2025 Year in Review: Daniel Forst, Dura Architectural Signage

What transaction, project, or key moment best reflected the direction of the New York CRE market this year? The grand reopening of Storm King Art Center captures where New York CRE is heading: reinvesting in iconic sites to unlock more value for the people who use them. For this project we delivered campus-wide wayfinding, new entrance signage, and placemaking elements that make 500 acres of landscape art more intuitive, welcoming, and accessible, showing how thoughtful upgrades to existing assets can transform the visitor experience and extend an asset’s life.

What accomplishment, milestone, project or transaction stood out for you or your firm in 2025? Our standout 2025 milestone was our design-build signage program at 590 Madison, supporting an amenities upgrade that helped reposition the property for sale. Partnering with an exceptional ownership and design team, we delivered code signage, wayfinding, and placemaking that elevated the day-to-day experience, proving that thoughtful, human-centered upgrades to spaces people actually want to spend time in can meaningfully move the needle in New York’s CRE market.

What emerging trends or shifts will shape opportunities for you, your firm, or market sector in 2026? NYC is at an inflection point. Foot traffic is rising and return-to-office is normalizing, but capital investment in CRE still lacks what Class A spaces need to stay competitive. In 2026 we see the strongest opportunities in repositioning and upgrading existing assets, from lobbies and amenities to wayfinding and placemaking, so landlords can capture renewed demand, command higher rents, and deliver the experience tenants and visitors now expect across NYC.