Barnycz Group - Design Alliance

BARNYCZ GROUP

Some places are built to function.
Others are built to be remembered.

The Barnycz Group specializes in the latter. From the reflective serenity of Millennium Park in Chicago to the futuristic spectacle of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, they create environments that don’t just fill space—they bring it to life.

Design Alliance has had the privilege of supporting that vision, helping shape branded experiences that anchor memory to place. Our collaboration spans continents and cultures, from the high-energy pulse of Times Square to the curated calm of Doha Qatar’s new downtown. Each project asks a different version of the same question: How do you build a space that people don’t just walk through, but feel a part of?

At the Marriott Marquee in Times Square, where thousands of eyes look up every hour, we helped redefine what those eyes see. Working with Barnycz, we redesigned the facade and the new 330-foot-wide, 80-foot-tall digital screen, changing the face of Times Square forever. For the Coca-Cola tower in Times Square, we developed concepts designed not just to advertise but to enchant. We brought Harry Potter to Times Square with an experience across 12 screens and a 200-foot-tall video tower.

In Dubai, our ideation work supported the Opera House placemaking experience at the Burj, while in Qatar, we contributed to the city-wide storytelling of Msheireb Downtown Doha—a bold attempt to reimagine what urban life can look like in the desert.

Just outside of Dallas, Texas, we helped Barnycz Group bring to life Grandscape—Warren Buffett’s ambitious vision of a 433-acre lifestyle destination. Here, design meets scale in a way few projects attempt. We designed an iconic 35-foot light sculpture that anchors the project, layered with nine digital art pieces that flow across its LED surface. Nearby, we designed a permanent 55-foot bandshell for concerts and live performances—an architectural invitation to gather, celebrate, and be moved.

But Grandscape’s innovation didn’t stop with structures. For its network of digital screens, we developed a library of original branded content and video art, designed to offer calm and wonder. These quiet moments of artistry helped shape a space people feel drawn to again and again. In 2021, the project was awarded “World’s Most Innovative Retail and Entertainment Project” at the RLI Awards in London—a recognition not just of visual impact, but of thoughtfulness.

In Cleveland, we helped reimagine another kind of spectacle: the Playhouse Square theater district. Playhouse Square is the second-largest performing arts center in the U.S., behind only Broadway—and for generations, it’s been the cultural heartbeat of the city. But it needed something more than nostalgia. It needed a new way to shine.

Working with Barnycz, we designed a suite of outdoor amenities that turned the district itself into a stage. Gateway arches span four city streets. Rooftop signage harkens back to a golden era of entertainment. Themed video kiosks line the sidewalks like modern-day ushers. A 23-foot video tower draws the eye. And suspended above Euclid Avenue is the district’s crown jewel: a 20-foot outdoor chandelier, sparkling with ambition and artistry.

We didn’t stop with the physical forms. We also designed and produced a comprehensive media library of branded video content for the Playhouse Square screen network—storytelling in motion, tailored to reflect the district’s vibrant identity.

In 2023, the Barnycz Group engaged us again—this time to redesign six major theater marquees throughout Playhouse Square. The existing ones were put up in the 1970s, and the district was ready for something more than an update. It was time for reinvention.

Our approach combined reverence with boldness. Each marquee was designed to feel both modern and timeless—celebratory without being ostentatious, iconic without being cliché. Alongside the physical redesign, we developed a synchronized three-minute video experience called “Marquee Moments,” which plays across every screen in the district, transforming ordinary minutes into extraordinary ones.

That September, the new marquees premiered before a crowd of 10,000 people. Streets were closed. Bands played. The city gathered. And for one luminous evening, Cleveland felt like the center of the creative universe.

These are the moments we live for. Not just the milestones or the awards—but the sparks. The feeling of something clicking into place. Of people looking up and seeing not just light or signage, but possibility.