Haresh Vibhakar AIA | NCARB | PMP
Haresh is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in the architectural industry. He’s got a knack for seeing things from both sides of the table - the owner’s and the designer’s. This unique perspective lets him take a 360-degree approach to design, from the spark of initial concepts, site adaptations, layouts, user experiences and operations.
Back in 2010, Haresh packed his bags and headed to Trivandrum, India to join MPG Hotels and Infrastructure as Vice President- Design & Construction. He was the driving force behind the transformation of a local brand hotel into a Hilton Garden Inn and played a key role in the design development of other hotels in the group’s portfolio. He also put his analytical skills to work, assessing potential hospitality sites for their financial viability.
From 2012 to 2014, Haresh wore the hat of the Section Head of the Architectural Department at Larsen and Toubro’s EDRC (L&T), Mumbai. Here, he led a team of 20 architects on a 5 million SF Seawoods Integrated Mix Use Development in Navi Mumbai. He was the AOR for the Air India-SAFRAN Jet engine test facility at Nagpur Airport.
Before his Indian adventure, Haresh was part of the team at FRCH Design Worldwide (now Nelson Worldwide), Cincinnati, OH. Here, he led the charge on the development of the “Hampton by Hilton” International Prototype Design. While working on the prototype for India, he helped developers realize the potential of their properties through numerous site adaptations.
One of the standout projects of his career was the University of Cincinnati, Campus Recreation Center – a whopping $75 million, 350,000 Square feet project that was the cherry on top of a $240 million campus renovation program. This project was a mixed use, featuring a dormitory, classrooms, gymnasium, Olympic size pool, food court (marche), and more. KZF Design was the Architect of Record with Pritzker award-winning architect Thom Mayne of Morphsis. He also had the opportunity to be part of the team for the Zaha Hadid another Pritzker award wining Architect designed Rosenthal Contemporary Art Center in Cincinnati, OH.
He’s been at the helm of numerous hospitality projects, including the AC Marriott Hotel & Wyndham Worldmark Resort in Portland, Oregon, and more recently, a 1M SF Hotel Casino Project in Northern California.
Work on smaller projects has been a more hands on experience in mentoring junior staff. Working as a Senior Project Manager with the COAR Design Group, he was the Sr Project Manager on projects for the San Diego Humane Society Adoptions, master planning for their Escondido and Oceanside campuses, San Ramon Fire Department Training center, Encinitas Pacific View school, and the City of Newport Beach Junior Life Guard Training Center. He also led the firms Technical Standards team in developing technical manuals and building code evaluations of projects.
He is currently working for the San Diego International Airport on the New Terminal 1, phase 1A set to open early fall 2025 and phase 1B in 2028.
Haresh is a Registered Architect in the USA and a proud member of the American Institute of Architects. He’s also a certified Project Management Professional from the Project Management Institute, a gold standard for project management worldwide. His deep understanding of projects and the complexities of team coordination make him a valuable asset for any design or property development organization looking to take on a challenging infrastructure development program.
He is an avid photographer and is a member of the Professional Photographers of America. A link to his photographic works is located in the navigation panel.