Boris Dramov
Encyclopedia
Boris Dramov, FAIA
, FAICP
is an Architect, Urban Designer, and President of ROMA Design Group
, a San Francisco-based interdisciplinary firm focused on infill development and the design of the public realm. Dramov was educated at the University of Southern California
(1966), Columbia University
(1970), and is a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University
(1980). He is a registered Architect in California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Texas, Florida, and Washington D.C.
, lived in Sao Paulo, Brazil as a young child, and ultimately immigrated to the United States, settling in the Los Angeles region.
Dramov received a Bachelor of Architecture
from the University of Southern California
in 1966 and a Master of Architecture
from Columbia University
in 1970. In addition, Dramov was a Loeb Fellow in Advanced Environmental Studies at Harvard University
in 1980.
In the 1980s Dramov and wife Bonnie Fisher
become Principles of ROMA Design Group
, establishing the firm’s current interdisciplinary practice and its focus on infill development and the design of the public realm
has become well known for revitalizing declining urban districts within the post-industrial city.
In particular Dramov has long been associated with the transformation of the San Francisco Waterfront, specifically after the demolition of the Embarcadero Freeway, as well as overseeing the design of Santa Monica
’s Third Street Promenade
. Dramov’s district-scale transformations include the City of Santa Monica's downtown and Civic Center, Santa Cruz
, Suisun City, and Manila
.
Other major urban design work includes Coal Harbour
in Vancouver, British Columbia; the Alaskan Way Viaduct
, Seawall
Replacement Project in Seattle, Washington
, RiverPlace
in Portland, Oregon
, Viaduct Harbour Plan America’s Cup in Auckland, New Zealand, the sports districts of downtown San Diego, Minneapolis and Washington D.C..
In 2000 Dramov led ROMA Design Group
's design team in winning an international architectural design competition
for the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial
in Washington, D.C.
FAIA
Fellow of the American Institute of Architects is a postnomial, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects...
, FAICP
American Institute of Certified Planners
The American Institute of Certified Planners is the American Planning Association's professional institute. AICP certifies professionals in the United States in the field of Urban and Regional planning and assists planners in the areas of ethics, professional development, planning education, and...
is an Architect, Urban Designer, and President of ROMA Design Group
ROMA Design Group
ROMA Design Group is a San Francisco-based interdisciplinary firm of architects, landscape architects, and urban planners focused on infill development and the design of the public realm...
, a San Francisco-based interdisciplinary firm focused on infill development and the design of the public realm. Dramov was educated at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
(1966), Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
(1970), and is a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(1980). He is a registered Architect in California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Texas, Florida, and Washington D.C.
Biography
Dramov was born in BulgariaBulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, lived in Sao Paulo, Brazil as a young child, and ultimately immigrated to the United States, settling in the Los Angeles region.
Dramov received a Bachelor of Architecture
Bachelor of Architecture
The Bachelor of Architecture is an undergraduate academic degree designed to satisfy the academic component of professional accreditation bodies, to be followed by a period of practical training prior to professional examination and registration. It is awarded for a course of study that lasts up...
from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
in 1966 and a Master of Architecture
Master of Architecture
The Master of Architecture is a professional degree in architecture, qualifying the graduate to move through the various stages of professional accreditation that result in receiving a license.-Overview:...
from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1970. In addition, Dramov was a Loeb Fellow in Advanced Environmental Studies at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1980.
In the 1980s Dramov and wife Bonnie Fisher
Bonnie Fisher
Bonnie Fisher FASLA, LEED AP is a Landscape Architect and Principal of ROMA Design Group, a San Francisco-based interdisciplinary firm focused on infill development and the design of the public realm. Fisher is perhaps best known for her work on Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade, San...
become Principles of ROMA Design Group
ROMA Design Group
ROMA Design Group is a San Francisco-based interdisciplinary firm of architects, landscape architects, and urban planners focused on infill development and the design of the public realm...
, establishing the firm’s current interdisciplinary practice and its focus on infill development and the design of the public realm
Works
Under Boris’ leadership, ROMA Design GroupROMA Design Group
ROMA Design Group is a San Francisco-based interdisciplinary firm of architects, landscape architects, and urban planners focused on infill development and the design of the public realm...
has become well known for revitalizing declining urban districts within the post-industrial city.
In particular Dramov has long been associated with the transformation of the San Francisco Waterfront, specifically after the demolition of the Embarcadero Freeway, as well as overseeing the design of Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
’s Third Street Promenade
Third Street Promenade
The Third Street Promenade is a public entertainment venue in the downtown area of Santa Monica, California. It is considered a premier shopping and dining district on the Westside and draws crowds from all over Los Angeles County...
. Dramov’s district-scale transformations include the City of Santa Monica's downtown and Civic Center, Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
, Suisun City, and Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
.
Other major urban design work includes Coal Harbour
Coal Harbour
Coal Harbour is the name for a section of Burrard Inlet lying between Vancouver, Canada's downtown peninsula and the Brockton Peninsula of Stanley Park...
in Vancouver, British Columbia; the Alaskan Way Viaduct
Alaskan Way Viaduct
The Alaskan Way Viaduct, completed on April 4, 1953, is a double-decked elevated section of State Route 99 that runs along the Elliott Bay waterfront in Seattle's Industrial District and downtown Seattle. It is the smaller of the two major north–south traffic corridors through Seattle ,...
, Seawall
Alaskan Way Seawall
The Alaskan Way Seawall is a seawall which runs for along the Elliott Bay waterfront southwest of downtown Seattle from Bay Street to S. Washington Street. It was built to provide level access to Seattle's piers and supports the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Alaskan Way itself, which is a surface street...
Replacement Project in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, RiverPlace
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Viaduct Harbour Plan America’s Cup in Auckland, New Zealand, the sports districts of downtown San Diego, Minneapolis and Washington D.C..
In 2000 Dramov led ROMA Design Group
ROMA Design Group
ROMA Design Group is a San Francisco-based interdisciplinary firm of architects, landscape architects, and urban planners focused on infill development and the design of the public realm...
's design team in winning an international architectural design competition
Architectural design competition
An architectural design competition is a special type of competition in which an organization or government body that plans to build a new building asks for architects to submit a proposed design for a building. The winning design is usually chosen by an independent panel of design professionals...
for the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is located in West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., southwest of the National Mall . The memorial is America's 395th national park...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Television
- PBS “Back from the Brink” – Urban Revitalization Efforts
- PBS – Building and the Design of Memorials
- Boston Globe + MIT “Beyond the Big Dig”- reuse of post-industrial waterfronts
Others
- USC 2008 Most Distinguished Alumnus
- Fellow, American Institute of Architects
- Fellow, American Institute of Certified Planners
- Loeb Fellow, Harvard University