About

Brian Girard is a Principal at Kohn Pedersen Fox with over 20 years of professional experience designing residential, commercial, institutional, and cultural facilities in London, the United States and Asia. Since joining the firm in 1997, he has designed some of KPF’s most high-profile projects, including a number of multi-family residential projects and mixed-use developments. Brian draws inspiration from the direct observation of places and the behaviour of people, and believes that our obligation as architects is to realize the great potential of our sites and the aspirations of our clients within a broader cultural context.

As Design Principal, Brian leads the masterplan for the Covent Garden Estate which includes a series of architectural interventions and preservation initiatives in a conservation area: Floral Court is an assemblage of contemporary and historic buildings around a new public courtyard; the Carriage Hall, an early 19th-century, Grade II-listed building, has been transformed into a 21st-century retail space; a distinctive new retail façade of bespoke faience tiles has been created at 11 Floral Street and the Wellington Hotel, an assemblage of six period buildings, will rejuvenate the south-east quadrant of the estate. In West London, Brian is presently leading KPF’s design for new communities in the Earls Court area. The 77-acre masterplan will transform this largest redevelopment site in central London into a vibrant urban district that supports sustainable living.

At Val d’Europe, Marne-la-Vallée in France, Brian led the masterplan for an entirely new, mixed-use village inspired by the industrial history of the region. In Hangzhou, China, Brian led the masterplan concept for the Huanglong Vanke Centre and the detailed design of office towers and a retail podium. The JR Central Towers in Nagoya, Japan is the headquarters of Japan Railways, a hotel, and retail building of 3,000,000sq ft associated with a national transportation hub. In Songdo International Business District (IBD) outside of Seoul, Korea, Brian led the design of the First World Towers residential community, which won the AIA New York Chapter Design Award. This multi-tower complex is comprised of 2,500 residential units, live/work spaces and retail within a network of public open spaces.

In New York, Brian was the Senior Designer for the large-scale expansion and renovation of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, in association with Taniguchi Associates. He also worked on the masterplan for the Hudson Rail Yards in New York City, where an under-utilized infrastructural space is being transformed into New York’s next great neighbourhood. Brian’s design for Park Fifth, a proposed a 700-unit residential high-rise development in Downtown Los Angeles, received an AIA New York Chapter Design Award and the Los Angeles Business Council Architectural Award.

A Registered Architect in the State of New York, Brian is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. He received his Master in Architecture with distinction from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, where he was the recipient of the John E. Thayer Scholarship awarded to the 10 most meritorious scholars of the University. He received his Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania.

Brian Girard is a Principal at Kohn Pedersen Fox with over 20 years of professional experience designing residential, commercial, institutional, and cultural facilities in London, the United States and Asia. Since joining the firm in 1997, he has designed some of KPF’s most high-profile projects, including a number of multi-family residential projects and mixed-use developments. Brian draws inspiration from the direct observation of places and the behaviour of people, and believes that our obligation as architects is to realize the great potential of our sites and the aspirations of our clients within a broader cultural context.

As Design Principal, Brian leads the masterplan for the Covent Garden Estate which includes a series of architectural interventions and preservation initiatives in a conservation area: Floral Court is an assemblage of contemporary and historic buildings around a new…

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