In his career, Carlos Zapata has amassed an extremely varied portfolio of award winning projects. After receiving his Bachelor of Architecture from Pratt Institute and his Masters of Architecture from Columbia University, he began his architecture career in New York City. Prior to opening his own office, Carlos Zapata Design Studio in 1991 in Miami Beach, he served most notably as Design Director and Vice President of Ellerbe Becket’s New York office., where he and his design team were the recipients of 11 New York Chapter AIA Awards and one National AIA Design Award. Upon opening his own office, his first completed project, a corporate interiors for an international investment company, won a National AIA Award.

During his career, Carlos has designed skyscrapers including the 68-story Bitexco Financial Tower in Ho Chi Minh City, which among other awards, was named one of the 20 most iconic skyscrapers in the world by CNN; multi-purpose arenas: the award winning 62,000 seat Chicago Bears Stadium; airport concourses: Concourse J at Miami International Airport, the recipient of the 2008 National AIA Merit Award, ultra luxury residential towers, including the upcoming Turnberry Ocean Club in Miami and the recently completed Sculptura Ardmore in
Singapore; hotels: Standard East in New York City and the award winning JW Marriott in Hanoi, and mixed use projects around the world.

Most recently, CZS has begun construction on the High Tech Tower, in Luanda, Angola, a 700,000 square foot mixed use, two tower complex, as well the expansion to and renovation of Aventura Mall in Miami, one of the most successful retail malls in the United States.

Carlos was selected by AD 100 as one of the 100 most important designers and architects by Architectural Digest in 2004; “30 Under 30”, a special feature and traveling exhibit,; and 40 Under 40, by Interior Design Magazine. His projedts have been selected for two recent Biennales — Bitexco Financial Tower and the JW Marriott in Hanoi, were selected for includion in Biennale XIV in Venice, Italy, and the Chicago Bears Stadium, which won an International Works Award at the Biennale XII, Buenos Aires.

He has held teaching positions throughout his career, most recently at Northeastern University in Boston. He previously taught design classes at New York Institute of Technology, Parsons School of Design, University of Miami, and the University of Florida at Tallahassee, Miami Studio.