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Jay Valgora

ay Valgora — the architect behind the massive Astoria Cove redevelopment and Empire Stores in Dumbo, among numerous other noteworthy projects in the city — does most of his work at a long, communal table at the East 32nd Street office of his firm Studio V. The table, which is littered with models, books and materials, is set in front of an expansive architectural library, as well as a wall that displays the firm’s different projects. The architect prefers to stay out of the limelight. “We intentionally keep ourselves mysterious,” Valgora said. He barely ever posts renderings online and gets most of his assignments by word of mouth, he said. Valgora grew up in Upstate New York, lived in London from 1988 to 1991, including one year as a Fulbright fellow, and earned a master’s degree from Harvard’s Graduate School of Architecture. He recently took The Real Deal on a tour of his office.

By Claire Moses

Theater When Valgora is not thinking about architecture, he likes to attend the theater. He and his wife, Kathy, see about 40 productions each year. His wife picks the performances,

Mobi This mock-up is actually “a project in need of a home.” Valgora designed the structure — made from recycled wood from old water towers —on a pro bono basis. The design would fit in a park, Valgora said.

which are almost always small, offBroadway shows. Recently, Valgora saw — and was enamored by — “The Money Shot.”

Atlante di Storia Dell’ Urbanistica “There’s no book like this in the

Guitar

Wine

Valgora’s sons Tyler, 16, and Julian, 13,

The Studio V office is never without a stash of red

often stop by the office. Valgora and his

wine. Valgora likes to bring back wine from places

family live only a few blocks away. This

he travels to. But, to make sure that there’s always

guitar — a cheap six-string that was

enough wine in the office, he also orders bottles

customized by Tyler — sits against

online, mostly because he gets a better deal if he buys

the book shelves in the office.

them on the Internet. They get consumed fast. “Wine

Valgora himself plays as well.

is for drinking,” he said.

world,” Valgora said about the Italian-language edition on his desk. He bought the book, which is an atlas that outlines

New York Design Award

the history of urbanism, when

An award proudly stands in Valgora’s

he lived in London. (It’s now

window sill, next to two bottles of

for sale on Amazon for $560.)

wine. The firm won it earlier this year

It’s one of the books that clearly

for a commercial project it did in

show “great urban conditions.”

Yonkers, New York. Valgora said he

Valgora said he uses it often as a reference point .

was “pleased and surprised” to win.

Drawing The picture wall in the office serves as the firm’s living brochure of ongoing projects.

Studio

V doesn’t print a

Fishing Once a year, Valgora goes fishing with a small group of friends, his father and —more recently — his sons, in a remote region off the coast of Ontario. The men drive two days to the location, before they take a six-hour boat ride to the secret, untouched island in Lake Superior. For two weeks, Valgora is off the grid: There’s no electricity and no cell phone service on the island.

3D model Valgora’s desk houses multiple mock-ups of current projects.

Grain elevators

This particular model, made with a 3D printer, is currently under

These structures are

construction. It involves what he called “the longest continuous

the reason Valgora

bar in the world,” but Valgora wouldn’t divulge any more details,

became an architect.

including where it

He will soon travel to

is located.

Hamburg, New York,

brochure, so the wall

the small town near

is how Valgora and

Buffalo where he grew

his team displays their work to clients. The pictures change on

up, to work on turning

a regular basis, but one item is constant: this black-and-white

the grain elevators there into a cultural, creative community space.

drawing by Valgora’s younger son, Julian.

In high school, Valgora used to paint and draw the structures.

26 December 2014 www.TheRealDeal.com

PHOTOGRAPH OF jay valgora FOR THE REAL DEAL BY max dworkin


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