Svigals + Partners promotes six to associates, signaling growth and a commitment to emerging practice leaders

New Haven, CT Svigals + Partners has elevated six staff members to the position of associate. 

New associates include architects Katelyn Chapin, AIA, Jeremy Jamilkowski, AIA, Brian Stancavage, AIA, and Omarys Vasquez, AIA, LEED AP, as well as interior designer Katherine Berger, NCIDQ, IIDA, WELL AP, and project designer Joseph Rufrano, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP. They join project designer Alana Konefal, Assoc. AIA, who was elevated to associate in 2018. 

• Katelyn Chapin is the 2020-21 community director for the prestigious AIA-National Young Architects Forum, and received Emerging Architect honors in 2014 from AIA-CT. She has  a B.S. and a Masters’ of Architecture from Roger Williams University. Chapin was a key team member for the Sandy Hook School project, and is the project architect on the Bergami Center for Science, Technology and Innovation at the University of New Haven.

• Jeremy Jamilkowski minored in sculpture while earning his B.Arch. from Roger Williams University. His portfolio of recent work includes the Bergami Center for Science, Technology and Innovation at the University of New Haven, as well as the Health & Human Services building for Southern Connecticut State University. Jamilkowski was nominated for national Outstanding Mentor honors by the Connecticut affiliate of ACE.

• Brian Stancavage holds a B.S. and a Masters’ of Architecture, both from the University of Hartford. Just 10 years since completing his graduate work, Stancavage’s portfolio includes six K-12 schools, as well as the recently completed Yale Child Study Center, an innovative clinical and research facility for children’s behavioral health. 

• Omarys Vasquez is a graduate of the Pratt Institute (B.Arch.), her innovative design work has helped to produce the recent UConn Health Center renovation, the Strategic Business Office for Yale-New Haven Health, and Ronald McDonald House of Connecticut. Vasquez is also a member of the AIA-CT Women in Architecture Committee and a founding member of the soon-to-be-formed Connecticut chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects. (NOMA)

• Katherine Berger’s work spans across several market sectors as a lead interior designer and project manager. She is a WELL-accredited professional and a Bachelor of Fine Arts recipient from Suffolk University. Recent projects for the firm include corporate offices for Technolutions and Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, and the new simulation lab and classroom space for Yale School of Nursing.

• Joseph Rufrano is a LEED-accredited professional earning his B.Arch. from the New York Institute of Technology. He brings more than two decades of experience to his work, primarily in the design of laboratory and research science spaces, including renovations, infrastructure upgrades and animal habitat facilities. Rufrano’s leadership in construction administration and meticulous design and construction documents on projects such as UCONN’s Beach Hall renovation and multiple Yale aquatics renovations have made him an indispensable team member.

According to the firm’s partners, the decision represents the latest step in an evolution in the Svigals + Partners’ structure, one that will foster the firm’s ability to deliver superior client service and design innovation into the future. 

“This decision by the partners and principals to elevate key team members to the Associate level is a recognition of their critical contributions to our success and continued growth,” said Jay Brotman, AIA, managing partner. “But it’s also more than that: By identifying and investing in the next generation of firm leadership, we are re-committing ourselves to the Svigals + Partners vision of a world of prosperous, compassionate communities into the next generation.”

The newly named associates represent both the core principles of the firm as well as the diverse range of talent, education, experience and skills the team brings to bear on each project.