INDUSTRY
WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION
Rising star Our conversation with CNY Group’s Filomena Nigro A member of the construction management team handling procurement and construction phases of a high-rise mixed-use project in Queens, New York, Nigro also has been working with several non-profits to promote sustainable development in the AEC industry. We sat down with Nigro to get her thoughts on today’s construction market.
What are you seeing out there today?
Filomena Nigro
L
ast year, amid the turmoil caused by the mounting pandemic, the Commercial Observer recognized a number of the industry’s up and coming professionals in the AEC
industry, as well as commercial leasing, sales, debt and equity verticals. Among the names on the list was Filomena Nigro, Project Manager and Sustainability Manager at CNY Group. As the assistant project manager on CNY’s Crossing at Jamaica Station development, Nigro was named one of 2020’s “Top 20 Architecture, Engineering and Construction Pros Under 35.”
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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 5, 2021
Like every other field, the construction market has been shaken by the ongoing pandemic. The multiple lockdowns and shift toward remote working have drastically changed what we need from buildings. Now that we are spending so much time indoors, CNY believes the need to balance healthy living with aesthetic elements of interior design has accelerated. Residential projects will focus more on natural light requirements, materials transparency, air quality, etc. I also believe the pandemic has forever changed the way office projects will look. As businesses operate more virtually, I expect to see physical office spaces as hyper-flexible hubs shared among different firms.
How did you get started in the industry?
I came to the US from my home country of Italy as soon as I graduated from architecture school. I immediately realized how competitive the New York job market was, especially for someone like me, who at the time did not have any connections or a lot of work experience under my belt. I was mainly interested in design and architecture firms. Still, during my job search, I was given the opportunity to work for CNY as a construction project manager, and I took it in a leap of faith. I never looked back. What I thought was a temporary phase of my career became my true calling.
