Zora Boyadzhieva
AIA, CPHD

Founder

Zora is a New York–licensed architect, design leader, researcher, and longtime Roosevelt Island resident. She is the founder and principal of ZB Architecture, a woman-owned architecture and design practice, and the founder of ArchRI, a community-based initiative advancing thoughtful planning, adaptive reuse, public education, and meaningful resident participation on Roosevelt Island.

Her professional work spans architecture, urban design, civic projects, public space, adaptive reuse, and climate-responsive design. Before founding ZB Architecture, she held senior and design leadership roles at Rogers Partners, WXY, and ZGF, contributing to complex cultural, institutional, residential, public-realm, and urban-development projects.

Through ArchRI, Zora leads research, community outreach, public education, and engagement with city and state agencies concerning Roosevelt Island’s buildings, shared spaces, and long-term development. She has been particularly active in advocating for the adaptive reuse of the Island’s historic Steam Plant and for transparent, community-centered planning as Roosevelt Island continues to evolve.

Her broader research examines how urban design, public institutions, housing, mobility, landscape, and civic infrastructure shape everyday community life. She is especially interested in Roosevelt Island as a living case study in how deliberate planning can support belonging, independence, repeated social encounters, and a strong collective identity.

Zora holds a Master of Architecture with Distinction from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and a Master of Architecture with High Honors from the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy in Sofia. She is a Certified Passive House Designer and was recognized as a 2026 Woman of Distinction by New York State Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright.