CBT Principal Haril Pandya Elevated to FAIA

April 21st, 2018 / Boston, MA

CBT is proud to announce that Haril Pandya has been elevated to the American Institute of Architects’ College of Fellows, a singular distinction for outstanding success as a practice leader and contributor to the profession of architecture as a whole.

Leveraging national media and driven by passionate leadership, Haril has built a repositioning practice and given rise to new, sustainable preservation approaches to forgotten buildings. As an honoree in the category of Practice, which recognizes those leaders who “advance the science and art of planning and building by advancing the standards of architectural education, training, and practice,” Haril has propelled this type of architecture to new heights.

Since the creation of his practice group more than a decade ago, Haril has pioneered a dialogue and fresh perspective on the matter of revitalization and evolution of our older and underperforming buildings. By unlocking the value of these buildings and leveraging and celebrating their history, location, and architectural features, Haril has created a new, robust national narrative that motivates building owners to reposition their architectural assets when the pressure to replace them threatens to prevail. What began as a clever way to generate new business in a depressed economy has become a sought-after and unique expertise for the firm and profession, giving rise to tools, employment, and innovation in the design practice.

CBT congratulates Haril on a resounding career achievement! Haril will be honored at an investiture ceremony at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on June 22, 2018 during the 2018 AIA National Conference (A’18) in New York City.

With CBT since 2004, Haril has dedicated his studio’s architectural practice to the revitalization of tired buildings through creative, beautiful, and scalable repositioning design. His team focuses on the ever-changing ways that properties can be improved to offer richer experiences for their occupants and added value and uses for their owners. Haril is a frequently invited speaker and writer on topics ranging from Generation Z in the workplace to motivating one’s staff to cherishing existing and historic buildings for the character they offer their communities. His thought leadership has been published by The New York Times, The Boston Globe, AmericanInno.com,The Huffington Post, and he’s been featured on many national and local stages.

When the Asset Strategy and Repositioning practice was created at CBT, there was no formal practice of architecture which focused on buildings that had become underperforming, irrelevant, and/or undesirable to their owners and tenants. Now, a decade later, repositioning design has grown exponentially and is a critical function of CBT’s business model and architectural practice. The portfolio is comprised of both high-profile urban addresses and large-scale property conversions in non-urban locations. The repositioning team is an agile, creative, and robust team of design professionals who continue to grow their knowledge base, challenge assumptions about existing buildings, and develop useful analytical tools―propelling a one-of-a-kind practice to new heights as the years go on.

TEDx presentation on the Future of the American Workplace

Roger Williams University lecture