Design Driven Development Panel Discussion

Development by Designers

A panel discussion among Jared Della Valle (CEO, Alloy Development), Jon Kully (Managing Partner, LEFT LANE), and Jesse Wark (Partner, Avery Hall), moderated by Associate Professor of Professional Practice Cecily King (Founder, Kipling Development).

Download the event flyer.

The Development by Designers panel will facilitate an exciting discussion between proven developers whose alternate lives as Architects and Designers inform their unique approaches to the financial structure of their deals, the physical design of their projects, and the innovative business models organizing the firms they’ve founded. Focusing on initial inspirations and the initial challenges starting out in development, panelists will describe both successes and failures experienced throughout their careers in pursuit of beautiful design, and how their model has evolved through the current moment and beyond. Through this dialogue, panelists will impart deeply valuable knowledge to the next generation of likeminded developers and architects at GSAPP today.

ABOUT THE PANELISTS

Jared Della Valle has been a real estate professional and architect for more than 20 years and has managed the acquisition and predevelopment of more than 2 million square feet in New York City along the Highline, in Hudson Yards, in DUMBO and in Downtown Brooklyn. Jared is Board Chair of the Van Alen Institute, sits on the Board of the Architecture League of New York, and the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council. He holds a bachelor degree from Lehigh University and Master’s degrees in both Architecture and Construction Management from Washington University, St. Louis, MO. He is a LEED Certified, licensed Architect in New York State, holds an NCARB Certificate and is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.

Jon Kully is a Managing Partner at LEFT LANE. In 2022, Jon and his partners launched LEFT LANE as a vertically integrated private equity fund focused on acquiring and transforming luxury and lifestyle hotels in high-growth secondary markets. Over the last 20 years, Jon has completed over $1.2 billion in commercial real estate development. In 2002, he co-founded FLANK LP, a vertically integrated commercial real estate development firm and in 2019, he launched FLANK GP Fund I, a $60 million GP fund with $900 million in active projects. Jon has a Masters in Architecture from Columbia University and a bachelors degree from Colgate University.

Jesse Wark is a partner at Avery Hall and oversees all design, development and construction activities within the company. Jesse’s team manages each step of the firm’s projects from design conceptualization, through construction documentation and procurement, into completion. Prior to Avery Hall, he served as Vice President of Development for Urban Development Partners, a New York City based fully integrated development company. His tenure at UDP included the development of several multi-family towers in NYC. Jesse is a Registered Architect in the state of New York and a LEED accredited professional. He received his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin and Master of Science in Real Estate Development from Columbia University.

Cecily King is the founder of Kipling Development, a real estate development and consulting firm committed to inclusive and transformative development projects that create housing equity and access in major U.S. urban centers. Her previous leadership roles have included serving as a Development Director for the City of Detroit’s Housing & Revitalization Department and the executive director for a Detroit community development corporation. Her professional focus is leveraging real estate as a tool in the social and economic repair and growth of communities of color. Cecily holds a Masters in Real Estate Development from Columbia University, a Masters in Structural Engineering from Lehigh University, and a BSE in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Princeton University.

Organized by the GSAPP Student Organization Design Driven Development Club.