Rafael Viñoly Architects

Rafael Viñoly Architects (RVA) is pleased to announce the appointment of two new Managing Directors: Sebastian Goldberg and Marco Ortiz. Sebastian will oversee the firm’s Montevideo office, while Marco will lead the re-established London office. Together, they will guide the next generation of designers at RVA, carrying forward Rafael Viñoly’s legacy of innovation and excellence.   Sebastian Goldberg CPAU SAU has been with the firm since 2006, previously serving as a Director overseeing RVA’s South American operations. With a deep focus on design and construction administration, he has managed significant projects across the region. Notably, he established the Buenos Aires office in 2015 and then moved it to Montevideo in 2021, strengthening the firm’s South American presence. Currently, he is responsible for key projects in Uruguay, including Médano by Viñoly in greater Montevideo, Cipriani Ocean Resort and Club Residences in Punta del Este, and the Fundación Cervieri Monsuarez in Jose Ignacio, collaborating closely with owners and contractors to ensure successful project outcomes. His impressive portfolio includes Médano, Edificio Plaza Alemania, Edificio Corporación América, the Faculty Building for Natural and Exact Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires, the Fortabat Museum, Laguna Garzón bridge, and Carrasco International Airport, which attest to his outsized impact on the architectural landscape of South America.    Marco Ortiz RIBA ARB, who served as a Director at RVA from 2005 to 2012, rejoined the firm in 2024 to lead its operations across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. His return marked the reestablishment of RVA’s London office, enhancing the firm’s collaboration with regional clients and partners while supporting its New York headquarters. During his earlier tenure, Marco worked directly with Rafael Viñoly on prominent projects in the UK and the Middle East. He will continue to advance RVA’s mission, building on a portfolio of landmark projects in the United Kingdom, including 20 Fenchurch Street, Battersea Power Station, Marble Arch Place, the University of Oxford Mathematical Institute, Manchester City Football Academy, the University of Manchester GEIC, and the Curve Theatre. To learn more about Rafael Viñoly Architects’ projects please visit vinoly.com

Honoring a legacy while building the future: Román Viñoly, Partner at Rafael Viñoly Architects, recently spoke with El País Uruguay about continuing his late father's legacy through the Viñoly Foundation. The foundation recently announced its proud support of Uruguay’s participation in the Venice Architecture Biennale with a US$250,000 commitment over five editions, showcasing Uruguayan talent on the global stage. It is also dedicated to early childhood education in the United States and preserving nearly 50 years of Rafael Viñoly’s work through his archive. Román also highlighted how Rafael Viñoly Architects remains focused on advancing Rafael’s vision—creating architecture that enhances public spaces and drives innovation. The studio is currently working on several notable projects, including Médano, a mass timber residential development in Uruguay, set to become the most sustainable building in Latin America by 2028, with the largest green roof in the region. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eiYXDe9A #Architecture #Legacy #Innovation #Sustainability #Viñoly #VeniceBiennale

This past December, the construction of the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas reached a significant milestone with the first successful test of its striking sky beam feature. This dramatic light installation, envisioned by Rafael Viñoly Architects, is designed to capture attention and spark imagination for visitors traveling by air or car, as well as during televised sporting events with aerial shots over the city. The sky beam consists of nine powerful light cannons, projecting light up to an impressive height of nearly 1,500 feet. This iconic feature is set to become a key visual landmark. 

I am thrilled that Viñoly Foundation will be supporting the Uruguay pavilion at the 19th Venice International Architecture Biennale of the Fondazione La Biennale di Venezia in partnership with the Uruguay Culture Foundation. We plan to extend our support at least through 2035! Thank you Fernanda Guliak for your initiative, and especially Facundo de Almeida and, of course, Mariana Wainstein for your vision! Happy 2025!!

Season’s Greetings from all of us at Rafael Viñoly Architects

This week marks the 10th anniversary of the opening of the City Football Academy in Manchester, UK! Rafael Viñoly Architects’ design for the Academy stemmed from Manchester City Football Club’s vision to consolidate its facilities and strengthen ties with the East Manchester community. The aim was to create a "world-leading" training environment that enhances athlete performance through advanced training, injury management, sports science, and research facilities. This project transformed an 80-acre brownfield site next to the Etihad Stadium into the football club’s flagship headquarters and training hub. The design carefully addressed the club’s needs by organizing the site, program adjacencies, and security zones for youth, elite players, and the public. This strategic layout ensured functionality, security, and seamless integration with the surrounding Eastlands area, supporting the development of both youth and elite footballers. Over the past decade, the City Football Academy has become a vital part of Manchester City Football Club’s 200-acre Etihad Campus, significantly impacting the club, the local community, and the surrounding area. From producing world-class footballers and serving as the training base for the club’s record-breaking men’s team, to nurturing young talent and providing facilities for community use, the Academy continues to make a lasting difference. We are proud to be part of the team that delivered this world-class hub, designed to elevate football standards and create a positive community impact. Learn more about this project here: https://shorturl.at/lce92 #CFA10 #MCFC #EtihadCampus #Football #Community

Can’t wait for the finished product! #museums #design #nmohm

Over a decade after its completion, I was delighted to join Dr. Keith Gillow on a visit to our scheme for the Mathematical Institute at the University of Oxford. Having been personally involved since the earliest stages of the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter Masterplan and leading the third (and final) design iteration of this complex faculty building through its planning approval - I received the most positive balance of UX satisfaction, sustained performance and proven durability from our clients - who proudly describe the building as one of the best in the University. This RIBA award-winning scheme always derived from the idea of a single collaborative environment, designed to adapt to the continued growth of Mathematics and its various disciplines. Its architectural gesture linking views from and into the Tower of the Winds (Radcliffe Observatory), validating the essence of our Masterplan. Its two atria expanding visual connectivity across floors and into the lecture hall basement, via two ‘crystals’, themselves conceptualised by the academics based on mathematical formulae. The unwavering efforts of all our colleagues from Rafael Viñoly Architects (past and present), who made the delivery of this world-class facility possible. Huge credit to Dr Gillow, Funders (Clay Mathematics Institute in particular), Estates Directorate and User Groups at the Institute and wider University, for walking this journey alongside us at RVA and the amazing technical & construction teams involved. #architecture #highereducation #universityofoxford #rafaelvinolyarchitects

Last week - on Veterans Day, no less - I visited the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington TX with my partner Bassam Komati and Rafael Viñoly Architects' Director Christina Kruise, CNP. Jacob Douenias, AIA, NCARB, our Project Manager for the building, showed us around the construction site, which, thanks in part to his diligence and dedication, is speeding toward completion for its March 25, 2025 inauguration. Being selected for this project was one of Rafael Viñoly's (my father's) proudest moments as a naturalized American. He was enormously grateful for the welcome and the opportunity that the US gave him and our family when we arrived in 1979, and being part of remembering and celebrating the stories of America's greatest combat heroes was a profound honor to him. My partners and I and everyone on our team at RVA share his feelings.

Today, we honor and express our gratitude to all U.S. veterans, past and present, for their courageous service to our nation. Their bravery, sacrifice, and steadfast commitment have safeguarded the freedoms cherished by every American. Image: construction progress of the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas, designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects. The project’s symbolism is embodied in a monumental slab of fire-forged steel, seemingly suspended on five pillars, each representing one of the traditional branches of the Armed Forces. This remarkable structural design reflects the valor of Medal of Honor recipients, who bore immense burdens in the heat of battle to support their brothers and sisters in arms and defend our nation.