Kobi Karp, Founder, Kobi Karp Architecture & Interior Design

In an interview with Invest:, Kobi Karp, founder of Kobi Karp Architecture & Interior Design, shared how steady in-migration and rising expectations are reshaping South Florida’s development pipeline, from housing availability to the amenities and layouts that hold value over time. “People today are seeking a quality of life that has not been requested or demanded before,” Karp said. He also discussed how his firm’s work across Florida and international markets reinforces the importance of fundamentals: community-driven planning, durable design decisions, and projects built to evolve with changing demand.

What key changes over the past year have most impacted your firm, and in what ways?

There has not been one immediate change. What we are seeing instead is a continuous change in business and development driven by steady migration into Florida, which has had a positive impact on our firm due to the state’s continued growth and long-term demand. It used to be primarily San Francisco, and now it is also Los Angeles. In addition, we have people coming from California, north and south, and they are also coming from Chicago, Minneapolis, and New York.

This migration is not sudden; it is continuous and ongoing because people need time to settle. They must get their lives in order, get their kids in school and find a place to live. As a result, growth is happening in a calm but consistent way, allowing communities and development to evolve thoughtfully over time.

At the same time, we do not have the ability to deliver the quantity of a new product that people desire. Many people who come to Florida do not have the ability to live in a new house or a new condo. Generally speaking, they live in existing or previously developed housing stock. This dynamic has reinforced the importance of smart planning and adaptable design, areas where our firm has long focused its efforts.

As the population grows, the region has to keep pace, that means building up schools, hospitals, and the overall quantity of services needed, because people come from different backgrounds and have different desires. This broader growth continued to create meaningful opportunities for well-planned, community-oriented development.

How has this migration influenced your project mix and strategic priorities?

Our project mix reflects the strength and diversity of demand created by continued migration into Florida. We work across workforce housing and market-rate housing, and the speed at which our recent multifamily projects have filled has reinforced the effectiveness of this balanced approach.

For example, we completed projects at Dania Pointe, including Avery, with a first phase of more than 300 units and a second phase of nearly 400 units, both of which were quickly  absorbed. We also completed a multifamily mixed-use residential project in Oakland Park with LYN, as well as a multifamily rental project on Biscayne Boulevard, 2000 Biscayne, both of which are fully occupied. These outcomes confirm the depth of demand and support for continued investment in multifamily communities.

As these projects mature, they naturally lead into planning for the next phase of development and the next phase of the surrounding community. We are actively engaged in mixed-use, multi-building projects, such as The District in Northwood, West Palm Beach, which is progressing well and expected to be occupiable within the next year.

We are also seeing increased flexibility in how projects evolve as market conditions strengthen. In Hallandale Beach, Slate initially performed very well as a rental, leading the developer to convert it into condominiums under the Mondrian brand. That kind of evolution reflects healthy demand and has become an important part of how we think strategically about long-term value.

At the same time, we continue to advance high-quality condominium and hotel projects in coastal locations. Shell Bay in Hallandale Beach, which includes both a hotel and residences, is under construction, and the Shore Club in Miami Beach is also moving forward. These projects reflect continued confidence in Florida’s coastal markets.

We also completed Flo on the Miami River, where the first phase is now coming online with residential, mixed-use, and food-and-beverage components along the river. Located near Brickell City Centre, it allows people to live close to where they work. A decade ago, this area was largely overlooked; today, it is emerging as a vibrant, connected district, with event greater transformation ahead.

This is the nature of sustained population growth, it builds momentum over time. I arrived in 1988, and Florida has continued to grow ever since. While annual growth rates may appear modest on paper, what matters is how they compound. Those long-term trends are what guide our strategic priorities, where we invest, and how we continue to create communities that succeed over time. 

Your work spans Florida and other global markets. How does that international footprint influence your perspective on growth here?

We have projects in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Kazakhstan. We just finished one in Turkmenistan, and we finished one in Baku. We also have one in Jeddah. These are substantial, long-term projects that have allowed us to build strong international relationships.

Those relationships matter because people who buy in places like Jeddah often want to buy in the United States as well. They talk to us about it and tell us they love the U.S., and for many of them, the best place to live in the lower 48 is Florida.

These are different preferences, too. Some people like Sarasota, some like Tampa, some like Naples. Some like Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, or Hallandale. Miami is one of the locations, but not everybody wants to live in Miami. Florida offers a range of options for people, and that supports continued growth across multiple areas.

How are you approaching talent attraction and retention in a competitive Miami market, particularly for experienced designers and architects?

One of our greatest strengths is the depth and continuity of our team. We have a substantial number of people who have been with our firm for many years – 5, 10, 15, 20, and even 25 years. These are the individuals who manage and lead the office on a daily basis. They understand the firm, the culture, and the work, and that long-term commitment speaks to the strength of both our people and our organization.

Over time, we have navigated multiple market cycles, and that experience has shaped how we operate and support our team. Following September 11, 2001, Florida experienced a significant development boom. When the market later contracted between 2007 and 2010, our international work, in places such as Abu Dhabi and other global markets, allowed us to remain active and stable.

Even during local downturns, migration to Florida has continued, and that steady underlying growth, combined with a long-tenured leadership team, has created consistency within the firm. This stability allows us to retain experienced designers and architects, provide continuity in leadership, and continue delivering high-quality work regardless of market conditions. 

What design or lifestyle trends are gaining the most traction in Miami right now, especially as resiliency and sustainability take on greater importance?

With the technology people carry every day, there is far greater awareness of what is happening around the world in real time. While that information is not always complete, it provides valuable data. When studied thoughtfully, it allows us to improve quality of life in residential environments, whether in condominiums, condo-hotels, or single-family homes.

People today are seeking a level of quality of life that was not previously expected. Many of these priorities are now becoming standard: health and wellness, recovery experiences, and support of mental, psychological, and physical well-being, not only for individuals, but for families as a whole. These expectations directly influence how buildings are designed, planned, and experienced.

Historically, our projects have sold or leased at the highest price per square foot because they are fundamentally strong products. They work from the inside out. We place great importance on thoughtful layouts and functional design. Exterior materials and finishes, whether stone, marble, light, or dark, are personal choices. That is the skin. What truly matters is that the interior of the building is organized properly, with the right elements in the right places.

That approach creates lasting value. It benefits developers, but more importantly, it serves the end user. People live in our buildings, and over time those residences continue to trade and re trade at higher values because they function well and age responsibly.

We have seen this consistently. On Fisher Island, with Palazzo del Sol, Palazzo del Luna, and now the Six Residences, early skepticism gave way to strong performance. The same occurred in Surfside, where we focused on historic preservation and phased development at the Surf Club, creating long-term value in a location many initially underestimated.

On the Miami River with Flo, we integrated the project with the river in a way that had not been done before. That connection created value that people fully appreciated once they could experience it. Many buyers do not purchase an idea alone, they need to see it, feel it, and live it. Once they do, they understand the quality of life and long-term value they are becoming part of. 

How does community engagement factor into your firm’s approach, particularly when working in or near established neighborhoods?

For us, community engagement is fundamental because the community is ultimately the end user and the end buyer. The people who live in our buildings are the true measure of success, and that perspective guides how we approach every project.

Over the decades, one of the most rewarding aspects of our work has been hearing how residents talk about the places we create. When you are sitting in a restaurant or having a Cafecito nearby and you overhear people discussing where they live, why they chose it, and how they brought their families there, and that is when you know the project is working. That lived experience matters more than any metric.

We have designed multifamily rental projects like Slate in Hallandale Beach that are now transitioning into condominiums, as well as buildings in Miami and Miami Beach that we designed decades ago and that continue to perform well today. Panorama, which remains the tallest building on Brickell, is a strong example. It includes hotel, office, and residential uses, and its ability to adapt over time has allowed it to remain successful as the surrounding area continues to grow.

That kind of longevity does not happen by accident. It comes from a deep understanding of what communities want, what they need, and how they evolve over time. This approach is consistent across our work, from Fort Lauderdale to Miami, and it extends internationally as well. We recently completed a project in Lahore, Pakistan, that achieved the highest price per square foot in its market. The response reinforced what we have seen time and again: when layouts, functionality, and fundamentals are done well, they resonate across cultures and geographies.

What are your key goals and priorities over the next two to three years for your firm?

Our goal is to continue the same path we have followed for the past two to three decades, consistently improving, refining, and evolving as a firm. At every stage, our priority is to deliver the best possible product for the market at that moment in time, guided by experience and long-term perspective.

We are currently working on locations that are already demonstrating success, and we continue to see how value becomes clearer as projects mature . Shell Bay in Hallandale Beach is a strong example. Early on, many did not fully understand its potential, but as the project has taken shape, that value has become evident. That is what we focus on creating projects that reveal their strength over time and continue to perform for years to come.

The projects currently in our pipeline are meaningful and position the firm well for the future. As markets evolve, so does our work, and that momentum gives us confidence. If we were to have this conversation again a year from now, I expect we would be discussing new projects, new opportunities, and continued growth built on the same fundamentals that have guided us for decades.