Month: December 2012

Board Inaugural: 2012 President Joseph J. Aliotta, AIA

Event: 2013 AIA New York Board Inaugural
Location: Center for Architecture, 12.11.12
Speakers: Joseph J. Aliotta, AIA, LEED AP, 2012 AIANY President; Jill N. Lerner, FAIA, 2013 AIANY President
Remarks: Rick Bell, FAIA, AIANY Executive Director
Organizer: AIANY

What follows are adapted remarks from the 2013 Inaugural.

Looking back over the past year, I am proud and humbled by all that our Board and volunteers have done to enhance our advocacy profile, increase our membership, and expand the professional services offered at the Center for Architecture. Firstly, the entire region has suffered from the effects of Superstorm Sandy. The design community must take the lead on how to design for resiliency. Reconstruction is an ongoing process. Initiatives and information will continue to evolve. To keep abreast of the changes, please visit AIANY’s Sandy Recovery website. Continue reading “Board Inaugural: 2012 President Joseph J. Aliotta, AIA”

Board Inaugural: 2013 President Jill N. Lerner, FAIA

What follows are adapted remarks from the 2013 Inaugural.

Taking the helm of AIA New York is an honor, a challenge, and a responsibility. I stand on the shoulders of many great presidents who have come before, and am conscious of the great legacy of this, the founding Chapter, in particular. I thank my peers for selecting me, and my partners and family for supporting my efforts.

I would also like to recognize the incoming 2013 AIA New York Chapter Board. We had a lively retreat two weekends ago with an excellent exchange of ideas. I am excited to work with all of you. I would especially like to acknowledge 2013 President-Elect Lance Jay Brown, FAIA, co-founder of the Design for Risk and Recovery Committee, which will continue to be so central to the Chapter’s activities over the coming year. Continue reading “Board Inaugural: 2013 President Jill N. Lerner, FAIA”

New Projects in the New Hong Kong

Daniel Fox

Jill Lerner, FAIA, with Cesar Pelli, FAIA, in front of photographs by Chan Yiu Hung.

Sam Lahoz

Bill Pedersen, FAIA, speaking with Cesar Pelli, FAIA.

Sam Lahoz

(l-r) Denise de Alcantara-Hochbaum, Int’l Assoc. AIA; Jeff Kenoff, AIA, AIANY Global Dialogues Co-chair; Anita Chan, Director, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York; and Bruce Fisher, AIA, AIANY Global Dialogues Co-chair.

Sam Lahoz

The Asia Society model in the foreground, with Hysan Place in the background.

Sam Lahoz

(l-r) Anita Chan; Billie Tsien, AIA; Tod Williams, FAIA; Jill Lerner, FAIA; and William Louie, FAIA, after their remarks at the exhibition opening.

Sam Lahoz

Attendees look on during remarks.

Sam Lahoz

(l-r) Wendy Yang, Assoc. AIA, with Marvine Pierre, Assoc. AIA, at the opening.

Sam Lahoz

Event: Hong Kong at 15: Redefining the Public Realm – Opening Reception & Panel Discussion
Location: Center for Architecture, 12.10.12
Speakers: Joseph J. Aliotta, AIA; Christine Bruckner, FAIA; Anita Chan; Fred W. Clarke, FAIA; William C. Louie, FAIA; Cesar Pelli, FAIA; Jonathan D. Solomon, AIA; Anita Chan; Billie Tsien, AIA; Robert Whitlock, AIA; Tod Williams, FAIA; Clifford Pearson, Deputy Editor, Architectural Record (Panel Moderator)
Organizers: AIANY Global Dialogues Committee, AIA Hong Kong, and Asia Society Hong Kong
Exhibition Reception by: Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office, New York

Hong Kong can fuel aspirations as a gateway to China, a mix of Eastern and Western cultures, and dense fast-paced living. Wholesale infrastructure projects, acres of land reclamation, and mega-structures have been at work on the tiny island for years. The three projects included in “Hong Kong at 15: Redefining the Public Realm” are no exception and run the gamut from jewel-like to monolithic. Continue reading “New Projects in the New Hong Kong”

Pier Review

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg opens the playing fields at Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Rick Bell, FAIA

Soccer players on the field.

Rick Bell, FAIA

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg led a team of elected and appointed officials along with members of the Red Bull professional soccer organization to open the first active recreation component of Brooklyn Bridge Park. The mayor greeted the large crowd of spectators and reporters on hand for what he called a “good news” event on Thursday, December 13. “Where were you for the 16-ounce cup announcement?” he asked those assembled. Continue reading “Pier Review”

Section Through a Firm in Transition

Christian Wassmann, Int’l Assoc. AIA, presents at Axor NYC.

Eve Dilworth Rosen

Fibonacci Spiral

Christian Wassmann and threeASFOUR

Documenta

Christian Wassmann and Michael Portnoy

Documenta elevation

Christian Wassmann and Michael Portnoy

Event: Presentation by Christian Wassmann
Location: Axor NYC, 12.13.12
Speakers: Chris Leong, Assoc. AIA, and Philipp von Dalwig, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, Co-chairs, New Practices Committee; Christian Wassmann, Int’l Assoc. AIA, principal, Christian Wassmann
Organizers: New Practices Committee, AIA New York Chapter
Underwriters: Axor Hansgrohe; NRI
Patrons: Sure Iron Works; Thornton Tomasetti
Supporter: Samson Rope
Media Sponsor: The Architect’s Newspaper

Christian Wassmann, Int’l Assoc. AIA, is operating a studio in transition. Up to this point, his office has tackled the panoply of typologies traditionally associated with a young practice: temporary installations, apartment renovations, boutique commercial spaces, and competitions. However, buoyed by a recent series of prominent and successful small-scale projects, Wassmann appears poised on the cusp of his first major commission. Or perhaps something altogether less conventional awaits him… Continue reading “Section Through a Firm in Transition”

Opening School Designs

Graciously hosted by KPF, Umberto Dindo, FAIA, introduces Kazuhiro Kojima and Kazuko Akamatsu of Coelacanth and Associates.

Daniel Fox

(l-r) Rick Bell, FAIA; Catherine Teegarden, Center for Architecture Foundation; Umberto Dindo, FAIA; Kazuhiro Kojima; Kazuko Akamatsu; Jill Lerner, FAIA; and Margaret O’Donoghue Castillo, AIA, LEED AP

Daniel Fox

Event: A Japanese Lesson for Progressive School Design
Location: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, 10.31.12 (Rescheduled)
Speakers: Kazuhiro Kojima and Kazuko Akamatsu; Umberto Dindo, FAIA (Moderator)
Organizers: AIANY Committee on Architecture for Education
Sponsors: Okamura Corporation; Toto USA; Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership; Shuko Koike, Tokyo; and Center for Architecture Foundation

Dovetailing with the Center’s “Edgeless School” exhibition and series of accompanied programming, the Committee on Architecture for Education hosted Coelacanth and Associates Tokyo (CAt). Postponed due to the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy, the lecture was graciously hosted at Kohn Pedersen Fox’s office by Jill Lerner, FAIA, while the Center anxiously awaited the return of electricity. Partners Kazuhiro Kojima and Kazuko Akamatsu presented a handful of recent school projects for the small group who attended the intimate roundtable presentation. Continue reading “Opening School Designs”

Oculus Book Review: “Ezra Stoller, Photographer”

Ezra Stoller, Photographer
By Nina Rappaport, Erica Stoller, Andy Grundberg, Akiko Busch, and John Morris Dixon, FAIA; Yale University Press, 2012

“My father (1915-2004) was a storyteller,” extols Erica Stoller in the preface of Ezra Stoller, Photographer. “To explain the flow of space through a building, he spent a long time getting to know the project, following the sun from dawn to dusk even before setting up a camera.” With great aplomb this statement provides the reader access into the heart of Ezra Stoller, the artist and craftsman who produced more than 50,000 photographic images during his lifetime. Continue reading “Oculus Book Review: “Ezra Stoller, Photographer””

CFAF Grows in 2012, Announces New Adult Programs in 2013

Center for Architecture Foundation

2012 was major year of growth for the Center for Architecture Foundation (CFAF), which kicked off the year with its 20th Anniversary Celebration. The Foundation grew to add Alice Stryker as Development and Operations Coordinator; she was instrumental in launching the organization’s first annual drawing competition and benefit, Guess-A-Sketch. The architecture-themed Pictionary-style tournament featured Hugh Hardy, FAIA, Charles Renfro, AIA, Ronnette Riley, FAIA, and Robert Rogers, FAIA, as honoree sketchers, and Walter A. Hunt, Jr., FAIA, as emcee. Continue reading “CFAF Grows in 2012, Announces New Adult Programs in 2013”