Boomtime architect Costas Kondylis has been around the block a few times: he's Trump's favorite, he's a maverick, he's 71 years old and still hard at work. (Pretty humble about it, too: "I designed one building at a time, and in the end I accumulated a lot of work.") His interview with the Times Real Estate section is at turns modest and slippery. On charges that his designs are mediocre and formulaic: "They are buildings that represent the market trend based on lifestyle. Simple designs evolve into elaborate buildings, like the Barclay Tower building. It made a lot of sense, and it’s renting well." Slippery! On the 80% of his work that's based in New York: "I’m very busy, but the income is very low. We’re finishing a few buildings, but there are no new buildings starting construction." Modest! He also goes into vague detail on that "certain interest that he has," hiring a finance guy to help clients secure funding for their architecture projects. Not too shabby, that.
· The 30-Minute Interview: Costas Kondylis [New York Times]
· Costas Kondylis coverage [Curbed]
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