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Range and Scope G足SQUARE | Planning & Design
From general purpose to high-end design, G-Square creates a new vernacular based on a timeless sense of space and proportion.
northeast | architecture
Encompassing the Spectrum Through an astounding range and scope, G-Square maintains one of the most diverse and complex portfolios a firm of just two designers could possibly create. by Joel Cornell
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mall architectural firms tend to be one of two types: specialist firms that focus on very few particular building types and general purpose firms that approach any project with an open mind and an overall appreciation of design across all sectors. Through a long history of top-notch experience and an extraordinarily diverse portfolio honed over 25 years, the New York City-based planning and design firm G-Square manages to accomplish the rare feat of encompassing both methods of design. Their multidisciplinary approach combines the keen vision and insight of specialty firms with the broad reach of the best general purpose planning and design firms. “In working within the industry since the early 1970s across the country and overseas, I always want to delve as deeply as possible into intellectually stimulating projects,” Robert Goldberg said, co-founder, co-principal and one half of G-Square. “Every type of project offers something both challenging and intriguing to us. My partner, Glen Hodges, and I both share a great love of architecture and all that goes with it in helping clients to realize the full potential of their projects.” After an initial engagement in Switzerland right after graduation, Goldberg returned to New York City in the early 70’s, shortly before a major economic downturn befell the city. One notable headline at the time read, “Ford to New York: Drop Dead,” he 2 Architecture Leaders Today
said. So, when he was handed lemons, Goldberg pursued his other lifelong culinary interests, until his return to architecture when the economy revived several years later. During “the bleak years” he was chef at several innovative and popular Manhattan restaurants. His combined pursuits of architecture and food continue to this day as he currently renovates the apartment of a fellow chef he met more than 30 years ago, as well as having designed two restaurants for her during the intervening years. From planning projects as large as 5,000 acres, to small urban scenarios, G-Square has consistently mastered a broad spectrum while maintaining an attention to detail usually found only in specialist firms. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the G-Square duo focused their efforts in developing and designing real estate ventures overseas – primarily the restoration and adaptation of historic properties in Slovenia, Croatia and France. Among those properties were castles, villas, and monasteries; some dating to the 16th century and earlier. These pursuits also included designing some all-season resorts along the Adriatic Coast. The firm also boasts a 20-year presence in Italy, working with their partner, Luca Nanni Architetto, based in Rimini. Hodges, who studied at Yale University with neo-classical architect Robert Stern, had a brief stint in graphic design during that same architectural lull in the mid-1970s. An amateur chef
as well, Hodges’ practice in custom millwork, his early experience with Stern and Robert Venturi, along with multi-million dollar projects with Bruce Adams for Cummins Engines, further reinforced the multidisciplinary approach the firm brings to every project, regardless of size, scope or industry. “As a multidisciplinary firm, we try to bring more than just new points of view to a client,” Hodges said. “Some clients select architects for their star quality. The majority of our clients appreciate our approach, where we emphasize a thorough and creative solution for the client’s situation. We enjoy many repeat clients and new ones come mainly through word of mouth.” The firm has equal amounts of experience in specific niches, sectors and buildings types as specialty firms do, except that this experience is manifest across educational, institutional, residential, commercial, industrial, developmental and sustain-
architecture | northeast
ABOVE: Grande Central on 56, Midtown, New York, N.Y. Plumbing & Bath Showroom. High and low displays create focus, frame views provide an expansive feeling to the lower level. TOP RIGHT: The staircase beckons customers to the lower level with two-story bamboo rods and a vivid red handpainted wall set within the deliberately neutral envelope of the showroom. MIDDLE RIGHT: A long view across the main level. The plan allows for changing displays as manufacturers introduce new product lines. BOTTOM RIGHT: The Vessel Wall displays the fixtures as “museum pieces” against a subtle wave-patterned backdrop. Photos © Janet Weiss. Display design and fabrication by MC2. Lighting design by Robert Wolsch.
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northeast | architecture
LEFT, TOP: Phoenix Roze Jewelry Store, West Village, New York, N.Y. Eye-level displays, enhanced by elegant furniture and an ebony wall, let customers view the jewelry up close. LEFT, BOTTOM: The jewelry dazzles and sparkles in the dark, neutral environment at Phoenix Roze. Photos © Janet Weiss. Displays and woodwork by Karamel Cabinetry.
able sectors, and then some. Their remarkable capabilities make G-Square a “jack of all trades,” while handily avoiding the stigma of “a master of none.” “Over the years, besides the projects in Europe, and a brief foray into China, there have been projects in Miami, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania and elsewhere,” Goldberg said. “Currently, a majority of our work takes place in the New York metropolitan area, which offers up as much diversity as we can absorb,” Goldberg said. “In a city as compact as New York, much of our work is in renovating or retrofitting existing structures” Yet another aspect of G-Square’s practice is working via collaborative relationships with other architects and designers through what they call Peer-to-Peer, or P2P. Recently this had them involved with the new premier showroom for Grande Central Showrooms, the retail division of Central Plumbing Specialties, a major plumbing fixture wholesaler in New York. The complicated renovation turned a cramped two-story space into an open, inviting showroom by carving broad axes featuring in-depth displays and at-home vignettes. In transforming the cellar portion from storage to retail use, G-Square’s extensive experience was key to a very intricate process culminating with the amendment of the certificate of occupancy. Goldberg then pivoted to another project. “In the culinary world, you learn exactly how important presentation is,” Goldberg said. “When two colleagues of mine moved from a 90 sq. ft. jewelry boutique to a much larger space with major street presence, we worked with them to understand not just what they sold and to whom, but how they wanted to present their jewelry to its best advantage.” G-Square’s impressive portfolio in the retail sector was again a boon to their approach to design of the store, Phoenix Roze, for proprietor and renowned jewelry designer Guy Rozenstrich. In order to create the backdrop ideal for jewelry, they went for a dark-hued environment with clean, simple millwork. Had the store been bright and the millwork too ornamented, the small-scale jewelry would have been swallowed up. “Their customers are there to see the jewelry, not just to come by to admire the store,” Goldberg said. Additionally, the shop displays and sells pieces of art, making the proper mood and lighting even more important. From the restoration of Castle Krumperk in Slovenia to the water-themed Ocean Park resort in Beijing, from their contextual proposal for the expansion of the New Orleans Museum of Art to the renovation of a Pennsylvania farm house, the scope of experience that G-Square exhibits is unique in range, quality and excellence. ALT
ARCHITECTURE LEADERS TODAY T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R C A P TA I N S O F I N D U S T R Y www.architectureleaderstoday.com
4 Architecture Leaders Today