“My path to architecture started long before I even knew what the word meant,” says Jorge Mastropietro. Raised in Buenos Aires by a structural engineer father and artist mother, his earliest memories involve sketching on blueprints and walking construction sites. “Through my father, I learned to look at buildings not simply as objects but as things made by people, structures with an internal logic that are assembled piece by piece.”

Because architecture became his primary way of understanding the world, choosing the profession felt like a natural calling. After establishing a practice in Argentina, he moved to the United States at age 30.

In New York, he worked on massive international projects at Rafael Viñoly Architects. “I came to consider Rafael not just an employer but a true mentor who taught me the language of practicing architecture at an entirely different scale,” Mastropietro says. “He reinforced that architecture requires relentless curiosity. You have to question the obvious answer. Sometimes it simply means staring at a drawing for an unreasonable amount of time until it finally tells you what needs to be created.”

Design Into Development

Driven by a strong need to build something of his own, he founded Jorge Mastropietro Architects (JMA) in 2008, with the goal to merge design, technical knowledge, and real estate development. “Sitting on the other side of the table completely changed my perspective,” he notes. “I realized that great architecture and great development can, and must, work hand in hand. Understanding development taught me that good design and economic reality do not have to be enemies.”

Mastropietro is currently putting this philosophy to work in West Orange with the creation of Leon Marketplace. The project, which reclaims a suburban intersection for pedestrians, marks JMA’s first venture outside its typical dense urban footprint. “We focused heavily on the corner situation, bringing the building right up to the street edge to anchor the intersection and act as a visual landmark,” he explains. “We are basically replacing a ‘dead zone’ with continuous, safe sidewalks; transparent glass entrances; and a dynamic kinetic facade that reflects street life and makes the building feel alive.”

Informed, Sustainable Projects

Operating between Argentine and American environments has profoundly shaped Mastropietro’s approach, particularly regarding sustainability. For him, true sustainable design goes beyond green materials; it traces back to his childhood in a traditional casa chorizo in Buenos Aires. “The architecture itself did the work,” he recalls of his former 19th-century home. “The thick mud-brick walls provided exceptional natural insulation. The high ceilings, anchored by small brick vaults beneath a raised metal roof, allowed warm air to rise and escape.”

Today, Mastropietro applies this ancient, vernacular intelligence—or practical, place-based knowledge—through modern Passive House principles, which focus on ultra-low energy usage. “The design choices that make the biggest difference without compromising beauty are those that work with nature rather than fighting it,” he says. “Sustainable design, at its core, is about protecting the health and happiness of the people living there.”

To achieve this, he relies on a holistic, multidisciplinary approach, integrating ancient traditions and modern neuroarchitecture. “We need to integrate these traditions to design around how human beings actually think, feel, and thrive,” he says. “When someone steps into a space I’ve designed, I don’t want them thinking about codes or construction metrics. I want them to experience an immediate emotional downshift. I want them to feel that the space was intentionally crafted to protect their primal physical needs while nourishing their soul.”

Welcome Influences

While architecture demands functional rigor, when it comes to creating other forms of art, Mastropietro finds pure, unconstrained expression in ceramics and painting. “Working with clay gives me an intimate, tactile connection to the earth,” he says. “Because it’s a natural material, it carries an energy that returns that grounding feeling right back to you.”

He views his diverse output as a direct reflection of his upbringing. “I learned the rigor and structural logic of architecture from my father,” he says, “but I learned everything about art, passion, and soul from my mother, who is an artist and still creates beautiful paintings today at 88 years old. In every project I touch, I am simply bringing those two gifts together.”

This balance of passion and pragmatism extends to his life in Short Hills, where he lives with his husband, Mark, who recently embraced a new creative chapter in musical cabaret, and their sons, Kael and Kiano. While fatherhood hasn’t changed how he designs, it has profoundly shifted his perspective on resilience. Recalling a moment of exhaustion while taking his licensing exams, it was the thought of the example he was setting for his newborn son that pushed him to persevere. “My kids taught me to stop living in fear, to realize that past fears are just stepping stones we learn from, and future fears are completely unknown,” he says.

After 35 years as an accomplished architect who has practiced all over the world, Mastropietro continues to be inspired. “I still feel the exact same fire I felt at 18 when I walked into architecture school in Buenos Aires for the very first time,” he says. “If I had to do it all over again, I would choose every single step, ups and downs included.”

Photograph courtesy of Jorge Mastropietro