Caplow Manzano
Miami architect-developer behind CM1, the first WELL-certified residence in the world.
What they're known for
Houses with no drywall, no ducts, and no sealed cavities — every system reachable behind removable panels, certified by a third party.
Caplow Manzano is a Miami development and design firm founded by environmental engineer Ted Caplow and public-health specialist Nathalie Manzano. Its first completed house, CM1, became the world’s first certified WELL Residence and later achieved LEED Platinum, using a construction approach the firm calls hypostruction: fewer concealed cavities, no drywall, exposed or accessible services, and materials chosen for moisture resilience. The pipeline remains small, but the strategy is unusually inspectable: health and maintainability claims are tied to physical construction decisions rather than decorative wellness features.
Capabilities
- Architectural Design
- Development
- Custom Construction
Performance focus
- Indoor Air
- Healthy Materials
- Thermal Comfort
- Humidity
- Low-Carbon Construction
Credentials
WELL Residence — first certified home in the world (CM1)
Certified under IWBI's WELL for residential pilot in spring 2024 with 58 of 150 points. Independently reported by the Miami Herald and The Architect's Newspaper, and confirmed retrospectively by IWBI in its December 2025 program release.
LEED Platinum, LEED v4 single-family (CM1)
Announced by the firm in September 2024 — by its count the 8th Platinum v4 single-family home in Florida and 2nd in Miami, and the first single-family home in the world to hold both LEED and WELL. Corroborated by the MLS record and a USGBC award; no public USGBC project-database entry surfaced.
USGBC 2024 U.S. Local Market Leadership Award — Quality of Life
Awarded November 2024 for CM1, per the firm's press page linking to USGBC.
LEED AP and WELL AP staff
Co-founder Nathalie Manzano is a LEED AP; the firm lists WELL AP credentials among staff, including sustainability lead George-Michael Cotarelo. Individual credentials per the firm's team page, not independently confirmed.
Notable projects
- Silver Bluff, Miami, FL · 2024
CM1
First certified WELL Residence in the world and a LEED Platinum home; the project became the first built test of Caplow Manzano’s hypostruction approach.
Seen in these builds
On Compound
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Sources
- Miami Herald — New $2.6M Miami house earns first WELL award in the world
- The Architect's Newspaper — Caplow Manzano designs first WELL-certified residence
- IWBI × Caplow Manzano — WELL for residential enrollment release, Oct 2023
- IWBI — WELL for residential ratification release, Dec 2025 (confirms CM1 as world's first)
- Coconut Grove Spotlight — For Grove Duo, Health is Where the Home Is
- Caplow Manzano — Hypostruction: Life without Drywall (firm-published)
- Caplow Manzano — team page (firm-published)
- Trulia / MLS A11566441 — CM1 price history and sale record
Facts verified July 2026. Compound is an independent editorial directory and is not affiliated with this company unless stated.