Authors

Andriana Vamvakas

Andriana Vamvakas, CFE, is a regulatory compliance and investigative professional with over 30 years of experience. She spent 34 years with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards, serving as Northeastern Regional Director, and now leads Andromeda Advantage, a New York–based consulting firm.

Richard Unterthiner

As EDG’s Design Director, Richard has provided the creative direction and ownership over multiple corporate, residential, and retail renovation projects, realising client needs with innovative and bespoke solutions. He is a registered architect with over 20 years of experience in all aspects of the design process, working closely with our clients to manage the design delivery process to produce filing, bid, and construction sets, along with award-winning design packages and user visualization.

Alafia Akhtar

Alafia Akhtar is a Senior Consultant at Rimkus Consulting Group, specializing in architectural conservation and historic preservation. They apply expertise in project management and material analysis to evaluate and restore historic structures. Their work involves coordinating with multidisciplinary teams, assessing building conditions, and recommending appropriate conservation strategies that balance structural integrity with preservation goals, helping ensure that culturally significant buildings are maintained for future generations.

Michael Middleton

Michael Middleton is a preservation architect at Li/Saltzman Architects, known for writing about historic restoration and the built environment. He focuses on thoughtful, high-quality conservation work that honors architectural heritage while navigating the practical challenges of complex projects, such as award-winning brownstone façade restorations.

Peter Oxenham

Peter Oxenham is a longtime construction professional who served as senior estimator at Skyline Restoration. Over his 17-year career with the company, he produced more than 3,000 estimates, helped guide complex preservation and restoration work, and became a mentor to many before retiring in July 2021.

George Doukas

George Doukas, the president of CGI Northeast, has a background in civil engineering and he has previous experience with new construction and interior renovations. He has served at CGI Northeast for over 20 years in the Production sector of CGI - Training and Supervision, Sales, Marketing and Estimating.

Hugo Ramirez

Hugo Ramirez is the President of the IIBEC Metro New York Chapter, a leading professional organization in the building enclosure industry. He has a strong background in business development and strategic leadership, having previously served as Vice President of Adler Windows.

Vivek Shah

Vivek Shah, PE is a NY/NJ licensed engineer with 9+ years in structural restoration. A Senior Restoration Engineer at EDG, he specializes in parking structures, façade inspections, and NYC DOB compliance (LL126/LL11). He has led 50+ NYC garage projects and holds an MS in civil engineering from NJIT, along with QPSI and ICC certifications.

Salvatore Concialdi

Sal Concialdi is an exterior restoration specialist and safety professional with extensive experience in New York City construction. He is a former Assistant Chief with the NYC Department of Buildings and currently serves as a licensed Site Safety Manager and FDNY Construction Site Fire Safety Manager. He also holds a CHST certification. With a strong background in regulatory compliance and field operations, Sal is committed to maintaining high safety standards and ensuring that every project is executed with planning, accountability, and a focus on protecting workers and the public.

Salvatore Concialdi

Aurore Badré, LEED AP, BECxP, CxA+BE, is a building science engineer at WJE specializing in the evaluation, repair, and design of building enclosure systems. Her expertise includes building enclosure commissioning, design peer review, forensic investigations, condition assessments, and energy modeling, with a focus on air, water, moisture, and thermal performance. She has experience with a wide range of enclosure materials, including masonry, concrete, glass, roofing, waterproofing, and weather barrier systems. Ms. Badré also serves as Philanthropic Chair of the National Women in Roofing (NWIR) NYC Council and is a member of the IIBEC Emerging Professionals Committee.

Jessica Alzate

With more than a decade of experience, Ms. Alzate has been practicing architecture in New York City and the surrounding metropolitan area since 2011. Her professional work involves performing facade condition surveys, investigating distress conditions, with a focus on brick, terra cotta, and stone masonry. Beyond her architectural practice, she is actively involved in professional associations. Most recently, she has taken the lead on Metro Mentors, a mentorship initiative that connects industry professionals and advocates for mutual growth through mentor-mentee relationships.