New York, NY
Venezuela-born Victoria Benatar is more than an architect: she is in the business of creating value by transforming her client’s dreams into a reality. Her firm optimizes the use of space to best serve investment goals, thus adding value to the property while increasing the well being of its all its occupants.
Established in 1983, Victoria Benatar Architecture ARCHITECT PLLC is a NYC based design firm with projects commissioned across three continents. The firm specializes in small and large projects ranging from development initiatives, urban design to high-end architecture and interior design projects for residential, commercial and hospitality.
With over 30 years of experience her firm transforms clients’ visions into a reality by combining expertise with impeccable designs without sacrificing aesthetics, comfort and quality. All projects are customized to meet individual client’s needs, budgets and wish list. Services provided include design development, construction drawings, permits, bidding, negotiation, finishes, specifications, contractor & consultant coordination and project management. Victoria Benatar, Architect PLLC’s extensive industry knowledge and negotiation skills help developers navigate their way through all phases of complex architectural and interior projects. The Firm understands how architectural designs impact investment goals.
The firm’s clients include Steve Madden’s flagship store and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex, as well as multiple corporate, commercial, hospitality and residential projects across three continents. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Art Forum, Archis, Oculus, New York Spaces, Streeteasy Blog, VSMD, Ocean Drive, and dozens of other publications.
Her firm’s accomplishments have been acknowledged with awards from competitions and architecture associations in New York, Osaka, Istanbul, and Caracas, and she has been invited to speak at architecture conferences in the United States, Mexico, Venezuela and Israel.
From 1995 to 1997, Victoria was a member of the adjunct faculty at Columbia University’s School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, where she taught courses on digital technology for urban design and architecture. She developed the guidelines for archiving digital work and participated in urban design projects in Detroit, Harlem, Istanbul and Caracas. She also launched the Urban Design department’s first website (http://www.gsapp.org/UD/). She has been on the faculty of Parsons/The New School for Design since 1996, teaching at the School of constructed environments courses on architectural representation with digital media.
Victoria earned a degree in architecture from Universidad Central de Venezuela in 1983, and a masters degree in urban design and architecture from Columbia University in 1995. Her memberships and affiliations include the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the United States Green Business Council (USGBC), the Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises of New York City and New York State (M/WBE NYS-NYC), the Colegio de Arquitectos de Venezuela (CAV), and the Colegio de Ingenieros de Venezuela (CAV). She is also a U.S. Green Business Council Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (USGBC LEED) Green Associate.
Victoria is on the advisory board Aid for AIDS International (AFAI), a nonprofit organization committed to improving the quality of life of people living with HIV or AIDS in developing countries and in immigrant communities in the United States. Her charitable work also includes Fundana, a Caracas-based nonprofit that aids children who are victims of neglect and abuse.