To deliver buildings that function measurably beyond our clients’ expectations, we approach every project as a long-term opportunity to invest in the broadest possible stakeholder group. Regardless of their use or source of funding, all buildings are ultimately civic projects because they are so capital intensive, unignorable, and enduring, that they inevitably impact the lives of every person in their community. The more people take ownership of a building, the more resilient it will be as its use inevitably evolves.
Founded in 1983, Rafael Viñoly Architects is an internationally renowned architectural firm with projects spanning six continents. The practice’s defining characteristic has been its ability to elevate the purpose of the buildings it designs to the level of inspiration. It has consistently achieved this by driving typological transformation, and embracing and leveraging the public dimensions of every construction project.
Based in New York City, the uniquely diverse work the firm has completed includes award-winning museums, performing arts centers, convention centers, courthouses, athletic facilities, hotels, hospitals, laboratories, recreational venues, residential complexes, and commercial, and educational facilities. Projects range in scale from laboratory casework to airports and large urban commercial and institutional master plans. The firm has also completed several projects involving the restoration and expansion of buildings of significant historical and architectural value.
Our approach to design was established and nurtured for over 40 years by our founder, Rafael Viñoly, who passed away in March 2023. The firm has since undergone a transition from a sole proprietorship to a collaborative partnership, led today by Partners Jim Herr, Bassam Komati, Stephanie Tsang, and Román Viñoly. Each worked side by side with Rafael on every organizational, financial, and creative issue implicated in the successful delivery of complex, high-performance projects. Directors Sebastian Goldberg, Rolando Goldstein, Molly Hare, Christina Kruise, Mike Orman, Marco Ortiz, Jac Selinsky, and CFO Andrew Green, most of whom have worked in the firm and with Rafael for decades, round out a tight knit management team that applies the five core values established by Rafael across all aspects of our work:
– Every project is a civic project
– Translate rather than dictate
– Let logic drive timeless solutions
– Optimize quality and cost
– Be invested in the outcome
Leveraging its passionate, committed staff and the rich knowledge base of a diverse and extensive portfolio of work, the firm guarantees consistency and high standards of design and documentation. By investing in our own people and our clients for the long term, the firm successfully delivers the most complex projects across the range of possible time frames from “fast-track” to protracted schedules that can last decades
The firm produces broadly contextual, creative responses to both programmatic and economic priorities. We understand our practice of design and delivery to be a single integrated “field” in which programming, function, implementation, engineering, economic performance, and cultural impact are not independent considerations but should rather be evaluated and addressed as codependent factors. This approach requires versatility, expertise, and above all a preference for pragmatism that instead of limiting creativity, expands its range.