By: ISABELLA CANEL
Credited with enterprising over $36 billion in mixed-use commercial, residential, and multifamily properties worldwide, Kobi Karp knows architecture and design. Inspired by the discipline’s most iconic names, his creative canon is bold and vibrant… coincidently, much like how he takes his coffee.
I’M MOST CREATIVE WHEN I WORK ON CHALLENGING PROJECTS. I am intrigued by all types of projects. I especially enjoy challenging sites with interesting programs where I can create a new vision. Design is a dynamic discipline. It is not static. It is continuously evolving. I am most creative in this process.
MY AESTHETIC IS A MIX OF TRADITIONAL AND MODERN. I design our buildings to relate to their contextual and natural environment. My focus is to create unique open spaces which are modern.
I’M MOST CHALLENGED BY THE WORD ‘NO.’ That term simply doesn’t exist in my vocabulary. Being solution-oriented is a way of thinking; it’s a way of life. This can sometimes be challenging, but it’s the only way I know.
THE WORK I’M MOST PROUD OF IS MY TWO SONS. Jordan, who is 26 years old, has already built a successful business in real estate. Aden is 21 years old and is an actor, writer, and producer, and will be a junior at Columbia University. His most recent short film was selected for a film festival in NYC. I’m so immensely proud of them both.
IF I COULD COLLABORATE WITH ANYONE ON A PROJECT, that would be the legendary mid-century architect Morris Lapidus, who designed the iconic Fontainebleau Hotel on Miami Beach in 1954. I am honored to have worked with Morris many years ago on the Seacoast Towers Project here in Miami in 1994.
THE CITY THAT REALLY GETS EXCITING DESIGN IS MIAMI, but I wish it were home to more people from the Northwest. I grew up in Minnesota. It’s a vibe, but it’s rare to find people from my hometown here.
WHEN WORKING, I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT THE DELICIOUS COFFEE we serve in our studio in Wynwood made by our very own barista. Our “cafecito” is famous.
THE ARCHITECTURAL ICON WHO INSPIRED ME to pursue my professional path was Frank Lloyd Wright, the founder of the Prairie School of Design. His usage of natural materials and exposed concrete finishes was my inspiration for vernacular, environmental, and sustainable architecture and design.
