Although the design for One World Trade Center officially established sbp’s New York office, it was the Williamsburg Bridge that first drew us to New York in 1988. Taking 1st prize in an international design competition to replace the historic structure with an inventive hybrid suspension and cable-stayed bridge design, we got our first taste of working in the Big Apple. Unfortunately, due to the city’s dire finances, the design was never realized, and the city opted for a lengthy renovation process instead.  

In 2005, we returned to New York to establish roots at a small office on West 21st Street in the Flatiron District, making it sbp’s first location outside of Europe. Founded by longtime sbp employees Hans Schober (Managing Director from 2005 – 2009) and Michael Stein (who took over the role in 2009), the office was an important base for our ever-evolving work on the One World Trade Center tower. Quickly outgrowing the Flatiron space, our team moved in 2007 to the top floor of 555 8th Avenue in Manhattan’s Garment District; our home for the next 17 years. Here, aided by Michael Stein’s 2008 licensure as a Professional Engineer, the office began to diversify its work. Early projects included a new glass facade for the 11 Times Square tower, the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford, the Phyllis Tilley Memorial Bridge in Fort Worth, and the Sky Reflector in Lower Manhattan’s Fulton Street Transit Center.