Rafael Viñoly Architects was founded in New York in 1983, and has since become known internationally for its architectural and planning projects around the globe. The firm maintains headquarters in New York with branch offices in London, Manchester, and Abu Dhabi, in addition to project offices in Palo Alto and Boston. The unusually diverse work the firm has completed includes award-winning courthouses, museums, performing arts centers, convention centers, athletic facilities, banks, hotels, hospitals, laboratories, recreational venues, residential complexes, and commercial, industrial and educational facilities. Projects range in scale from laboratory casework to large urban commercial and institutional master plans. The firm has also completed several projects involving the restoration and expansion of buildings of significant historical and architectural value. The practice's atelier design intelligence coupled with the capabilities of a large, multi-disciplinary firm produces appropriate, creative responses to program requirements. Intensive research and informed evaluation lead to a variety of design and technical alternatives. These innovations and refinements often result in buildings that function measurably beyond client expectations.