RKT&B

Carmi Bee, FAIA, a graduate of The Cooper Union and Princeton University, is the president of RKT&B, a registered architect in New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, and an educator as well as practicing architect.

He joined RKT&B as a partner in 1981, and is Emeritus Professor of Architectural Design at The City College of New York. Mr. Bee is committed to creating environments that serve human needs and develop a sense of historic continuity while respecting the physical and social context. His growing recognition as a leading designer has been distinguished by such projects as OMO Norma Kamali, Turtle Bay Towers, River Rose/Park Rose in Battery Park City, Memphis Downtown, the City Center Theater, and the South Orange Performing Arts Center in New Jersey.

His honors, awards, and professional affiliations include: the John Hejduk Award, The Cooper Union; Distinguished Alumni Award, The Cooper Union; Fellowship Grant, National Endowment for the Arts; Research Grant, National Institute for Architectural Education; Research Fellowship, Princeton University, Center for Urban and Environmental Studies; and The Cooper Union Board of Trustees. Mr. Bee has received many design awards, including: First Honor Award for Design Excellence, National AIA; the Andrew J. Thomas Award for housing design, AIA NY Chapter; and Juror, New Housing New York Design Ideas Competition.

Bernard Rothzeid, FAIA, a graduate of The Cooper Union and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is the chairman of RKT&B, which was formed as an outgrowth of his private architectural practice. He is a registered architect in New York and New Jersey.

Rehabilitation and restoration have been central to his practice, notably, in the 1970s, the award-winning Turtle Bay Towers, a twenty-six-story loft building that had suffered a devastating gas explosion. Mr. Rothzeid also has a long-standing involvement with healthcare facility planning and design in such projects as Sydenham Hospital in Manhattan and New York-Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn. He oversaw the renovation and restoration of the landmark City Center Theater, for which he won special commendation from preservation groups and from the dance community. Mr. Rothzeid has held academic positions at The City College of New York and at The Cooper Union, where he also served on the Board of Trustees.

Among his awards, professional affiliations, and appointments are: the Augustus St. Gaudens Award, The Cooper Union; National Endowment for the Arts Grant; Fulbright Award for study in Rome; Methodist Hospital Board of Trustees; Municipal Arts Society member; and Citizens Housing and Planning Committee Board Member.

Peter Bafitis, AIA, a graduate of Pratt Institute, joined RKT&B as an associate in 1995, became a principal in December 2000, and is currently vice-president of RKT&B. He is a registered architect in New York.

Mr. Bafitis has significantly advanced the firm’s commitment to public-sector work, including the NYC Housing Authority, the School Construction Authority, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. As a major consultant to the Port Authority he helped coordinate the design efforts for the expansion of the historic Jamaica Station, in conjunction with the AirTrain project. Other notable projects directed by Mr. Bafitis include several senior centers and an AIDS facility in Yonkers involving the reuse of a church and convent. Of particular distinction is his longstanding association with The Towers, the restoration of a historic structure that was completed in 2005, joining a former hospital with a new, twenty-seven-story apartment building to create a luxury residence complex.

Mr. Bafitis is a member of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing and a Sea Cliff Landmarks Commissioner.