Mike Balaban is a strategist, real-estate executive, and trained architect who brings a rare dual fluency in design and development to his role as Managing Director of Winstanley Architects & Planners. Armed with graduate degrees in both architecture and business, he orchestrates the firm’s planning, operations, business development, and strategic positioning, ensuring that creative ambition is matched by financial and operational rigor. His responsibilities span early market reconnaissance, contract negotiation, resource allocation, risk management, and long-range growth initiatives.
Mike began his professional journey determined to practice architecture, earning his license and designing award-winning mixed-use projects in Philadelphia. Yet an early opportunity to evaluate investments for an institutional landlord altered his trajectory. Over the next two decades he rose to president of a nationally ranked development company, stewarding more than $3 billion in public-private projects and mastering the mechanics of capital markets, entitlements, and complex deal structures. That detour equipped him with an insider’s grasp of what makes projects financeable and buildable—expertise he now channels back into the studio, where he translates economic realities into design opportunities.
During the last thirty years Mike has assembled and led multidisciplinary teams for commercial, residential, institutional, and infrastructure ventures along the Northeast Corridor and throughout the Mid-Atlantic.
His project list ranges from boutique condominium conversions to two-million-square-foot, phased, transit-oriented districts funded by global equity. Whether guiding adaptive-reuse mandates in Boston’s Innovation District, negotiating community-benefit agreements in Philadelphia, or repositioning historic campuses in Washington, he insists that thoughtful design remains the primary driver of long-term value. Clients, investors, and municipalities alike rely on his ability to reconcile pro-forma targets with architectural aspiration and civic responsibility.
At Winstanley, Mike translates this experience into organizational advantage. He partners with the design leadership to shape pursuit strategies, negotiate partnerships, and implement governance systems that keep projects on time and on budget. His commitment to integrated delivery has helped the firm expand its interdisciplinary reach into hospitality and large-scale waterfront planning while maintaining the boutique culture clients value. Based in Washington, DC, he remains active throughout Boston, Philadelphia, and New York, and his extensive study of global precedents continues to inform the firm’s approach to infill, transit-oriented development, and the revitalization of historic neighborhoods. He is a widely sought-after speaker at industry conferences and workshops, sharing lessons on unlocking capital for design-driven projects and fostering project cultures.
Education
Master of Architecture,
Harvard University
MBA,
Wharton School of Management
Contact
Mike Balaban
Managing Director
Mike Balaban dreamed of being an architect as a kid in Philadelphia, and with conviction, he set off to obtain his degree, his license and a job designing buildings. Soon, while walking in the proverbial yellow wood, Mike took the road not taken and ended up with an MBA and the head of a major development organization for twenty years. Full Bio
Leejung Hong LEED AP
Principal
Leejung Hong LEED AP tackles both architecture and planning assignments with a vengeance. Clients love her organizational skills and have basically just resigned themselves to do what she says.
Full Bio
Michael Winstanley AIA
Design Director
Michael Winstanley AIA leads the office creatively. He has won numerous design awards in architecture interiors and planning. His work has been widely published. Mr. Winstanley has been responsible for over 20 design awards from professional organizations.
Full Bio
George Eisenberger AIA LEED AP
Principal
George Eisenberger AIA LEED AP is very knowledgeable of building technology and project management protocols. He leads the technical compliance and quality assurance program for the firm.
Full Bio