QPK Design LLP

For nearly 60 years, QPK Design has served clients as a multidisciplinary architectural and engineering firm. Located in Syracuse, New York, QPK Design follows a philosophy of providing high-quality professional and customized design services that respond to and meet its clients’ needs. With this concept, the company maintains a balance among three key points: the art of architecture, the technology of construction and the business of building. The business also performs digital modeling and animation specialty services.

Founded in 1958, QPK Design has relied on high-quality customer service and top-notch design work to establish itself as a leading architectural and engineering firm of the Northeast. With multiple areas of expertise, the company has a wide variety of development experience, including campus master planning, senior- and assisted-living developments and large-scale mixed-use communities throughout the state of New York.

With multiple U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED Accredited Professionals on staff, QPK Design maintains an average tenure per employee of more than 14 years.

Recognition for a diverse portfolio

In 2010, QPK Design worked in collaboration with The Pioneer Companies, a developer based in Syracuse, on a project called Washington Station, which was a new class-A office building. The 128,000-square-foot project was completed in 2010 and is located in downtown Syracuse’s Armory Square Historic District. The facility includes 4,300 square feet of first-floor retail space and has become the new corporate headquarters for both O’Brien & Gere and the Pioneer Companies.

The six-story class-A office building was constructed using a structural steel frame with concrete floors. With a combination of metal and terracotta panels, along with a glass curtain wall, the building’s exterior is a light-gauge metal and rain screen system. Included in the building program were 45 on-grade outdoor parking spaces as well as an under-floor duct system that facilitates the distribution of data, telephone and electrical services. The project earned QPK Design the Award of Merit in the Commercial/Industrial category from the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

As a company that concerns itself with sustainability, QPK Design was able to design Washington Station with green building techniques that earned the project a LEED Silver certification. Site development also included an extensive green roof garden as well as stormwater management.

In an adaptive reuse project, QPK Design worked with Empower Federal Credit Union (Empower FCU) to renovate an existing 72,000-square-foot manufacturing building into the Empower FCU corporate regional headquarters. “The building had been unoccupied for 10 years,” says Eugenia Brieva, owner of QPK Design. “It required code compliance upgrades, new mechanical systems and structural modifications to allow for maximum flexibility, natural light and interior open space.”

Empower’s motto of “Happy employees bring happy members” was a strong influence on the design of the facility. A cafeteria and employee fitness center were included in the amenities as the company prefers an office environment that promotes employees’ well-being, performance and retention. Other aspects of the building program included a new entrance and reception lobby. The location of the new entrance took into account the site configuration, parking lots and the best method of featuring the company’s identity to employees and visitors.

QPK also received recognition in the form of the 2013 Engineering News Record Best Projects Award for its work in designing a new dormitory for Elmira College called Meier Hall. When presented with the task of designing the facility, QPK Design was challenged to create a timeless piece of architecture that would also last 150 years. Using clay brick with limestone and slate roofs, the company was able to maintain the aesthetic of rich, collegiate gothic architecture that is found throughout the campus.

The design of the structure utilized brick as the primary exterior material, with cut and carved Indiana limestone for accent planes, ornament and the incorporation of the college symbols. Meier Hall provides student accommodations by combining traditional single and double rooms with suites with shared baths. The project also earned QPK Design the 2012 American Concrete Institute (ACI) Gold Medal in Masonry Design & Installation.

Looking ahead

While QPK Design continues to earn recognition for its projects and maintain strong relationships with its clients and contractors, the company will look to expand its diversity into other markets. With a strong, talented team, QPK Design will remain an example of how rewarding it can be to have diversification and expertise in numerous markets.