Behind the Walls: An Interview with David Rosini

If you ask David Rosini how he got into the field of mechanical engineering, he’ll tell you it’s because he was always interested in how things moved and worked. Originally from Croatia but raised in New York, he was an inquisitive young boy who grew to be an even more curious young man, fascinated by the inner workings of electrical systems and building of structures. He never envisioned sitting where he is today, the owner of a successful engineering company based out of Long Island City, New York, and will admit that he fell into being a formidable leader in the high-end luxury retail space quite accidentally. But his life-long interest in the field combined with his very straightforward design philosophy tell the story of exactly how he arrived at this point in his career.

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When approaching a project, David looks at a space, identifies the challenges, and develops a plan to tailor systems accordingly while keeping the design intact and the client’s needs a priority. No matter the size or scope of the project, David and his team apply this method to every assignment that comes through their office. His quest to see how things moved and worked as a child has now become his company’s goal, as delivering a balance between design and function are a must.

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Can you describe your business and what you do in the industry for those who don’t know?

DR: We are the MEP engineers (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection) on luxury retail projects where our task is to work with the design team, architects, and contractors to develop the infrastructure design.

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Why did you choose the engineering discipline?

After high school, I went through college and earned my electrical engineering degree. At the time it was such a vast field. When I graduated in 1986 as a 22-year-old, I had no idea where to go or what to do. Back then, everybody was going into aerospace and things of that nature and that never really interested me, working with a lab coat. I always liked to build and somehow, I found this discipline of engineering related to construction and the development of projects and that really intrigued me. That’s basically how I got into the field.

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What are the things you are most proud of in your career?

In the 80s I worked for a smaller firm called Laszlo Bodak. There were four or five of us at the time. We grew that firm to nearly 50 people. And after about 17/18 years, I decided to go off on my own. And for over 20 years or so now, we’ve ?had a staff of about 30, and probably 8 of those people have been with me for that long. I’m really proud of the fact that we were able to develop a place for people to work, enjoy and flourish. In addition, I’m proud of the many high visibility projects we’ve been able to engineer. Couple that with the fact that all of our projects are with repeat clients, repeat customers, and people that we’ve developed relationships with for so long, such as our partnership with Dickinson Cameron. I think that says a lot about who we are.

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Are there any technological changes in your field that we should look out for?

Our field is constantly evolving. Mechanical systems, plumbing systems, electrical, everything. Current lighting controls for example, using WiFi…none of this stuff existed 10-15 years ago. And I anticipate it’s going to continue to evolve and be a lot more wireless than wired. It makes it more challenging because we have to learn the applications and figure out where to incorporate them into our projects and into our structures. I think technology is going to play a leading role in future designs and implementations, but you still need people who understand how to build and design what the clients want.

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What does an ideal relationship with GC’s look like for you and your company?

I like a general contractor who is proactive in terms of building and interpreting what we anticipate being built. The back and forth is important and something we look for when working with general contractors. DCC really fits this mold, they’re collaborative, get involved early and give input more than most GC’s and construction managers. At the end of the day, we’re in it together, a team and we value that the most.

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What sets apart your working relationship with DCC?

Like it or not, sometimes the design team and construction team have an adversarial relationship. But since the beginning of my relationship with Frank, we have always felt like we’re on the same page. With DCC, at the end of the day, we want the same thing – to produce a quality product. We work together to strike the proper balance between design and function and implement it into the conditions that we are given to work with.

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What is your favorite project you’ve worked on and what is the greatest ambition you have yet to achieve?

One of my favorite projects we just finished recently, an RH guest house in the Meatpacking district. It’s a restaurant and hospitality project in a landmark building which was extremely challenging. Also in retail, about 10-15 years ago, the Armani 5th Avenue project. The challenging part for that was the location in a 50 story building. I’d still like to do a skyscraper built from the ground up, a Manhattan high rise.

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Are there any design philosophies that your team always sticks by?

Well, as much as the projects are the same, they’re also very different and every single one of them has a twist. You’ve always got to look at each project with fresh eyes and not look at them as a boilerplate. It’s not copy and paste and you’ve got to understand what the client is after. We have to come up with solutions because things on paper versus what’s in the field are often very different. And we have to be proactive in terms of interpreting what we’re anticipating being built.

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