WHO WE ARE
Ground Up is a multidisciplinary creative studio, specializing in the built environment. We partner with leaders in real estate development, architecture, proptech, and the metaverse to tell compelling stories, bring value to communities, and achieve cultural and economic goals.
Our approach is grounded in history, art, and research, and always conceived through a local and contextual lens.
We are based in New York City.
WHAT WE DO
STRATEGY
Every groundbreaking idea has a story to tell. Ground Up works with teams to craft the positioning, narrative, and overarching strategy necessary to achieve your goals. Our solutions are always grounded in research, context, and macrotrends, and tailored to your vision.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
Ground Up can expertly guide the design of your built project. We have in-house capacity to direct architectural, urban, interior, and landscape design projects, and oversee design documentation from concept to construction.
BRAND IDENTITY
Your aesthetic, tone, and digital presence are the first impression made on your audience. Ground Up partners with you to shape a unique, relevant, and boundary-pushing visual identity. We aim for timeless, unexpected, and emotional.
COMMUNICATIONS
From partnerships to activations, Ground Up brings the built environment to life. We have a long track record of organizing groups around an idea or event to create meaningful and long lasting impressions.
Karen Zabarsky is the Founder and Principal of Ground Up.
She has built a career spearheading ground-up projects. Prior to founding Ground Up, Zabarsky spent six years as the Head of Design and Branding for Kushner, one the largest real estate development firms in New York City. She was named one of the 2021 Crain’s New York Top Marketing and Public Relations Professionals, and was recently published on Propmodo and 6sqft.
In 2015, Zabarsky co-founded a pro bono advocacy proposal, the Tanks at Bushwick Inlet Park. She assembled and led a world-renowned design team, and drove design direction and community outreach. Prior, Zabarsky cut her teeth on the business development teams for architecture firms SHoP Architects and STUDIO V Architecture.
Zabarsky was born in Tel Aviv, Israel and raised in Dallas, Texas.
