FXCollaborative – Celebrating Sylvia Smith's Career as She Becomes Partner Emerita

After over 40 years of contributions to FXCollaborative and the field of architecture, Senior Partner Sylvia Smith, FAIA stepped out of the firm's leadership at the end of 2023 to become Partner Emerita. She will remain active with the firm as a mentor and advisor and participate in strategic initiatives including the philanthropic work of the FXCollaborative Foundation.

Sylvia joined the firm in 1981 and formed its award-winning Cultural and Educational Studio in 1996 to focus on program-intensive projects for mission-driven clients. The thoughtful exploration and interpretation of an institution's goals and requirements is the hallmark of her design work. Partners Ann Rolland and Michael Syracuse, Principal Alex Leung, and Senior Associates Austin Sakong and Steve Mielke will carry forward the studio's focus on expressive, enriching design and a collaborative design process. Mentored by Bruce Fowle and others at the firm who recognized the importance of leadership development, Sylvia has encouraged and guided this group for many years—ensuring the success of the studio.

Sylvia is a unique leader who has inspired all who have worked with her. Her approach has been driven by the belief that grace and dignity elevate design, firmly committed to the optimism at the heart of those ideas. She believes a strong architectural concept can empower every project, regardless of type or size, and enliven the experiences of people who occupy or pass by. In recognition of her contributions, Sylvia was honored with the AIA New York State Fellows Award in 2013, the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation Pillar Award in 2019, and the Kea Distinguished Professor award at the University of Maryland School of Architecture in Fall 2014, among other awards. Sylvia was also featured in The Women Who Changed Architecture, published by Princeton Architectural Press in 2022.

Austin Sakong, Senior Associate, often references Sylvia's impact on the studio and the office. He reflects, "She leads with passion, integrity, vulnerability, and love. We have no better model of what it is to be an Architect, in the deepest sense of that word."

Sylvia with the Cultural and Educational Studio Team, 2023

Sylvia's work reflects her commitment, integrity, and the belief that meaningful design is responsive, beautiful, and environmentally responsible.

In the 90's, she designed two carefully sited buildings that defined a new campus for the Black Rock Forest Center for Science and Education. Her team implemented comprehensive sustainable standards for construction and building performance before the creation of LEED. These structures and their surrounding landscape interpret, express, and teach ways to be sustainable.

The subsequent renovation of the historic Bronx Zoo Lion House also set new standards. The first LEED-certified NYC landmark, its adaptive reuse seamlessly incorporated new high- performance technologies that assured an energy efficient and pleasing environment where the flora and fauna of Madagascar, and visitors, could thrive.

Center for Global Conservation

The Center for Global Conservation continued Sylvia's work with the Bronx Zoo and Wildlife Conservation Society. Shaped in response to unique site characteristics, the elegant, high performance structure incorporated principals of biophilia with an interplay of inside and outside spaces, daylighting, and views.

SUNY Purchase – Center for Media, Film, and Theatre

Sylvia's understanding and celebration of the essence of mid-century buildings is seen in sensitive renovations for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, SUNY Purchase College, and Pace University. Working with multiple constituents, often from the performing arts, she built consensus around program and design goals while maintaining project momentum.

Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah: The Radiant Campus

She concurrently led large teams for the master planning and design of the Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah Campus in Nairobi, Kenya, in collaboration with Frederic Schwartz Architects, and the design and construction of the Columbia University Business School, in collaboration with Diller Scofidio + Renfro. Each project artfully responds to the unique qualities of its context, climate, and culture.

The David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center

Sylvia's recent LEED Platinum, net zero energy-designed David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center further demonstrates that a modern adaptive reuse of a distinctive, turn-of-the-century building can be comprehensively sustainable while celebrating its historic character and catalyzing new uses.

Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah Construction Site, 2015

Service and activism are integral to Sylvia's career. Active in the AIA and made a Fellow in 2009, she chaired the AIANY Fellows Committee. Sylvia was a Trustee of her alma mater Dickinson College for 20 years and chaired the Facilities Committee for 14 years guiding the incorporation of contemporary design on a historic campus. Building on her legacy as an early female partner at a major design firm, she was active with the Advisory Board of the Beverly Willis Foundation and often participates in academic and profession programs on women's leadership in building-related fields. Sylvia enjoyed her years on the Design Trust for Public Space board and continues her role as Co-chair of the Governance Committee of the Storefront for Art and Architecture board.