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James Vira AIA
Architecture, United States New York New York
 
1133 Broadway Ste 1018
New York, NY 10010
Tel: 646 425.5405 Fax: 646 308.9219
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East 10th Street Residence
Brief Summary
James Vira AIA, LEED AP
With over 15 years of professional experience focused on the design and construction of institutional projects, James Vira has developed a diverse portfolio that includes work for colleges & universities, public & charter schools, and medical centers. From the beginning of his career, he has worked on complex and large scale projects such as the new Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, a new cancer center and master plan for the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, as well as laboratory buildings for U Penn, Washington University, and Chicago’s Rush-Presbyterian Medical Center. More recently, he has completed three school projects for the New York City School Construction Authority in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens. Current projects have increased his range with commercial, retail, and residential projects added to the portfolio. James is LEED accredited and has worked on a new LEED Silver building for the Hunter College School of Social Work in Harlem. He is a published and award-winning designer with projects such as his concept for Rapidly Deployable Provisional Housing for the NYC Office of Emergency Management receiving an honorable mention from Architecture Magazine’s Progressive Architecture design awards.
Professional Experience
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

VIRALINE May 2003 to Present
New York, New York
Owner/Founder

Owner and lead designer for New York City based architecture & design firm
• 395 Flatbush Avenue Extension – Rabina Properties, Brooklyn, NY: 12,000 sq ft exterior building arcade renovation
• Ascend Learning – Brooklyn, NY: Design, Owner’s Representative and Construction Observation services for multiple school locations
• David Black Literary Agency - Brooklyn, NY: 2,500 sq ft tenant office fit out and custom millwork design
• Bloomingdale School of Music – New York, NY: Space assessment and reconfiguration creating additional studio and office space
• One Lincoln Plaza – Ogden CAP Properties: Retail tenant signage study at exterior building arcade
• East 10th St Residence - New York, NY: 610 sq ft apartment renovation
• Post Disaster Provisional Housing - New York, NY: Award winning design for short term housing for NYC Office of Emergency Management
• Kip Bay Studio - New York, NY: 650 sq ft apartment Renovation

Cooper Robertson & Partners January 2006 to July 2009
New York, New York
Associate

Responsible for project design, client management, team management, technical coordination, and consultant coordination; presented at client meetings; participated on interview teams; generated workload schedules; mentored junior staff members
• 79 Fifth Avenue-The New School, New York, NY: Renovation of ninth, tenth, & eleventh floors
• Hunter College School of Social Work-CUNY/The Brodsky Organization, New York, NY: New 142,000 sq ft classroom/office building in East Harlem built through public/private partnership
• Harlem Village Academy High School-Harlem Village Academies, New York, NY: New 400 seat charter school in Central Harlem
• Tribeca Arches Private Residence, New York, NY: Four story addition to existing two story structure in Landmarked Tribeca Historic District
• Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center–Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Athens, Greece: Master plan and concept design for new 40 acre Cultural Park, National Opera House, and National Library
• PS 13Q – NYC School Construction Authority, Queens, NY: New 67,000 sq ft, 600 seat addition to existing primary school
• Master plan & Building Concept Design–Abraham Joshua Heschel School, New York, NY: Consolidation of separate elementary and middle schools into one multistory building

David Smotrich & Partners May 2005 to January 2006
New York, New York
Project Manager

Responsible for project design, client management, team management, technical coordination, and consultant coordination; presented at client meetings; monitored project budget and man-hours; acted as design consultant for other projects; mentored junior staff members
• Permanent Mission to the United Nations-Republic of Namibia, New York, NY: New structure incorporating Landmarked brownstone
• Nathan Hale and Lupton Halls – SUCF/SUNY, Farmingdale, NY: Program analysis and master planning; asbestos abatement and total renovation of 45,000 sq ft existing 1960’s classroom building

Dattner Architects July 2004 to May 2005
New York, New York
Project Architect

Responsible for design and detailing, consultant coordination, presentation renderings, code research, specification review, and completion of construction documents; mentored junior staff members
• IS/HS 362x – NYC School Construction Authority, Bronx, NY: New 190,000 sq ft, 1,920 seat public school containing two high schools, one middle school, and one city-wide special education school

Beckhard Richlan Szerbaty+Associates May 2001 to June 2004
New York, New York
Project Manager

Responsible for client management, team management, technical coordination, and consultant coordination; participated on interview teams; generated workload schedules; researched zoning and building code issues; performed construction administration duties; maintained project budget and man-hours; generated design concepts; prepared RFP submissions and generated fee proposals; mentored junior staff members
• PS 66k – NYC School Construction Authority, Brooklyn, NY: 118,000 sq ft freestanding, design/build primary school
• Franklin Township Care Center – Tuschak-Jacobson Inc, Franklin Township, NJ: New Long Term Acute Care Hospital and major renovation to existing nursing home facility
• Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center – Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ: 43,000 sq ft addition and 7,300 sq ft renovation

Perkins & Will January 1995 to May 2001
New York, New York – August 1999 to May 2001
Chicago, Illinois – January 1995 to August 1999
Project Architect

Responsible for project design and documentation, client management, team management, technical coordination, and consultant coordination; generated design and feasibility studies; generated graphics for marketing pursuits, mentored junior staff members
• Retail Optical Shop – Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL: Interior fit-out for retail optometry department
• Multiple Office Fit-Out-Royal & SunAlliance Insurance, Northeastern US: Office consolidation for newly merged corporation
• Emergency Department Renovation – MidState Medical Center, Meriden, CT: Renovation and expansion of existing emergency department

Architect
Responsible for project documentation, consultant coordination, and AutoCAD management; worked directly with both senior designers and senior technical architects developing both building design concepts and details; generated design studies and presentation drawings, worked on projects from concept phase through construction documents, mentored junior staff members
• Morgan High School – Dade County School District, Miami, FL: New freestanding high school
• Cancer/Urology Building & University Master Plan – University of Colorado Health Science Center, Denver, CO: First building for new medical campus on site of decommissioned Fitzsimmons military base
• McDonnell Pediatrics Research Building – Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO: 226,000 sq ft addition to existing biomedical research building
• Robert & Terri Cohn Research Building – Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center, Chicago, IL: Freestanding, urban infill, biomedical research building
• Biomedical Research Building II – University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA: 384,000 sq ft new research building

Wesley H. Henderson AIA Architectural Services October 1993 to December 1995
Austin, Texas
Intern

Member of Page Sutherland Page Design Team including local architecture firms and Gensler airport division; worked on project from master planning through construction documents phases
• Austin-Bergstrom International Airport – The City of Austin, Austin, TX: New airport and passenger terminal project on site of decommissioned Bergstrom Air Force Base

EDUCATION

The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture August 1990 to December 1995
Austin, Texas

Bachelor of Architecture -Five Year Professional Degree

CERTIFICATIONS

• LEED Accredited Professional since 2004
• Member of American Institute of Architects since 2007
• Licensed in New York State since 2003


Awards and Recognition
AWARDS

• Honorable Mention: 2009 Progressive Architecture Awards - Post Disaster Provisional Housing
• Winner: 2008 NYC OEM – Post Disaster Provisional Housing Competition
• Finalist: 2006 Apartment Therapy Smallest Coolest Apartment Competition – Kips Bay Studio

MEDIA

• Magazines
o Fabric Architecture; September 2009: Cover/Feature story - Post Disaster Provisional Housing
o Architect Magazine; January 2009, P/A Awards - Post Disaster Provisional Housing
o Architecture and Culture (Korea); November 2008 - Post Disaster Provisional Housing
o CA Concept (Korea); November 2008 - Post Disaster Provisional Housing
o C3 Architecture (Korea); November 2008 - Post Disaster Provisional Housing
o Oprah’s O at Home Magazine; Winter 2006 – Kips Bay Studio

• Books
o Apartment Therapy Presents: Real Homes, Real People, Hundreds of Design Solutions – Kips Bay Studio

• Television
o 2006 HGTV’s Small Spaces Big Style – Kips Bay Studio

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