Restoring the City

When Anita Konfederak (B.Arch. ’85) walks down a New York City street, she often looks up—not just to admire the skyline but to study it. Cracked masonry, aging stonework, water infiltration points—details 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’s 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—and 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.

“At the time, that really wasn’t something many girls were doing,” says Konfederak. “But I enjoyed it and started thinking about architecture.”

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 New York Tech, 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 “has changed dramatically for the better” since then, and Long Island City—which has become one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods in New York City.

“Even back then, I felt like something big was going to happen across the river, and now it’s booming,” 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—now Merritt Engineering—just as New York City introduced new regulations requiring regular facade inspections for buildings taller than six stories.

Demand for the firm’s 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 “in kind,” 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’s most challenging projects include inspecting and restoring buildings damaged during 9/11 or after 2012’s Hurricane Sandy; during COVID; and with extensive deterioration due to leaks, fires, or other emergencies. However, “there is a sense of great satisfaction at the end of each project when the problems are solved,” she says.

“It’s a very practical field in which you’re balancing safety, history, and budget,” says Konfederak. “In a way, we’re like doctors for buildings.”

This story originally appeared in the spring/summer 2026 issue of New York Institute of Technology Magazine.

By Kathrin Havrilla-Sanchez