REAL ESTATE SPOTLIGHT
By Daniel J. Bollinger
For nearly forty years Bernard Zyscovich, of Zyscovich Architects, has strived to create projects with a purpose, bringing new life and vibrancy to cityscapes through integrated urban planning, architecture, and interior design. To this day, Zyscovich Architects has remained true to the original concept: design projects that have purpose and meaning. Since the firm’s inception in 1977, the goal has always been to establish a company that can provide high-value services for design-specific issues while placing “social betterment” at the core of everything we do. Zyscovich Architects has designed the full spectrum of projects, from transportation facilities and airports to K-12 schools and universities, mixed-use commercial and public-private partnership developments to multi-family residential high rises and master plans for cities from Bogota Columbia to Miami Florida to NYC. I had a chance to sit down with Bernard and ask him a few questions.
What brings you to New York City these days?
Since living here during my years studying at Pratt Institute, New York City has always been an inspiring source of energy for me. Since opening an office here in the city several years ago, we have grown substantially which now brings me here more often.
Your website classifies you as, “Making People Places.” Care to elaborate?
We engage very seriously in urban design, architecture and interior architecture and believe that what we do is make stage sets for the interaction of people. So, we make places where people act and interact in a beautiful and engaging atmosphere that we have the privilege to create.
What is your definition of “social betterment”? Can you give some examples of your work?
We have chosen to orient our practice towards work that has impact and purpose. We love having the opportunity to transform and create new neighborhoods, or design a great school or even develop a plan to transform highway infrastructure into safe bikeways and parks like our last pro bono project that is now on exhibit in Miami (planzformiami.com).
What is your approach to urban design and master planning?
Our approach is discovering what is unique and authentic about the places where we work and build the plan around that. We call that Real Urbanism© which I discuss in a book I authored published by ULI called Getting Real about Urbanism.
With so many new New York City neighborhoods forming like Hudson Yards and Long Island City, what advice can you give to our fine city?
Keep moving forward with this grand experiment called New York. I love how the emphasis on open space and parks of recent years, makes the city so much more livable while also being even more urban. I’m a big believer in eco-solutions like solar panels and such that help cut our carbon footprint and bring down operating costs of structures.
Have you incorporated anything eco into your projects or plan to?
Yes, we have been incorporating these elements for years in our LEED buildings but also love experimenting with these ideas with our institutional clients. See the YouTube video of our platinum school called Galaxy E3 Elementary School in Palm Beach.
Where do you draw your inspiration/ideas from?
To a great extent traveling and also, of course, just plain curiosity.
Which architect or architectural style has influenced you the most?
Like most architects, I have been trained and influenced by modernism, but I think that projects need to be understood in their moment and am influenced as much by popular culture and music as any particular style.
What do you want to be remembered for?
Leaving something behind that added value to the communities that I work in: Making something out of nothing.
In Miami, you have Puerto Sagua right off Ocean Drive and in New York City, I would recommend Café Habana on Prince Street. Let me take you there, and we can compare?
Si’ como no!
