ABOUT US
Since 2008, FANTÁSTICA has specialized in revitalizing underutilized spaces across the globe from Guatemala City to our home in Brooklyn. We believe placemaking design should revolve around the unique character of an area, its surroundings, and the people who frequent it. It is not a one size fits all method, but rather a ground up process that incorporates the voices of local stakeholders to ensure an authentic, resonant end result.
COMMUNITY FIRST
From our early days working to revitalize critical public spaces in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn, we learned that community development supports an important transformation in the minds of the people who use a space, not simply in the space itself. That is why we strive in all our projects to bring together diverse stakeholders to envision and develop what is possible.
DESIGN MATTERS…AND SO DOES PRAGMATISM
For every design project we take on, FANTÁSTICA develops holistic interventions that incorporate and enhance an area’s own unique assets and character, while also considering the practical realities of implementation. As such, we specialize in modular “toolkits” that allow the greatest flexibility to adapt them within today’s ever-changing urban spaces. Some of our activations utilize a full suite of tools, while others may deploy just one element, such as a Street Seat or bike parking pod. Over the years we’ve perfected our designs and often work with local fabricators to source and refine top-quality materials, which give our products a better look, ease of installation, and sustained durability.
NOT JUST A DESIGN STUDIO
Through our partner real estate development firm, TOTEM, we also offer urban design and economic development services to BIDs, municipalities, and the private sector.
J. Manuel Mansylla
Founding Principal
J. Manuel Mansylla (manman) founded design studio FANTÁSTICA in 2008 specializing in transformative projects to revitalize underutilized assets and unlock economic potential.
As an urban designer at the forefront of a trend to create effective public spaces through rapid, agile transformation, he rose to early success in his home country of Guatemala, where he was tapped to lead an innovative project to revitalize a neglected area of Guatemala City into a contemporary art and tech hub. Working together with both the public and private sector in the creation of the region’s first “special districts,” the project helped transform the area’s brand identity, land use, and public space strategy. Today, Cuatro Grados Norte, is one of the most vibrant destinations in the country, and has one of the highest concentrations of new buildings going up in all of Guatemala City.
Highlights since FANTÁSTICA’s founding include the creation of the first New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) public plaza in Dumbo’s Pearl Street Triangle, development of the citywide standard for DOT Street Seats with locations in Downtown Brooklyn, Park Slope, Hudson Yards, and East New York; the design of Downtown Brooklyn’s popular holiday lights display; and design of the outdoor spaces for the Dumbo Heights development in the Brooklyn Tech Triangle.
He graduated cum laude with a B.A. and M.A. in Architecture from the Universidad Francisco Marroquin in Guatemala, where he received the department’s highest distinctions for his thesis on Cuatro Grados Norte, as well as an M.S. in Urban Design from Columbia University. In 2005, he was named one of the best Guatemalan architects under 40. He is an accomplished contemporary artist, passionate about working toward a self-sustainable world, and an avid barefoot marathon runner.