Rafael Pelli of Pelli Clarke Pelli | Brookfield Place in New York City | Rethinking the World Trade Center
Courtesy of Pelli Clarke Pelli
From the Ashes
On 9/11, images of Brookfield Place were seen around the world. Its gorgeous glass barrel-vaulted roof collapsed, its entrance blocked by a mountain of debris. Recently, Pelli Clarke Pelli reimagined what the building entrance could be, restoring key parts and changing others, to deliver a more innovative, sustainable building at this iconic location. Today we talk with Rafael Pelli, who rehabilitated his father’s initial vision with a modern, sustainable swagger. Listen in as we discuss the development of this project as well as the evolution of construction standards, the keys to success as a new hire, and Pelli’s journey into architecture.
“I have a core belief in the environmental effects of buildings. This keen interest has shaped my career. It’s been a learning curve and it’s humbling in that the more you know the more you realize there is to do.”
Courtesy of Pelli Clarke Pelli
About Rafael Pelli
Rafael is a partner at Pelli Clarke Pelli, the world-renowned design firm started by his father. He leads the New York City office of Pelli Clarke Pelli, which was established in 2000. While there, he has worked on major high-rise residential buildings, including in Battery Park City in Manhattan, and on teaching and research facilities for major universities, including Princeton and Rice. He was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Association of Architects, an honor reserved for our nation’s greatest architects.
Courtesy of Pelli Clarke Pelli
Episode Timestamps
2:45 – Many of our listeners could imagine that your path into architecture was preordained because of your father being a famous architect. Is that true?
5:18 – In those years before you went on to grad school and focused on architecture, what would you say were the big takeaways or the lessons that you took with you as you went into architecture?
12:07 – Talk more about your personal experience and understanding of Brookfield Place. You are part of the competition process for the original commission, is that correct?
16:46 – What were some of the more specific scope items that were requested of the firm?
21:51 – What was the process for choosing new finishes for the interiors of this space?
23:50 – Could you talk about the lighting strategy for the interior to really make this a space that functions well both during the daytime and the nighttime as well?
25:47 – Why is sustainability such an important part of your work?
31:24 – What are some of those conversations that you have with developers to encourage them to incorporate and pay for many of these things that they might balk about early on?
39:45 – What would you say are the keys to success at a firm like yours for new hires?
Connect with Rafael Pelli:
LinkedIn (Rafael Pelli)
Instagram (Pelli Clarke Pelli)
Pelli Clarke Pelli
Donate to Urban Green Lab
Courtesy of Pelli Clarke Pelli
About your host:
Atif Qadir is the Founder & CEO of Commonplace, a technology company making it easy for commercial real estate professionals to find and use the $100B of real estate incentives given out every year in the US.
His work has been covered by Technology Review, The Real Deal, Commercial Observer, and Propmodo. He’s also a frequent speaker on the future of buildings and cities on popular industry podcasts and at conferences, including this past year at the Commercial Observer National DEI Conference, Yale AREA Conference, Columbia Real Estate Symposium, Open Data Week NYC and Austin Design Week.
About Commonplace
Commonplace is a founding sponsor of American Building. It is a 100% minority-owned, real estate technology company founded in 2020 to make financing social impact development projects across the US easier. It is funded by venture capital investors Hometeam Ventures, Park West Asset Management, New York Ventures and Shadow Ventures.
About Michael Graves
The world-famous design firm Michael Graves is also a founding sponsor of American Building. Its namesake, the iconoclastic designer Michael Graves, FAIA was a fierce advocate for people-centric design. His work defines a generation of American architecture and includes the Portland Building, the Humana Building and the Denver Public Library. The 1st season of American Building was filmed live at The Warehouse, his historic home in Princeton, New Jersey:
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