NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Svigals + Partners, a full-service design and master planning firm known for its ability to tell a powerful story through the integration of figurative art in architecture, has elevated two senior level employees – Christopher Bockstael and Walter Chabla – from the position of project manager to associate principal.

The promotions are the result of a sustained growth path for the firm, which has built its employee base by more than 20 percent since January 2007 to serve a rapidly expanding client roster in four project areas: education, laboratory, corporate and master planning. 

“Chris and Walter are dedicated, talented professionals who have contributed unequivocally to the success of Svigals + Partners,” stated company partner, Robert Skolozdra. “They represent the next generation of leadership, understanding that innovative architectural design is a collective, interactive process that is both strategic and creative. We’re very pleased to provide them with the career recognition they so clearly deserve.”

Bockstael’s and Chabla’s enhanced responsibilities range from planning and direction of design creation to client satisfaction initiatives, new business and marketing development, strategic planning, and quality assurance programs.

Christopher J. Bockstael, AIA
Bockstael brings 15 years of architecture design and project management experience to his new position. Since joining Svigals + Partners in early 2004, he has overseen more than 50 projects, including multiple programs at Yale University, Yale School of Medicine and Yale New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Conn.; University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Conn.; Aetna, Hartford, Windsor and Middletown, Conn.; ESPN, Bristol, Conn.; and Manchester Community College, Manchester, Conn. His expertise runs the gamut from education, corporate and healthcare to hospitality, retail, municipal and residential.

Prior to his employment with Svigals + Partners, Bockstael served as senior architect, Ai Architecture, Essex, Conn.; as architect at Centerbrook Architects, Centerbrook, Conn.; and as staff designer at DuBose Associates, Hartford, Conn.

A member of the American Institute of Architects, he studied architecture and historic restoration at Roger Williams College, Bristol, R.I., and holds a degree in architecture from the New York Institute of Technology, New York, N.Y. He is the recipient of multiple professional awards for design excellence and has served as a guest juror for architecture programs at his alma mater as well as the University of Hartford, Hartford, Conn., and Paier College of Art, Hamden, Conn.

Bockstael resides in New Haven, Conn.

Walter L. Chabla, AIA
Chabla is a seasoned project manager with more than 30 years of domestic and international architectural design and construction administration experience. He joined Svigals + Partners in late 2006 and has since overseen a majority of the firm’s elementary school, high school and educational revitalization projects, including New Haven’s John S. Martinez School, Beecher Elementary School and Columbus Family Academy; Bridgeport Discovery Magnet School, Bridgeport, Conn.; and North Main Elementary School, Waterbury, Conn.

Previously, Chabla worked in various capacities for several organizations/architectural firms in Connecticut and New York City, including Yale University, New Haven, Conn., and Kohn Pedersen Fox, New York, N.Y. During those years, he completed projects for such high-profile clients as Unilever U.S.A., Englewood Cliffs, N.J.; Pratt & Whitney, East Hartford, Conn.; ABC Television Studios, New York, N.Y.; The St. Paul Companies, St. Paul, Minn.; and Telecom, Buenos Aires, Argentina. He began his career in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Chabla is a member of the American Institute of Architects and holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from The City College of New York, New York, N.Y. A native of Ecuador, he speaks fluent Spanish and is currently a resident of Stratford, Conn.

“We congratulate Walter and Chris on their promotion to associate principal,” said Barry Svigals, founder and managing partner, Svigals + Partners. “Both bring many years of design excellence, intellectual energy and creativity, and professional integrity to their respective teams. We consider them a tremendous asset to the firm and have every confidence in their ability to thrive in their new roles.”


Svigals + Partners, a full-service architectural design and master planning firm based in New Haven, Conn., is reviving figurative art in architecture and is bringing its beauty, relevance and distinction into the 21st century. Established in 1983, Svigals + Partners employs 27 and serves clients throughout the U.S., offering a complete range of architectural services from master planning, site selection and feasibility studies through design and construction. The company specializes in four project areas: education, laboratory, corporate and master planning. The firm is known for its original and imaginative integration of planning, design, sculpture and artwork. Managing Partner Barry Svigals was elevated to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) prestigious College of Fellows (FAIA) in 2007. Svigals was acknowledged for his significant contribution to the architecture profession, specifically for reawakening the tradition of enlivening buildings with hand-made sculptural artwork integrated with architecture. For more information, visit www.svigals.com.