Name: Robert Fornataro
Title: Senior Designer
Company: SWBR Architects
Location: 387 East Main St., Rochester, N.Y.
Place of birth: Rochester, N.Y.
Family: I'm Italian so I have way too many to list.
College: University of Utah, master's degree in Architectural + Environmental Design
First job unrelated to your current field: I used to sell flowers at Riverside Cemetery off of Lake Ave. in Rochester.
First job in your current field: A 450 s/f ski demo building at the top of Park City Ski Resort. The lower level was all glass and I designed it so that you can ski right through the building! It was a fun project and I think people enjoy its uniqueness.
What your firm does now and its plans for the future? It is a great time for us. In the past 4 years I have seen a shift to larger, more complex design-oriented projects. Every project we design incorporates context from a visual and environmental perspective. We have a handful of projects currently in construction that are redefining us as a truly competitive design firm.
Hobbies: Making homemade slime with my two children (it's sustainable and fun!)
Favorite film: "Nostalgia" by Andrei Tarkovsky
Favorite novel: "The Hero with a Thousand Faces," by Joseph Campbell.
Keys to success: know your limits...then break them!
If you had to choose a different profession, what would it be? Do I have too? Ok, ok, I would like to be an astronaut. Infinite space, no gravity...I think it would be a lot of fun.
Person you admire most (outside of the family): Lance Armstrong.


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