Kobi Karp

Karp’s name is all over Miami, from single-family homes and condo buildings to mixed-use complexes. He founded his namesake architecture and design firm in 1996, carving out a niche “as someone who is consistent, reliable and always competitively priced,” South Florida condo market expert Peter Zalewski once told the Miami Herald. “From a developer’s perspective, that’s what they’re looking for.”

Karp’s firm designs single-family homes, condo towers, hotels and more. His projects include the Host Hotels & Resorts-owned 1 Hotel South Beach, a 1969-built property he redesigned in 2012 under developers Richard LeFrak and Barry Sternlicht.  

The Israeli-born architect immigrated to the United States in 1974, moving with his family to Minneapolis and to Miami in 1988. He lives in Miami Beach with wife Nancy Karp, with whom he shares sons Jordan and Aden Karp. Nancy is a real estate investor and Jordan runs his own brokerage. Kobi Karp-designed projects include the Four Seasons Residences at the Surf Club, the oceanfront condo-hotel complex he partnered with Pritzker Prize-winning architect Richard Meier to design.

Karp has been known to call his competitors who were previously designing projects he takes on to get their blessing, Nancy once told The Real Deal. It’s a courtesy that is not always given to him. 

— Kate Hinsche