5 Minutes With The Hotel Barrière Fouquet's New York Team

Hotel Barrière Fouquet’s New York, Awards for Excellence in Hotel Development Finalist 

Isaac-Daniel Astrachan, Principal, SBJ Group

Who has had the greatest influence on your career and what was the best advice he or she gave you?  

Stephen B. Jacobs FAIA had the greatest influence on my career. We spent close to 25 years working together, from 1998 to his passing at the end of 2021. Stephen taught me that every square inch counts. He designed buildings from the inside out, creating efficient layouts which met the specific needs of each program. Time and space are resources that are not to be wasted. 

As a ULI NY Awards nominee, what makes you most proud of your project?  

Every building is somewhat like one’s child. You conceive of them, you nurture them, you make sure they are as complete as possible, and then you let them go on their way and maybe you visit once in a while. Out of the many projects I have worked on over the past 30 years, there are favorites, and Hotel Barrière Fouquet’s New York is one of them. Designing this new ground-up building was an exercise in stealth architecture. Once finished, many thought that the building had always existed and that this was a renovation of an existing building. That was the intent, to fit in seamlessly and enhance an already architecturally rich and beautiful neighborhood. Being a dual national US/France, it was a privilege to be a part of this team which brought the French Fouquet’s brand to New York City. 

What excites you about the future of New York City?

New York City is always in flux, adapting, changing, active, with some leaving and new people moving in, always bringing renewed energy. NYC is always full of opportunities, and I look forward to bringing to life the many projects we are currently working on and the many more we do not yet even know about. Contributing to the constant renewal and growth of this city is a lot of fun (most of the time).