Motomi Morii leads design-driven real estate.

Morii develops projects informed by thoughtful architecture, cultural memory, and long-term urban continuity. Her ongoing study of architectural techniques and contextual design languages informs environments grounded in place and cultural depth.

Her Story

Over nearly two decades in New York, Morii has overseen the delivery of high-capital residential and commercial projects.

Morii brings to each project the combined perspective of a trained architect, product designer, and project manager, along with a strong cultural fluency shaped by international experience. She has led complex projects involving executive stakeholders, global vendors, and cross-cultural teams, consistently aligning design intent with business and operational requirements.

Projects

The following projects represent work completed with The Georgetown Company and internationally recognized architecture firms, including Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA) and Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture. Each project is credited to the firm of record with which Morii was engaged at the time of the work.

  • Bonetti/Kozerski project. 11,000 SF triplex within Richard Meier’s glass curtain wall tower overlooking the Hudson River. Vertical organization structured around double-height living volumes and expansive glazing. Design upgrades included travertine floors, custom kitchen, custom fireplace, and custom furniture throughout the apartment.

  • Bonetti/Kozerski project in collaboration with Selldorf Architects. Adaptive reuse of a former film studio into a 12,000 SF private residence in the West Village. Design integrates contemporary systems and high-end finishes within the existing industrial shell.

  • RAMSA project. 300,000 SF ultra-luxury residential development occupying half a city block on Audley Square. A Georgian-inspired composition in hand-set Portland stone, articulated with colonnades, porticoes, and finely scaled fenestration.

    Twenty-four residences are organized around a central garden, with a multi-level basement integrating pool, spa, and amenity spaces.

  • RAMSA project. 356,000 SF mixed-use residential development on a former industrial site in the South End, sponsored by Related Beal.

    Program integrates 273 residential units, retail frontage, and a three-level below-grade parking structure.

  • Bonetti/Kozerski project. A historic 40-foot-wide Neo-Georgian mansion widely known as the "Muppet Mansion". Renovation featured a two-story library, ensuite bedrooms and private spa.

  • Bonetti/Kozerski project. 215,000 SF adaptive reuse of a 1928 industrial building by Cass Gilbert. Intervention retains the structural frame while inserting vertically stacked academic programs within a reconfigured envelope. New circulation, loft-style study rooms, and a rooftop gymnasium redefine the building as a contemporary educational environment in the heart of the city.

  • Georgetown Company project. Office-to-hotel conversion at 10 Rockefeller Plaza. 130 key ultra-luxury hotel for Aspen Skiing Company. Project includes restaurant, spa, private club, and retail. Design by Thierry Despont.

  • Bonetti/Kozerski project. Renovation of a mid-century coastal residence into a restrained, minimalist retreat.

  • Georgetown Company Project. Renovation of 500,000 SF office building into a hotel. The 481 key hotel includes ballrooms, wellness suites, and food/beverage venues. Design by Champalimaud.

  • RAMSA project. 18-story residential building with a classically derived massing and setback profile.

    Façade composed of limestone and hand-laid brick, with articulated openings and ornamental detailing. Thirty-one residences supported by integrated amenity spaces. Sponsored by Alchemy Properties.

  • Georgetown Company project. 12-acre mixed-use campus with 380,000 SF 5-story repurposed workspace, hotel and retail. The main building features a mass timber overbuild that adds two stories of sustainable wood framing. Design by S9 Architecture.

  • RAMSA project. ~200,000 SF waterfront residential development sponsored by The Related Companies and Boston Properties.

    Massing and façade composition mediate between the historic industrial fabric and the openness of the waterfront, establishing a calibrated urban edge and new public-facing frontage.

Background

Motomi Morii grew up in Nara, Japan, where eighth-century temples, an ancient city master plan, and unlogged sacred forests formed the landscape of her childhood. To inhabit a place that has sustained its built environment for over thirteen centuries is to understand early on what endurance in design requires.

That foundation has shaped everything that followed. Morii pursued her education at ESAG Penninghen in Paris and the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture in Helsinki, earning dual Master’s degrees and developing a cross-disciplinary approach that moves between architecture, art history, and manufacturing. Her early professional years were spent in Antwerp, Belgium and Fiskars, Finland, working on residential and commercial renovations as well as furniture design.

Experience

The Georgetown Company

2023 – Current | New York City

At Georgetown, Morii brings a strategic focus on asset transformation, repositioning complex, large-scale properties into high-performing products. Her approach bridges design intent with disciplined execution across high-profile projects, ensuring that vision translates effectively into built outcomes. Her role integrates closely with executive leadership, legal, finance, and construction teams, as well as external architecture and design partners, to coordinate decision-making and maintain project momentum. She serves as the primary liaison to clients and stakeholders, managing expectations while advancing the project’s design objectives.

F R O M Architecture

2018 – 2023 | New York City

Co-founded and led a boutique design practice specializing in residential interiors and high-street retail renovations across the New York metropolitan market.

Robert A.M. Stern Architects

2013–2018 | New York City

As a senior architectural designer, Morii contributed to a portfolio of landmark ultra-luxury residential and mixed-use developments, supporting the design and delivery of high-profile ground-up projects across New York, Boston, and London. Her work spanned concept and design development, advancing design intent across multiple phases while coordinating with internal teams and consultants. Within these projects, she was involved in shaping architectural language, developing detailed design solutions, and ensuring continuity between concept vision and technical execution.

Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture

2009–2013 | New York City

As an Architectural Designer, Morii contributed to the design of high-profile projects across luxury residential, hospitality, institutional, and retail typologies in New York City. Engaged from early concept through construction documentation, she was responsible for architectural layouts and technical detailing, visualization, and the coordination of custom millwork and furniture design and fabrication.