About

Bell & Spina Sign at Camillus Train Station

BELL & SPINA BEGAN AS AN ALL-PURPOSE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN FIRM.

Gary Bell and Dennis Spina founded Bell & Spina, P.C. in 1987. Our original offices were located at the historic Camillus Train Station, in Camillus, NY. In 2003 we relocated to our current location at 215 Wyoming Street in Syracuse. In 2010, a Rochester, NY office was opened to better serve our growing client base in the Greater Rochester area. We are licensed to serve clients throughout the Northeast, with a concentration across New York.

From the start, there has been a focus on design excellence and technical expertise, providing quality services through integrated design, innovative approaches & sustainable solutions.

CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH A TRUSTED PARTNER...

...We believe our success is based on close collaboration and the building of trust with our clients. We invest time in the front end of each project to analyze the problem, whether programmatic or technical, and produce cost-effective, buildable, and maintenance-friendly solutions.

Our philosophy is to work cooperatively and identify the issue(s) and view the solution holistically.
Bell & Spina Office

Our principals, Neil Garry and Douglas Arena have exteNsive experience in Building Enclosure Design…

... Neil’s career focus increasingly moved toward more analytical, engineered approaches to building enclosure design versus the empirical designs of the past, as the industry trended in this direction.

Douglas's expertise includes training and certifications in various building performance tests and standards for infrared thermography, hygrothermal analysis (WUFI) and building envelope heat transfer analysis (THERM).

In 2023, Bell&Spina transitioned ownership from founding partner Dennis Spina to Vice President Neil W. Garry and President Douglas K. Arena. The three have worked together as principals of the company for many years. As a founder of the company in 1987, Dennis was integral in creating the vision of Bell&Spina. Neil and Doug are proud to continue as stewards of the company and are grateful that Dennis will contribute in a consulting capacity.

Bell & Spina’s three-focus approach is:

Thoroughness: We strive to completely understand and holistically review the owner’s requirements and the technical issues at the beginning of the project. Any deficiencies outside the original scope of work are best identified early and we make every effort to make our clients aware of the conditions and possible options.

Expertise & Experience: Our expertise and experience allow us to quickly understand the technical issues and holistically identify issues. Over eighty percent of our work and portfolio is roofing and envelope-related rehabilitation work. Over 30 years of roof consulting work allows us to make informed recommendations and advise our clients on issues that might affect the building operations, budgets, project scheduling and sequencing.

Quality: Close attention in the two previous areas results in superior quality work. Bell & Spina reviews and details all conditions of the project scope during the design and bidding documents. Owners AND Contractors appreciate the completeness of our construction documents which result in tighter bids, fewer change orders and better-quality work.

Our goal is to help the clients and their stakeholders succeed by providing the technical knowledge base and experience for a successful project.

History