GF55 - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Founding Partner
- Board Member of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing
David E. Gross, AIA is the Executive and Co-Founding Partner of GF55 Architects, a national firm with offices in New York City and Miami. GF55 has a specific expertise in Multi Family, Retail, Educational, Hospitality, and Industrial Architecture. Since 1984, GF55 has designed and built over 12 million square feet of housing nationally. David's projects have received two Urban Land Institute Models of Excellence Awards, AIA Awards of Merit and was the recipient of the Andrew J. Thomas "Pioneer in Housing" Award in 2010.
David is a board member of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing (NYSAFAH); Citizens Housing and Planning Council (CHPC) as well as the NY Housing Conference. He has been a visiting design juror at Yale College, New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Pratt Institute. From 2004 to 2016 David taught an annual session on the relationship of the Architect to the Development Process at the NYU Graduate School of Real Estate MBA Program. Recently David established the David E. Gross Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design Graduate Architecture School to promote the study of Housing. David graduated Cum Laude with Distinction with a BA in 1977 from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Architecture in 1980 where he was a Thesis Prize Finalist and a Stewardson Memorial Competition Representative.
Job Titles:
- Managing / Founding Partner
- Managing Partner of GF 55 Architects
Leonard Fusco, AIA is a Founding and Managing Partner of GF 55 Architects. He leads the firm in design, project management and technical issues. Leonard has been the Partner-In-Charge for several multi-family apartment buildings in New York as well as suburban developments such as townhouses, apartment buildings and site planning. These projects include an award winning senior housing development in Ohio and as well as townhouses that were featured in Builder Magazine. Leonard has also been the Partner-in-Charge for government agency projects for the NYC Department of Design and Construction, NYS Urban Development Corporation, NYC Department for the Aging, and the New York County District Attorney's Office. Fusco was the Partner-In-Charge for the Amalgamated Bank Branch in Harlem, New York that was the first new bank opened in Harlem in 35 years. Leonard successfully spearheaded GF 55's 2280 FDB, The Foundry and + Art projects. His work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal.
Leonard graduated from Columbia University with a BS degree in Civil Engineering and the University of Pennsylvania with a Masters of Architecture. He was an E. Lewis Dales Traveling Fellow, a Stewardson Memorial Competition Finalist, and a Theophilius Chandler Fellow.
Leonard is on the Board of Trustees of the Salvadori Center on the Built Environment, and on the Board of Directors for Multi Stages, a non-profit theater group. He is a member of the Century Association - a 120 year old institution of the most prominent artists in New York City, Professional Women in Construction, and the AIA. Leonard is a registered architect in New York, Ohio, Connecticut, New Jersey, Tennessee, Florida, Nevada and Alabama and holds a certificate from the NCARB.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner
- Managing Partner at GF 55 Architects
Shay Alster AIA, is a longstanding Managing Partner at GF 55 Architects. GF 55 is widely recognized in the industry and the firm has been awarded the Andrew J. Thomas Award for Pioneering in Housing from The American Institute of Architects. Shay's own expertise and experience with NYC Zoning contributed to his spearheading several large-scale urban development projects for which he garnered multiple awards from the NY State Association for Affordable Housing (NYSAFAH). Respected by his peers and recognized in the industry, he has received numerous accolades from the real estate industry for his wide breadth of knowledge and his understanding of the critical bridge between architecture and real estate.
Prior to joining GF 55, Shay worked as an Architectural Designer with RKK&G / The Museum Group of New York where he was working on projects such as The Museum of Natural History in New York and The Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico in San Juan and in Ponce (1995-6). At Kupiec & Koutsomitis Architects P.C., Shay was involved in the redevelopment of key landmark areas and buildings in New York City including Times Square at 42nd Street, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, and the Carnegie Libraries (1996-8).
A graduate with highest honors of New York's Pratt Institute School of Architecture, Shay was awarded the Excellence in Design Award and the Pratt Circle Award for Outstanding Academic Achievements. Additionally, Shay holds a Certificate in Real Estate Investment and Finance from New York University. Prior to Pratt, Shay studied Design at the Center of Technology Education in Holon, Israel while serving as a Captain in the Israeli Air Force. He is a registered architect in New York, New Jersey and Florida; a member of NYSAFAH; a Housing Committee Member at the AIA NY Chapter; and a member of the Urban Land Institute. Shay holds a certificate from the NCARB. He served as a guest speaker at Baruch College Real Estate School. He has also served on the Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) for the Bronx's University Heights Waterfront and for The Town of Sleepy Hollow. More recently, Shay chaired the TAP for Energy Resiliency for Hunts Point NY.
Shay is married with three children and lives in BPC, New York.