Schenectady has a new rising star, and within a relatively short period of time, it has become a shooting star. Synthesis Architects LLP on Jay Street in Schenectady appears to have a clear vision of where it wants to go and is working aggressively at making that vision a reality. The team of architects just celebrated its 10th year as a business in Schenectady. Within the last year its staff has doubled and it is up to its drafting tables with big money jobs.

The Jay Street office of Synthesis Architects is housed in an older building that has been renovated. The interior office was designed by the firm. Partners John Senisi, Michael Szemansco and the most recent addition, landscape architect Richard Eats, have a unique commitment not only to their work but to the community in which they live and do business. Mayor Al Jurczynski said Synthesis is very much involved in the community. “They seem to have their ear to the ground and know what is going on,” he said. “Because of that, they get in on the ground floor.”

“John [Senisi] invested in downtown when it wasn’t trendy to invest in downtown. Now it is becoming fashionable,” Jurczynski said. The mayor cited the recent investments made in Schenectady by Omni Development Co. Inc. of Albany and Rye, Westchester County, and the Rotterdam-based Galesi Group. “These are developers traditionally investing in Albany.”

With the redevelopment of Schenectady still in its infancy, Synthesis Architects is tapping into what it sees as incredible potential for growth, not only for the firm but also for the city. The enthusiasm of this partnership flows into the firm’s relationships with city officials.

George Robertson, president of Schenectady Economic Development Corp., the economic developer for the County, can’t say enough about the firm. “One, we deal with them on a professional basis and we hear nothing but outstanding reports regarding their quality of work and their attention to detail,” he said. “Two, from a community standpoint, there is not another firm around that has donated more time and services than Synthesis in the last five years.”

Robertson is quick to point out that others also have donated their services, but none to the degree that Synthesis has.

“Synthesis did all the Schenectady 2000 concept work pro-bono. It is that work which got us the $5 million from Gov. Pataki and Sen. Farley for downtown redevelopment. Their commitment to this community is incredible,” he said.

From making sure they are involved in various aspects of the development process to ensuring a top-quality design, the owners have input on virtually everything produced in the office.

Eats, the new partner, thinks that what sets Synthesis apart is the personality of the firm. The principals take a hands-on approach when it comes to each job. “They work with the project from day one,” he said. “They present, they draft, we do everything.” Eats previously was a founder and principal and of The Environmental Design Partnership, an engineering and landscape architecture firm in Clifton Park, and a city planner for Schenectady.

Milton Mitchell, commissioner of public works and city engineer for Schenectady, agrees that Synthesis is very supportive of the community both in time and effort, whether they are getting paid or not.

“They are willing to work around the clock to meet tight time constraints. Recently, we had to put together an MVP [Health Plan] proposal within a week and it required a great deal of extra effort on the part of Synthesis to get the proposal out on time,” Mitchell said. “They worked one night right through to the next morning. There is just a lot of effort on their part to make sure things get done. The quality of their work, their renderings, is Class A.”

Partner Senisi believes that their committed and talented staff is one of the forces behind the success of the firm. “We are really able to trust the work to them, and we have a system that helps keep us informed on the projects,” he said. With weekly project scheduling meetings and careful screening of prospective employees, the leadership of this firm is not taking anything for chance.

“At times, we have been understaffed and we work long hours because we are trying to get the right mix and not just fill the office with warm bodies,” said Szemansco, the third partner. Nevertheless, within the last year the firm’s staff has doubled, with 20 on the current payroll and more office renovations under way to allow for expansion.

Senisi and Szemansco started the firm in 1989. In college, Senisi had no idea he was going to become an architect. He was an art and English major with a specialty in Shakespeare. His wife, Ellen, helped him figure out where his true talent lay. Senisi went back to school to study architecture at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and now has 20 years’ experience in the profession.

Szemansco, on the other hand, knew from childhood what he wanted to be. “I always enjoyed building things. I loved it,” he said. “To take something from the beginning and bring it to its completion is very satisfying.” Szemansco, with 15 years’ experience, said that to be a successful architect, you need to be flexible and be able to work with your clients in establishing appropriate budgets and building designs.

He thinks impediments can be opportunities. “The art is making the best out of the conditions you are working within,” Szemansco said. “If we don’t look at the projects that way, you end up turning out mediocre architecture.”

Currently, the firm is working with Union College to renovate some recent acquisitions in the Seward Place area of Schenectady. The college is beginning to bring its campus more into downtown through the purchase of 38 dwellings to use for student housing. Synthesis is involved in the renovation of a number of those homes.

A multi-discipline firm, Synthesis is also expanding its areas of expertise. With the recent addition of Eats, landscape architecture now is a part of what is becoming a one-stop-shop approach to architecture. Synthesis also does interior design.

“We wanted to round out the firm, to have control over the entire appearance of a project from the outside to the inside,” Szemansco said. While they don’t pick out curtains and vases, the staff does choose colors, commercial furnishings, lighting and carpeting. The firm also specializes in code evaluations, construction management, residential design along with site planning and what the firm is fast becoming known for: urban design.

Some of the projects recently completed by Synthesis are the $1.5 million design of the Cancer Center at Albany Medical Center, and the $1.5 million renovation of the Schenectady Day Nursery, one of the oldest continuing day care facilities in Schenectady. The design of the Central Park Pavilion in Schenectady was donated by Synthesis and won the 1994 American Institute of Architects award.

Szemansco believes that donating services helps to cultivate working relationships. “We have developed several projects that many would have seen as ’pie in the sky’ kind of ideas, such as the State Street streetscape. We were instrumental in getting it started,” he said. Senisi credits the Schenectady 2000 program and the State Street streetscape project with helping to speed up the master plan for downtown. Hunter Interests, Inc. of Baltimore, is overseeing the redevelopment of downtown Schenectady. Synthesis has been chosen as a subcontractor for the project.

“Bringing the city back is truly exciting. I grew up here and I can see resurgence. I want to be a part of that,” Eats said.

It appears that Schenectady has a committed advocate in Synthesis Architects — one that just may go the distance in making a vision Schenectady’s future reality.”