Expert Q&As

Q&A: Greg Shunick, Managing Principal of G3 Architects By Jodi LaMarco

We caught up with Greg Shunick to talk about G3 Architects.

Can you tell us about G3?
G3 is an architectural and interior design firm. We work with corporations, developers, institutions, and homeowners across the board. In addition to architectural services and interior design services, we also do things like historic restoration and building development studies. We are really soup to nuts on the design side. Much of what we do is in financial services, but we have a client base that extends to not-for-profits. We work with high net-worth individuals and very high-end specialty spaces, all the way down to cost-conscious, budget-driven projects.

What locations do you service?
We do work all around the world. In the last two years, we've done work in Hong Kong, India, Germany, Mexico, and of course, across the United States.

Tell us about what you do for G3.
I am the Managing Principal, and I have been running the operations here since 1996. I hold an architectural license in 14 different states. We have offices in New York City, Connecticut, and Florida. We are also opening an office in New Jersey next month.

Where in New Jersey?
It looks like Elmwood Park, but we're still finalizing the lease details.

Are there any projects that you would like to talk about?
We are currently working on a number of studies for the international bank, BNP Paribas. We have worked with them for almost 15 years, and they have had us do significant work in their New York office. We just did another 600-seat trading floor for them in New York, adding to the 440-seat trading floor we did for them about 10 years ago. We restacked their facility—that was 330,000 square feet—and then did a 140,000 square foot operation center for them in Jersey City. We are about to assist them in an expansion of their San Francisco office, and we are looking at their office in Dallas as well.

We also do work for Jefferies, which is an investment banking concern. We're doing a major conference center for them right now in Manhattan. That is going to be a pretty impressive project when it's complete.

One of the other key pieces that we're doing is the conversion of an existing 45,000 square foot industrial facility in Long Island City, New York. It was built around 1910, and it will be transformed from its original manufacturing use to all-office. This is a LEED project, and we're hoping to get a LEED Gold certification. It's a client I've worked with since 1979. When they decided that they were once again ready to move forward, they called us to help them with this opportunity.

Is there anything else that you'd like to share with our readers?
I think we're looking at an interesting economy right now, and we continue to do well in terms of not only keeping our existing clients, but also receiving opportunities from new clients. One of the real hallmarks of our practice is that we will service our projects to death. It's about not only coming up with quality design work, good solutions, and effective project management, but carrying everything through to completion. We are real advocates for the client all the way through the process. Regardless of what happens in terms of difficulty with the contractor, or time delays because of deliveries, we stay with the project until it is 100 percent complete. That type of dedication to service is what I think really sets us apart, and it's why our client base keeps coming back.