On 09.08.17, the AIANY Architecture Dialogue Committee hosted another evening of incisive architectural discussion and criticism as part of its continuing “Cocktails and Conversation” series. The guests speakers, Peter Gluck of GLUCK+, listed in 2014 as one of Fast Company’s “World’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Architecture,” and Inga Saffron, the renowned architectural critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer, held nothing back in their appraisal of the state of architecture today. AIANY Architecture Dialogue Committee co-chair Will Singer pointed out that “Cocktails and Conversation” has been a fixture of the Center for Architecture’s programming for five years, and this installment may have offered the most scathing commentary of the profession to date. Continue reading “Peter Gluck and Inga Saffron Appraise the State of Architecture for Cocktails and Conversation”
Author: Anna Gibertini
Driverless Future Challenge Names Winner
The Driverless Future Challenge, organized by AIA New York in partnership with the City of New York, New Lab, and Fast Company, came to a close on 07.11.17 with the lively presentation of the four finalists’ visions of a world populated with autonomous vehicles. New York City-based architecture firm FXFOWLE, in partnership with Sam Schwartz Engineering, won the competition with their modular streetscape system “Public Square,” which now has a patent pending. Other contenders included driverless farm-to-table food trucks; “smart curb” technology with an aim to coordinate and ease high-density bottleneck traffic zones; and an autonomous vehicle extension of MTA’s limited options for disabled commuters. The five person jury panel consisted of members of the Department of Transportation, the Economic Development Corporation, the Taxi and Limousine Commission, the Department of City Planning, and one representative from Brooklyn-based, tech workspace New Lab. As a part of its winnings, the “Public Square” team will have access to New Lab and all of its resources to build a working prototype of their idea. Continue reading “Driverless Future Challenge Names Winner”
A Closer Look at 80×50 Initiative’s NYC Retrofit Accelerator Program
On 06.07.17, the AIANY Committee on the Environment (COTE) brought the conversation around New York City’s 80×50 initiative back to the Center for Architecture. The lecture, titled “NYC Retrofit Accelerator: An 80×50 Resource”, introduced a promising feature of the ambitious plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. A key aspect of Mayor De Blasio’s endeavor to make New York City a green city, the Retrofit Accelerator program focuses on making the city’s older buildings just as sustainable as new, cutting-edge construction. Continue reading “A Closer Look at 80×50 Initiative’s NYC Retrofit Accelerator Program”
Cocktails and Conversation with Bartholomew Voorsanger, FAIA, and Alastair Gordon
On 06.16.17, the Center for Architecture gathered two of the industry’s beloved veterans and a good-sized crowd for another installment of “Cocktails and Conversation.” The hosts were distinguished architect Bartholomew Voorsanger, FAIA, of Voorsanger Architects and renowned journalist Alastair Gordon. The two recently collaborated on a biography of Voorsanger’s poignant and fascinating life and his artistic process. The book is titled Unfolded: How Architecture Saved My Life and is available now through Gordon’s own “Gordon de Vries Studio” imprint. Continue reading “Cocktails and Conversation with Bartholomew Voorsanger, FAIA, and Alastair Gordon”
Climate Change in NYC: Bridging Science and Practice
On 06.08.17, the Center for Architecture continued the environmental momentum from the previous night’s lecture with a panel discussion on the effects of climate change on New York City’s future urban design. While the previous lecture addressed what individual property owners could do to mitigate their environmental impact through retrofitting, “Climate Change in NYC: Bridging Science and Practice” focused on the imminent threat to New Yorkers of rising sea levels and increased average temperatures. Continue reading “Climate Change in NYC: Bridging Science and Practice”
Michael Maltzan, FAIA, Says Public Housing Must Anticipate the Future
On 03.29.17, the conversation surrounding the future of public housing returned to the Center for Architecture. Housing by Los Angeles-based architect Michael Maltzan, FAIA, Design Principal, Michael Maltzan Architecture, has won numerous awards within the past year including the American Architecture Award, the AIA Los Angeles Gold Medal Honoree, and two Residential Architecture Design awards. Architect and AIANY Housing Committee co-chair Fernando Villa, AIA, LEED, AP BD+C, introduced Maltzan’s work, calling it “always inspiring, innovative and thoughtful.” He noted too how architecture can be “a bulwark” against a government that is increasingly unconcerned for people relying on public assistance. Continue reading “Michael Maltzan, FAIA, Says Public Housing Must Anticipate the Future”
Jeanne Gang and Michael Kimmelman Discuss Truth and Public Work in Architecture
On 03.24.17, two of the biggest names in architecture stopped by the Center for Architecture for a lively evening of illumination and calls to action. Once the crowd of 180 fans filed into Tafel hall and the mezzanine balcony, AIANY and Center for Architecture executive director Benjamin Prosky warmed up the crowd for the two giants who, as he noted, needed no introduction: Jeanne Gang, principal of Chicago-based Studio Gang, and Michael Kimmelman, New York Times architecture critic. Continue reading “Jeanne Gang and Michael Kimmelman Discuss Truth and Public Work in Architecture”
Designing for the Refugee Crisis Reveals Both Hard Truths and Hope
On 02.23.17, AIANY’s Global Dialogues Committee brought the roiling debate around refugees to the Center for Architecture for a night of hard truths and small glimmers of hope. The lecture, titled “Designing for the Refugee Crisis,” gathered a distinguished panel of political and design experts to discuss the complex concerns surrounding this global problem. Continue reading “Designing for the Refugee Crisis Reveals Both Hard Truths and Hope”
NYCHA Debuts Design Guidelines for Improving Public Housing
On 01.12.17, representatives from the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) debuted the authority’s new Design Guidelines for the Rehabilitation of NYCHA Residential Buildings to a packed room of architects, policy makers, urban designers, and concerned NYC residents. As part of NYCHA’s 10-year strategic plan entitled NextGeneration NYCHA, which aims to dramatically improve residents’ quality of life through updated health, environmental, and social policies, the publication details new guidelines and procedures to improve the interiors and exteriors of the 2,550 buildings within NYCHA’s domain. Continue reading “NYCHA Debuts Design Guidelines for Improving Public Housing”
Women in Landscape Architecture
On 11.29.16, AIANY’s Global Dialogues and Women in Architecture Committees hosted the fourth annual “Leaning Out” lecture, a series focusing on women in the industry, with a discussion of women in landscape architecture. Dan Gallagher, AIA, and Hana Kassem, AIA, LEED AP, moderated the discussion, and AIANY 2016 President Carol Loewenson, FAIA, LEED AP, provided introductory remarks. Continue reading “Women in Landscape Architecture”