Frank Williams & Partners Architects: Better With Age
Hospitality Solutions
Written by Ashley McGown   
Tuesday, 01 September 2009
Frank Williams & Partners Architects: Better With Age
Frank Williams and his team have built a strong reputation throughout the last three decades, and they're using their experience to stay ahead of the competition during this downturn.
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M. Paul Friedberg & Partners
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The economic downturn has had a significant impact on the architecture industry in the last 12 months. As credit markets worsened and financing became more difficult to attain over the last year, an overwhelming number of developers began to indefinitely postpone projects, and as a result, many architects were left scrambling, competing with one another for a limited number jobs.

Fortunately for Frank Williams & Partners Architects (FW&P), a New York-based firm with a strong international reputation, its spotless track record and tenured staff have proven to be key differentiators in this trying time. Although work has slowed, the organization is involved with major projects around the world, including in Russia, Korea, Dubai, and Beijing.

“The slowdown in opportunities for architects is apparent across the world,” said Frank Williams, founder and partner of FW&P. “We’ve noticed it everywhere, and that makes us especially proud that the projects we’re working on right now are still going full speed.”

Frank Williams & Partners Architects: Better With Age
Frank Williams, founder and partner
Williams said that, in particular, he is satisfied with the work his architectural firm has done in Moscow recently on an office building called Mercury City Tower. The project, on schedule to wrap next fall, is part of a $50 billion umbrella project called Moscow City.

At 1,300 feet tall—just 150 feet shorter than the Empire State Building—the 70-story Mercury City Tower is a major project in and of itself, and despite the economic downturn, the project’s developer, Vyacheslav Basati, has elected not to retreat.

Williams and his team are also working very closely with Michael Posokhin, a renowned Russian architect, on the project. The partnership has proven especially resourceful because in addition to his talent and experience, Posokhin is able to integrate many aspects of the local culture into the project—something the team at FW&P strives to do on each design they complete.

“We’re not looking to make one design and stamp it out repeatedly,” he continued. “When working internationally, we like to find something within a city’s culture—whether it be a physical characteristic or something contextual—and use that to make the project special.”

Williams said that Deputy Mayor, Mr. Resin, and the mayor of Moscow, Mr. Luzshkov, designed Moscow City to create an area within the city that’s similar to downtown Manhattan.

The project will result in a new center of high-rise buildings that include several shopping centers, hotels, and office and residential buildings, as well as a convention center and a new subway station.

“Mercury City Tower is a significant project because this is really the first time a strong office market is emerging in Russia,” Williams added. “Everyone is looking to open an office there now because of its oil and natural gas reserves.”

Grow and learn
At the age of 70, Williams has no plans to retire anytime in the foreseeable future. FW&P has had an office in New York City for nearly three decades, and despite a portfolio that includes The W Times Square Hotel, Four Seasons Hotel New York, Trump Parc, and Trump Palace, Williams believes his greatest work is still ahead of him.

“Architects do their best work in their later years,” he said, noting that Frank Lloyd Wright was 88 years old when he designed The Guggenheim. “I think it has to do with experience. You learn something new every time you work on a project.”

Williams’ knowledge has helped him adapt to what he sees as the two major shifts that have taken place in the industry in the last few decades—the introduction of Web-based technology and the emergence of sustainability initiatives.

Throughout the last 10 years, the Internet has made it easier for businesses across every industry to communicate with colleagues and partners positioned in different countries. But because architects regularly take on simultaneous projects in countries spread across multiple continents, Web-based technology has proven especially useful for them.

Currently, the 25-person team at FW&P is working on projects in North America, Asia, and Europe. “This is the biggest change I’ve noticed since I entered the industry,” Williams said. “The software we’ve invested in allows us to stay on the same page as our engineers, developers, and investors without having to physically contact any of them.”

In terms of sustainability initiatives, FW&P recently began to introduce several aspects of green technology into its designs. The team is currently working on two projects in Dubai that will be LEED certified, one at the silver level and one at the gold level, but Williams said it is important to incorporate green technology even if a project isn’t going to be certified.

“Residential complexes and office buildings are responsible for 40% of the energy consumption in the US,” Williams said. “Architects today have to be responsible with their designs. To start, we have to consider things like gloss and insulation, which can help reduce AC and heating needs when a building is completed and occupied.”

Looking to the future, Williams plans to continue partnering with big-name developers on major projects, domestically and abroad. “Architects need to surround themselves with powerful people because they have many things to get done, in terms of financing and gaining approvals. The more powerful the developer, the smoother things usually go, and this is why I look to work with these types of partners.”
 
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