the Leadership South Bend/Mishawaka executive leadership program and in 2009 achieved his current LEED accreditation from the US Green Building Council (USGBC).
James J. Petro
AIA, CSI
James J. Petro is a Registered Architect at HKA5, where he manages and works on all aspects of the design, construction and the renovation process including Schematic Design and Planning, Design Development, Contract Documentation and Construction Administration. He also worked for more than eighteen years at USA Architects as a Project Manager of numerous educational and municipal projects.
Mr. Petro has been a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), where he served on the Executive Board for several years. He is currently working part-time for HKA5 on various hospitality projects for Wind Creek Casino – Bethlehem & Resorts World Casino – New York.
Mr. Petro received a Bachelor of Architecture in 1980 from Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. Upon completion of his B.Arch., Mr. Petro returned to the valley and pursued his career designing numerous renovations and additions for elementary and secondary schools.
Krista Best
NCIDQ
Krista Best is an Interior Designer with more than 20 years of experience, Krista Best joined HKA5 in September 2021.
Prior to accepting this position, she worked a several other firms focusing on commercial architecture and interiors, and for a major retailer where she designed retail stores around the country. Past projects have included AIA Award of Merit winners and a project that was named the “Coolest Office in the Lehigh Valley”.
Ms. Best earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1995. She is an NCIDQ certified interior designer, which is the highest level of professional achievement for interior designers. She is a strong advocate for the advancement of commercial interior design as a profession. She also teaches at Northampton Community College as an adjunct in the Interior Design and Architecture Department.
Active on several boards, she serves on the executive board of the IDLCPA, and is President of the board of the Friends of the Bethlehem Area Public Library and is active with her local neighborhood association in Historic Bethlehem, PA.
Christopher C. Reeve
Associate AIA
Christopher C. Reeve is an Project Manager at HKA5, where he works on all aspects of the design, construction and the renovation process including: Schematic Design and Planning, Design Development, Contract Documentation and Construction Administration. He also provides Level 1 Tech Support & Network Administration for the office.
Mr. Reeve is an Associate member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and AIA Pennsylvania. And he is currently working toward his Architectural Registration. Prior to joining HKA5 in 2005, Mr. Reeve was an Architectural Associate at Gouck Architects in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he worked on a range of commercial and residential projects.
Mr. Reeve received a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies in 2003 from Norwich University in Northfield Vermont. Upon completion of his B.S. Mr. Reeve applied and was accepted into the Masters of Architecture program at Norwich University. Here he completed and presented his Master of Architecture thesis presentation titled Architecture Is Not a Throw Away Art: The Transformation of Crude Industrial Design, which explored how one could infuse an abandoned industrial area with new life and provide renewed community focus through the exploration of materiality and craft. Mr. Reeve received his Master of Architecture degree in 2005.
During his now 18 years with HKA5 Mr. Reeve has worked on some notable HKA5 projects including: Melt, Level 3, Blue Grillhouse, Torre, Top Cut Steak House, Firepoint Grill, The Sands Bethlehem Event Center & Vision Bar, Buddy V’s Ristorante, Wind Creek Casino – Bethlehem, & Resorts World Casino – New York
Nathan Moyer
Associate AIA
Nathan Moyer is an Project Manager at HKA5 where he works on Schematic Design, production of construction documents, and site surveying. Mr. Moyer is currently working towards his architectural license and is an associate member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Pennsylvania AIA.
Mr. Moyer received a B.A. of Architecture from Thomas Jefferson University previously named Philadelphia University in 2020. Here he completed his senior thesis titled Connecting Campus: A shared multi-use Building on the campus of Thomas Jefferson University; where he worked along side the President of the University to help restructure the campus master plan along with creating a multi-use building which would serve as an athletic facility for Thomas Jefferson Athletics along with a gathering place for the student body. While at Thomas Jefferson University he played on their baseball team for 5 years, during his time at Thomas Jefferson he also studied abroad in the Fall of 2019 at the University of Arkansas Rome Center.
Trevor Tibbetts
Associate AIA
Trevor Tibbetts is an Architectural Associate and 3D Visualization Artist at HKA5. He is responsible for schematic design development through 3D modeling and visualizations. Mr. Tibbetts is currently working towards his architectural license and is an associate member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Pennsylvania AIA.
Prior to joining HKA5, Mr. Tibbetts was living abroad for approximately twelve years as an architectural designer for various design firms throughout Shenzhen, China and Geoje-si, South Korea.
Mr. Tibbetts received his Bachelor of Fine Arts with a minor in Electronic Design in 2008 and his Master of Architecture in 2009 from Savannah College of Art & Design in Savannah, Georgia. His thesis was focused on constructing a new airport on Cat Island in the Bahamas which would be able to service an influx of new visitors due to a plan for construction of a newly designed PGA Golf Course. And a new community that was being developed which includes a PGA Village, Casino, and Live/Work space.
Bre Hill
Bre Hill is an Interior Designer with over 5 years of experience, joining HKA5 in 2022.
Bre is responsible for various aspects of Interior Design including defining user needs, space planning, and concept design development through final design.
Bre received a Bachelors of Business Administration from Kutztown University in 2012 and an Associates of Interior Design from Northampton Community College in 2017.
She has worked in the architectural field as an Interior Designer since 2017 with various project assignments, both new construction and renovation / addition work, for both commercial and residential clients.
Prior to returning to school for Interior Design, Bre worked for an international company in positions ranging from management to color consulting.
Anthony Gallucci
Associate AIA
Anthony Gallucci is an Architectural Associate at HKA5, where he works on all aspects of the design, construction and the renovation process including: Schematic Design and Planning, Design Development, Contract Documentation and Construction Administration.
Anthony received an associates of architectural design and an associates of interior design from Northampton Community College in 2018. He has worked in the architectural field as a draftsman since 2016 and has experience with both commercial and residential design. He has experience working on designs for childcare centers, residential renovations, new construction for both residential and commercial as well as large industrial facilities and tenant fit outs.
Hank Kulp
Mascot
Hank joined the HKA5 team in 2011 and is responsible for greeting clients, employee morale, & security.
Hank also oversees incoming mail, visiting sales reps, and all deliveries must come through Hank. Barking at various squirrel & deer throughout the day is also just part of the job for this energetic employee.
In his free time he likes to go for walks in the park. and often times you can find him out walking around the gardens on the property.
Services
The firm’s extensive experience includes full architectural services from early feasibility studies, to schematic design, design development, construction documentation, architectural presentations and construction administration. We also offer state of the art 3D rendering capabilities, which allows for immediate visualization of the proposed or finished product for clients, consultants, contractors and potential tenants. Explore some examples of our work shown below.
Revit / Enscape
Revit / Enscape
Revit / Enscape
Revit / Enscape
Revit / Enscape
Revit / Enscape
Revit / EnScape
Revit /EnScape
Revit / Photoshop
Revit / Photoshop
Awards
ALLENTOWN October 21, 2013 — Howard Kulp Architects, PC has been selected for the 2013 Best of Allentown Award in the Architects category by the Allentown Award Program.
Each year, the Allentown Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Allentown area a great place to live, work and play.
Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2013 Allentown Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Allentown Award Program and data provided by third parties.
About Allentown Award Program
The Allentown Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Allentown area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.
The Allentown Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community’s contributions to the U.S. economy.