EDDY BENOIT
ADVISOR
WHO
Eddy Benoit Jr. is the President and CEO of The Benoit Group, which is comprised of a commercial development group and a real estate consulting firm. With over twenty years of experience in the commercial development industry totaling over $1.8 billion in project value, he currently focuses on the firm’s business diversification and geographical expansion. Mr. Benoit’s strategic plan consists of leveraging the company’s core expertise through its vertical integration, and providing turnkey real estate solutions in the market place. The Benoit Group’s platform involves low risk development pursuits and real estate advisory services, positioning the firm to succeed through various real estate cycles.
Mr. Benoit is engaged in the operation of the development group which focuses on the sustainability and development of Mixed-Income Family, Independent Senior, Workforce, and HUD-subsidized Affordable Housing. It also targets Higher Education student housing development opportunities within major university systems and historically black colleges and universities. Additionally, he is very active in the business development of the consulting group, growing its footprint within the US and abroad.
Prior to establishing The Benoit Group, Mr. Benoit served as President of Ambling Development Partners. He was responsible for the company’s strategic direction, as well as growth and expansion into new markets throughout the country. In addition to overseeing the development operations for Ambling Development Partners, he focused on structuring public and private joint-venture partnerships, raised private investment capital, securing competitive financing programs with key lender relationships, managing overall company financial risks, and monitoring the disposition strategy for all major projects.
In 2007, Mr. Benoit also founded Ambling International Consulting which focused on offering real estate advisory and program management services to foreign governments within the Caribbean and Africa, while working closely with their Cabinet ministries.
KAI-UWE BERGMANN, FAIA
ADVISOR
WHO
Kai-Uwe Bergmann brings his expertise to proposals around the globe, including work in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Kai-Uwe heads up BIG’s business development which currently has the office working in over 20 different countries as well as overseeing BIG’s Communications. Registered as an architect in the USA (thirteen states) and Canada (one province), Kai-Uwe most recently contributed to the resiliency plan The Dryline to protect 10 miles of Manhattan’s coastline. He compliments his professional work through previous teaching assignments at the University of Florida, the New School of Architecture in San Diego and his alma mater the University of Virginia. Kai-Uwe is recognized in the AIA College of Fellows, sits on the Board of the Van Alen Institute, participates on numerous international juries and lectures globally on the works of BIG.
JAMES ECKLER
ADVISOR
WHO
James Eckler is the Director of the Marywood University School of Architecture. He is an internationally recognized author having published and presented his research extensively; including two books and numerous papers.
Over the course of his career, he has sought to find the intersections between architecture, urban space-making, and design pedagogies. Specifically, he is currently interested in the idea of interiority as it exists at the scale of the city. His agenda asks if we can conceptualize shared urban spaces as interior spaces? If so, the roles an individual piece of architecture plays in defining urban interiority is subject to critical scrutiny. He has written and presented these ideas extensively. This body of research is ongoing and transitioning into a more mature trajectory as he looks at crafting studios and seminars that address these notions with students. Essential to the transition of research into pedagogy is the potential for the student/designer to speculate urban futures and conceive of architecture as formative to its context.
ARCHITECTS AS STORYTELLERS - STUDIO FOR ARCHITECTURE