2021 Year in Review: Peter Bafitis, AIA, RKTB Architects, P.C.

Name: Peter Bafitis, AIA

Job Title: Managing Principal

Company Name: RKTB Architects, P.C.

What are your predictions for your industry in 2022?
The trends toward hybrid workforces and increased work flexibility are here to stay, not only for the architecture industry but for many other sectors, leading to reduced occupancy in commercial buildings in city centers. As a result we expect to see a gradual transformation of cities where unused offices and hotels will be adapted and repurposed. For some buildings affordable housing may be a likely new use, while others may be converted to support life sciences research and development.

What is the best advice you received in 2021, and who was it from?
A friend told me, “Do what is right not what is easy—if it’s difficult, it’s probably the right thing to do.” I’m working to apply this advice to my decision-making going forward, both at work and in life.

What was the biggest lesson you learned while working during the pandemic?
After years of managing all kinds of market forces and changes, the big lesson from COVID is that some things are beyond one’s control. We had just completed a transition to a brand new office when the pandemic hit—our glorious new workplace sat largely empty and unused for much of 2020. There was nothing to be done about it. We now know that you just have to roll with the punches, and then adapt—or perish.

How has your working environment changed over the last year?
The now-manifest reliance on remote working and communication is inescapable. Now that we are back to working in-person, we are able to offer our designers a high-degree of flexibility in their schedules to continue working remotely as needed or desired. We have seen no loss in productivity with this change, and our team enjoys a high level of job satisfaction.

What was your greatest professional accomplishment or most notable project, deal, or transaction in 2021?
We have completed construction on several major new residential buildings this year, working successfully through the myriad challenges of the pandemic. We are perhaps most proud that this work has resulted in hundreds of people and families in the Bronx and Brooklyn moving into high-quality, affordable new homes.