Rafael Pelli is the Partner-in-Charge of the Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects New York office, established in 2000. Mr. Pelli has directed the design for a wide range of projects, from large urban projects such as 731 Lexington Avenue (the Bloomberg Tower), to academic projects such as the Business Instructional Facility at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has advocated sustainable design principles in his work, completing award-winning LEED Platinum projects for commercial, residential, and academic buildings. Mr. Pelli has served on the NYC Green Codes Task Force and Turner Construction’s Green Advisory Board. He has worked with Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects (formerly Cesar Pelli & Associates) since 1989, becoming a Partner of the firm in 1995. Mr. Pelli received a Bachelor of Arts in 1978 from Yale University and a Master of Architecture in 1985 from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

This building was added to the existing Brooklyn Courthouse.  Traditionally the Courthouses were entered through grand steps from the public plazas which created a sense of public place; here the civic place occurs inside in the Atrium which combines the main public functions of the building.  Some of the other concerns that impacted the design were to incorporate natural light into the courtrooms and to blend in with the existing limestone civic complex. 

 Rafael Pelli discusses the design of the Visionaire and its approach to sustainability. 