2024 Ones to Watch Industry Leaders: Mateusz Slapinski, Montroy DeMarco Architecture

“Mat is one of the impressive young leaders within our firm’s architecture and interior design studios. He leads his projects with talent, efficiency, technical skill and excellent team leadership abilities. We have entrusted him with managing several prominent commercial and workplace projects in Manhattan.” - Daniel Montroy, Partner at Montroy DeMarco Architecture

In the last 12 months what accomplishment are you most proud of? One of my most interesting recent projects was the 5,000 s/f rooftop garden and 6,200 s/f Le Jardin sur Madison Lounge atop SL Green’s One Madison in Manhattan, for which Montroy DeMarco Architecture (MDA) served as executive architect. This project created an incredible tenant amenity of a landscaped rooftop and a luxury interior event and lounge space that features cathedral ceilings, wood details and a skylight. This project, opening in the coming days, brought together designers from both MDA and its affiliate interior design firm Montroy Andersen DeMarco.

In the last 12 months what was one of the biggest challenges you faced as a leader and how did you overcome it? In another project for SL Green, I was a member of MDA’s executive architecture team for Joji, a 1,763 s/f, Michelin-starred, ultra-luxury Omakase sushi bar. Our firm collaborated with the Japan-based team of Simplicity. This international collaboration brought several challenges, from a 13-hour time difference to plans arriving with comments in Japanese and metric measurements. We resolved all issues and the project was very successful, earning enthusiastic international recognition.

Best advice for new leaders: Don’t be afraid to take on difficult projects, as they make you an expert in your field.