Team

Design Architect Craig Dykers of Snøhetta introduces 550 Madison

Team Overview

Adapting 550 Madison Avenue to support today’s global businesses and reintegrating it into the life of New York City is an incredibly complex undertaking. Every aspect of the building’s exciting transformation—investment, development, real estate services, architecture, and interior design—is shaped by expert hands and minds.

The Olayan Group

Originating in 1947, The Olayan Group is a global investor, strategic partner and operator of numerous businesses in various sectors. From offices in the US, UK, Europe, Middle East and Asia, the Group manages a substantial portfolio of listed equity, private equity and real estate. Among Olayan’s extensive real estate holdings are these extraordinary commercial, residential and mixed-use properties: 550 Madison Avenue in New York, 50 Montaigne in Paris, The Knightsbridge Estate in London, the historic Hotel Ritz of Madrid (with Mandarin Oriental) and the podium block of Chevron House (30 Raffles Place) in Singapore.

Snøhetta

For nearly 30 years, Snøhetta has designed some of the world’s most notable public and cultural projects. Snøhetta kick-started its career in 1989 with the competition-winning entry for the new library of Alexandria, Egypt. This was later followed by the commission for the Norwegian National Opera in Oslo, the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion at the World Trade Center in New York City, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Expansion in California, among many others. Since its inception, the practice has maintained its original trans-disciplinary approach, integrating architectural, landscape, interior and brand design in all of its projects.

Among its many recognitions, Snøhetta received the World Architecture Award for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and the Aga Kahn Prize for Architecture for the Alexandria Library. Since its completion in 2008, the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet has also garnered the Mies van der Rohe European Union Prize for Architecture and the EDRA (Environmental Design Research Association) Great Places Award, as well as the European Prize for Urban Public Space, The International Architecture Award and The Global Award for Sustainable Architecture in 2010. In 2016, Snøhetta was named the Wall Street Journal’s Architecture Innovator of the Year.

Gensler

Gensler is a global architecture, design, and planning firm with 48 locations and more than 6,000 professionals networked across Asia, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, and the Americas. Founded in 1965, the firm serves more than 3,500 active clients in virtually every industry. Gensler designers strive to make the places people live, work, and play more inspiring, more resilient, and more impactful.

Rockwell Group

Based in New York with a satellite office in Madrid, Rockwell Group is an interdisciplinary architecture and design firm that emphasizes innovation and thought leadership in every project. Founded by David Rockwell, FAIA, and led by David and partners Shawn Sullivan and Greg Keffer, the 250-person firm merges performance and architecture to create extraordinary experiences and built environments across the globe. Inspired by theater, technology, and high-end craft, the firm creates a unique narrative for each project, ranging from restaurants, hotels, airport terminals, and hospitals, to festivals, museum exhibitions, and Broadway sets. Honors and recognition include the 2016 Tony Award for Best Scenic Design for She Loves Me; the AIANY President’s Award; the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award; and the Presidential Design Award.

RXR

Founded in 2007, RXR is one of the largest private real estate operators and developers in the New York region, with expertise in a wide array of value creation activities including structured finance investments and real estate development. RXR’s core growth strategy is focused on New York City and the surrounding region, where they currently have over 23 million square feet of commercial operating properties with an aggregate gross asset value of over $17 billion. RXR brings unmatched experience in redeveloping iconic landmark buildings in the region; RXR’s portfolio currently includes the iconic Helmsley Building, 75 Rockefeller Plaza, Pier 57, and the Starrett-Lehigh Building, among many others.

CBRE

CBRE is the world’s largest commercial real estate services firm serving owners, investors and occupiers. The firm’s more than 75,000 professionals provide exceptional outcomes for clients in 100+ countries by combining local market insight, broad services, specialized expertise and premier tools and resources. For more than a quarter century, CBRE has been the leader in commercial real estate across the metro New York marketplace.

The firm completes more top 50 commercial real estate transactions in Manhattan each year than any other firm.

AECOM Tishman

AECOM Tishman is one of the world’s leading builders, spanning over 100 years and responsible for managing construction of more than 600 million square feet, including iconic projects such as the World Trade Center, One Vanderbilt and Hudson Yards. As part of AECOM (NYSE:ACM), a fully integrated global infrastructure firm with offices in more than 150 countries, we connect knowledge and experience across a global network of experts to help clients solve their most complex challenges.

Teams

  • Adamson Associates Architects
  • Jaros Baum & Bolles
  • Thornton Tomasetti
  • Van Deusen & Associates
  • Atelier Ten
  • Gardiner & Theobald
  • DBOX
  • RM Design Studio