Chantal Garrido

I started my architecture journey in high school at a technical school where I studied architecture, which is where my passion really resides. In college, I initially pursued civil engineering but switched to architecture after feeling discouraged - if somebody had told me I could do civil engineering and then get my master's in architecture, I would have done the same, but I didn't know that at the time. I did the creative challenge for the Spitzer School, got accepted, and spent six years in college, graduating with my Bachelor's of Architecture in 2022. During my senior year, I worked with one of my professors who had a practice in Brooklyn, doing DOB-related interior renovations, design work for a mobile kitchen for a well-known pizzeria, and even video game design based on her book '2100' about how the world might look in the year 2100. After graduation, I wanted to test the waters in different sectors of architecture, so I did expediting work helping contractors with their rigging processes, CD5s, and FISP requirements, working with engineers and architects to provide the best layouts and approved permits. I also tried custom millwork design for about 2 months, but I knew that wasn't what I wanted to do. I searched for historic preservation and renewal opportunities and landed my position at Thornton Tomasetti about 3 years ago. Here, I get to work on projects from retrieval through completion - we don't just do parts of it, we really do investigations, facade assessments, rehabilitation strategies, permanent construction documentation, field investigations, and construction administration. Throughout my career as a designer, I've focused heavily on non-destructive testing and evaluation, including ultrasonic testing and thermographic testing with FLIR cameras, because I'm very focused on the investigation process to make sure all the information is accurate enough to provide the proper repair approach. I've worked on incredible projects like Terminal Warehouse, which just received the Lucy Moses Awards and where I was a big part of the construction administration process. I'm also working on Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the AIG project in Connecticut (a historic hotel converted to headquarters), Ford Foundation, and Harry Winston. A lot of my work is like doing surgical work - paying attention to every little detail of the existing building, making sure everything is addressed so the building is repaired to current standards using ASTM standards as our backbone, and using the best products with high-performance coatings. I'm glad to be part of a team that gets to work on these really cool, historically significant buildings in accordance with Landmarks Preservation Commission guidelines and Local Law 11 and FISP requirements.