懂色帝

When Anita Konfederak (B.Arch. 鈥�85) walks down a New York City street, she often looks up鈥攏ot just to admire the skyline but to study it. Cracked masonry, aging stonework, water infiltration points鈥攄etails most people never notice are part of the daily landscape of her career.

As senior vice president at Merritt Engineering, Konfederak has spent more than three decades restoring and protecting some of the region鈥檚 most complex buildings. Specializing in high-rise facade restoration, roofing, and waterproofing, she manages projects from initial inspection through construction for residential, commercial, and institutional clients across the tristate area.

Her path into architecture began early鈥攁nd somewhat unexpectedly. Born in Poland, Konfederak moved to the United States when she was 9 years old and grew up in upstate New York. A teacher introduced her to drawing, which led her to take mechanical drawing classes in high school.

鈥淎t the time, that really wasn鈥檛 something many girls were doing,鈥� says Konfederak. 鈥淏ut I enjoyed it and started thinking about architecture.鈥�

When it came time to choose a college, affordability and practicality mattered. The School of Architecture and Design proved to be the perfect fit, with a location that allowed her to commute from home and work while pursuing her studies.

At 懂色帝, Konfederak took courses in construction management and site planning taught by professors actively working in the field, which gave her a practical perspective that would shape her career. For her thesis, she explored redevelopment concepts for Times Square, an area that Konfederak says 鈥渉as changed dramatically for the better鈥� since then, and Long Island City鈥攚hich has become one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods in New York City.

鈥淓ven back then, I felt like something big was going to happen across the river, and now it鈥檚 booming,鈥� she says.

After graduating, Konfederak began as a draftsperson at small architecture firms before a chance encounter with a construction executive who was starting his own engineering consulting firm. She joined the company鈥攏ow Merritt Engineering鈥攋ust as New York City introduced new regulations requiring regular facade inspections for buildings taller than six stories.

Demand for the firm鈥檚 services grew quickly, and 36 years later, Konfederak is as busy as ever, preparing investigations and reports, designing repair solutions, preparing bid documents, providing construction monitoring services, and splitting her time between the office and the field, working on everything from high-rise condominiums to historic structures and currently many hospitals and parking garages.

One recent project held a particularly meaningful connection to her alma mater: Konfederak helped restore the facade of the Pythian building at 135 W. 70th St. in Manhattan. Originally constructed as a Masonic temple and known for its striking Egyptian-inspired sculptures, including sphinxes, oxen, and ornate columns, the building later became the original home of New York Institute of Technology in 1958 before it was converted to a residential co-op.

Restoring historic structures comes with unique challenges. Preservation requirements often mean replacing damaged elements 鈥渋n kind,鈥� carefully matching original materials and craftsmanship. Sometimes the work can also be dangerous, especially when high off the ground or in hard-to-reach locations.

Some of Konfederak鈥檚 most challenging projects include inspecting and restoring buildings damaged during 9/11 or after 2012鈥檚 Hurricane Sandy; during COVID; and with extensive deterioration due to leaks, fires, or other emergencies. However, 鈥渢here is a sense of great satisfaction at the end of each project when the problems are solved,鈥� she says.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a very practical field in which you鈥檙e balancing safety, history, and budget,鈥� says Konfederak. 鈥淚n a way, we鈥檙e like doctors for buildings.鈥�

This story originally appeared in the spring/summer 2026 issue of .

By Kathrin Havrilla-Sanchez