Charles Ippolito
With more than 24 years of experience, Charles is a seasoned architect and managing principal with a broad range of experience across many building types, regions, and project delivery methodologies. An integral part of KPF’s operations management, Charles spent six years directing architectural resourcing in KPF’s New York studio, in addition to actively managing projects. He has recently relocated to London where he now manages and leads the operations of KPF’s 170+ strong design office located in central London.
Charles’s management expertise has been essential to the successful completion of many commercial and institutional projects. He was Project Manager for the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, which has been widely recognized for its sustainability features and innovative design, winning the Society of American Registered Architects’ Design Award of Honor in 2009 and the Chicago Athenaeum’s International Architecture Award in 2007. He also managed the design for Jon M. Huntsman Hall at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and was responsible for the development of the public spaces design for the Newman Vertical Campus at Baruch College for the City University of New York, whose iconic design won an AIA National Chapter Honor Award for Architecture in 2003.
Adept at navigating the requirements of large-scale and complex projects, Charles managed the masterplanning phase of Hudson Yards, a 17-million-square-foot redevelopment on the far west side of Manhattan and the largest private real estate development in US history since Rockefeller Center. He played a similar role in Boston where he led the team in the development of the 23 acre Seaport Square Master Plan. Charles’ extensive masterplanning experience also includes managing a mixed-use waterfront scheme for Cape Town, South Africa, which aims to integrate diverse areas to create a cohesive destination with a renewed sense of place. Most recently, Charles has managed One Vanderbilt, the 1,500 foot tall office tower adjacent to Grand Central Terminal.
Notable projects led by Charles include the award-winning mixed-use Espirito Santo Plaza that comprises the Espirito Santo Bank headquarters, Conrad Hotel, and luxury residences. On the adjacent site, he managed the design of Banco Santander, a one million square foot office building designed to be a symbol for the bank’s North American identity. In Hong Kong he assisted in the development of Hysan Place, the first LEED Platinum mixed use office and vertical mall complex in China, in the heart of Causeway Bay.
A Registered Architect in multiple states and LEED certified professional, Charles is an active member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), and has served as an architectural design critic at Columbia University and the Pratt Institute of Architecture.
