Month: March 2016

Editor’s Note

CORRECTIONS: In Oculus Spring 2016, “A Win-Win for Rockefeller University” (pg. 24), the names of George Candler, Rockefeller University associate vice president for planning and construction, and Timothy O’Conner, chief-of-staff and vice president for university strategy and research operations, were misspelled. We apologize for the errors.

Also, “In Print” (pg. 40), the review of Slow Manifesto referred to “the late Kevin Roche.” We are delighted to report that Mr. Roche is alive and well – and regret the error.

Back to School

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of visiting a group of young New Yorkers who explained to me how the details they crafted on a historic South Street Seaport building were architectural clues to its former life as a fish market. This exchange took place not at a Landmarks Committee hearing, but in a second–grade classroom at PS 1, a Title One school in Chinatown that is part of New York City’s Community Learning Schools network. The Center for Architecture has worked with the school since 2011 through Learning By Design:NY, our in-school residency program that uses the interdisciplinary study of architecture and design to enrich the K-12 curriculum with a series of hands-on workshops that put students in the role of designers.  Continue reading “Back to School”

New Fellows Honored for Professional and Public Good

On 03.16.16, AIA New York recognized 18 new AIA Fellows who belong to the AIANY Chapter, and 3 from other chapters in AIA New York State. They are among the 149 fellows inducted into the AIA College of Fellows in 2016. The 2016 New York Fellows are:

Donald R. Blair, FAIA, Blair + Mui Dowd Architects, PC
Margaret O’Donoghue Castillo, FAIA, LEED AP, NYC Department of Design and Construction
Charles Besjak, FAIA, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP
Gilbert Delgado, FAIA, Cornell University
Nicole M. Dosso, FAIA, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP
Martin J. Finio, FAIA, LEED, NCARB, Christoff Finio Architecture
Kelly M. Hayes-McAlonie, FAIA, University at Buffalo, Capital Planning Group
Alexander Lamis, FAIA, Robert A.M. Stern Architects
Victor A. Mirontschuk, FAIA, EDI International PC
Jeffrey A. Murphy, FAIA, Murphy Burnham & Buttrick, LLP
Stuart M. Narofsky, FAIA, Narofsky Architecture
Ann Rolland, FAIA, LEED, FXFOWLE Architects, LLP
William S. Ryall, Jr., FAIA, Ryall Porter Sheridan Architects, PC
Michael M. Samuelian, FAIA, Related Companies
Kimberly Sheppard, FAIA, Gabellini Sheppard Associates, LLP
James J. Slade, FAIA, LEED AP, Slade Architecture
Allen Swerdlowe, FAIA, d7architects
Douglas A. Tilden, FAIA, URS Corporation
Gregory T. Waugh, FAIA, Perkins+Will
Don Weinreich, FAIA, Ennead Architects LLP
Daniel E. Wood, FAIA, LEED, WORK Architecture Company Continue reading “New Fellows Honored for Professional and Public Good”

Big News on the Zoning Front: City Council Passes ZQA

On 03.22.16, the New York City Council voted to approve the NYC Department of City Planning’s (DCP) Zoning for Quality and Affordability (ZQA) and Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) proposals with modifications. Since introducing ZQA and MIH, DCP has worked with Council Members, community groups, and professionals to appropriately adapt the plan to specific neighborhood needs. Together, these changes will facilitate the production of necessary affordable housing throughout NYC and encourage better design.

Over the past year, AIANY has provided technical feedback on ZQA, hosted public programs and charrettes on the topic, and publicly supported the proposal. Our previous statements are available here. Continue reading “Big News on the Zoning Front: City Council Passes ZQA”

Oculus Quick Take: Street Smart: The Rise of Cities and the Fall of Cars

On 02.08.16, Miguel Angel Baltierra, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, interviewed Sam Schwartz, president and CEO of Sam Schwartz Engineering and author of Street Smart: The Rise of Cities and the Fall of Cars, published by Public Affairs Books and reviewed by Annie Coggan in the 02.24.16 issue of e-Oculus. Listen to the interview here.

New Deadlines

2016 Oculus Editorial Calendar
The Oculus 2016 Editorial Calendar has been set. If you are an architect in practice or by training or see yourself as an astute observer of New York’s architectural and planning scene, Oculus wants to hear from you! You may submit projects/topics from anywhere, but architects must be New York-based. Please submit story ideas by the deadlines indicated below to Kristen Richards, Hon. AIA, Hon. ASLA: kristen@ArchNewsNow.com

Fall: Tech in the City
Why cutting-edge industry loves older buildings. How technology businesses transform neighborhoods and the city at large. Adaptive Reuse & Interiors.
Deadline for story ideas: 05.16.16

Winter: Preservation & Reinvention / Rethinking Preservation / Preservation & Urbanism / Preservation Today
Projects with a unique take on history and how to reconcile it with contemporary needs. Focus on daylight and natural ventilation as city becomes more dense; historic preservation as zoning tool; quality vs. scale. Is city preserving too much in historic districts?
Deadline for story ideas: 08.19.16 Continue reading “New Deadlines”

Sighted

03.10.16: The speakers of the AIANY Global Dialogues program “H2O: Ceremony, Control, Conservation,” explored the historic, ceremonial, spiritual, economic, and environmental connections between water and architecture in various contexts. (l-r) Carolina Salguero, Founder and Director, Portside New York; Stephanie Goldberg, AIA, LEED AP, Principal, Lab Architect Group; Richard Roark, ASLA, LEED AP BD+C, Partner, Olin Studio; Roland Lewis, CEO, Waterfront Alliance; Anthony Acciavatti, Partner, Somatic Collective; and Archie Lee Coates IV, Principal, PlayLab. Continue reading “Sighted”