Author: Camila Schaulsohn - Editor

2015 Oculus Editorial Calendar
The Oculus 2015 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/projects by the deadlines indicated below to Kristen Richards, Hon. AIA, Hon. ASLA: kristen@ArchNewsNow.com.

Summer 2015: AIANY 2015 Design Awards
Submission deadline: 02.06.15

Fall 2015: “Home” (In conjunction with the Housing Exhibition + Archtober)
Housing progress report/report card: whether market rate or affordable, is it living up to our expectations for design, community integration, environmental responsiveness? For affordable and low-income housing, is innovation helping us hit the number of units New York City needs? Continuing controversy about “inclusionary” housing (80/20 and such). Off-site/modular construction. BSA Housing Awards. (To include input from social scientists, urban anthropologists, psychologists, etc.)
Deadline for story ideas, projects: 05.22.15

Winter 2015: “Makers in a Digital World” or “Architecture & the Digital World”
How we present and build what we do: 21st-century visual representation, mapping, big data. Life-cycle of a building: an idea, draw it, digitize for CNC milling machines, construct, share via Instagram, etc. Cooper-Hewitt tech “pencils”; etc.
Deadline for story ideas, projects: 08.14.15 Continue reading “New Deadlines”

10.27.14: Organizers and speakers at the annual J. Max Bond Jr. Memorial Lecture, “Conversations | Equity Agendas,” discussed how the agendas of affordability, housing, and community fit into the de Blasio administration: Karen Kubey, Executive Director, Institute for Public Architecture (IPA); Miriam Peterson and Nathan Rich, Founders and Principals, Peterson Rich Office; Sagi Golan, Urban Designer, NYC Department of Planning; Mark Gardner, AIA, Co-chair, AIANY Diversity & Inclusion Committee; Nadine Maleh, Director, Inspiring Places for Community Solutions; Quilian Riano, Principal, DSGNAGNC, and Director, Strategy & Research at NYDesigns; Marc Norman, 2014-15 Loeb Fellow at Harvard GSD; Kaja Kühl of Columbia University GSAPP’s 5 Borough Studio; Mindy Fullilove, AIA, Public Director and Professor of Clinical Psychiatry & Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University; and Venesa Alicea, AIA, Co-chair, AIANY Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Continue reading “Sighted”

As Archtober comes to an end, I would like to thank all of you who participated in this year’s festivities. Archtober 2014 brought together 50 partnering organizations who celebrated architecture and design in NYC in more than 200 different ways. The hard work of organizers and the enthusiasm of tour-goers, lecture attendees, and architecture lovers are the reasons why our month-long festival has been a success year after year.

And don’t forget! There are still two days left until the end of the month. Check out the Archtober calendar and squeeze in some final Archtivities! You can also follow our partner organizations all year long to hear about other exciting events. To see photos of Building of the Day tours this year, add us on Instagram at @Archtober and @CenterforArch.

2015 Oculus Editorial Calendar
The Oculus 2015 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/projects by the deadlines indicated below to Kristen Richards, Hon. AIA, Hon. ASLA: kristen@ArchNewsNow.com.

Spring 2015: President’s Theme: “Dialogues from the Edge of Practice” A look at how innovative practices are boldly enlarging the purview of the architect, expanding beyond the traditional scope of practice with new services and revenue models, new modes of collaboration with other disciplines, designing new computational tools to better create design, etc.
Deadline for story ideas, projects: 11.07.14

Summer 2015: AIANY 2015 Design Awards
Submission deadline: 02.06.15

Fall 2015: “Home” (In conjunction with the Housing Exhibition + Archtober)
Housing progress report/report card: whether market rate or affordable, is it living up to our expectations for design, community integration, environmental responsiveness? For affordable and low-income housing, is innovation helping us hit the number of units New York City needs? Continuing controversy about “inclusionary” housing (80/20 and such). Off-site/modular construction. BSA Housing Awards. (To include input from social scientists, urban anthropologists, psychologists, etc.)
Deadline for story ideas, projects: 05.22.15

Winter 2015: “Makers in a Digital World” or “Architecture & the Digital World”
How we present and build what we do: 21st-century visual representation, mapping, big data. Life-cycle of a building: an idea, draw it, digitize for CNC milling machines, construct, share via Instagram, etc. Cooper-Hewitt tech “pencils”; etc.
Deadline for story ideas, projects: 08.14.15 Continue reading “New Deadlines”

10.15.14: Introduced by AIANY 2014 President Lance Jay Brown, FAIA, Jeffrey Inaba, Assoc. AIA, led Archtober enthusiasts on a Building of the Day tour of Red Bull Studios, a slick 38,000-square-foot music studio/gallery/corporate office. Continue reading “Sighted”

On 10.01.14, Archtober kicked off with a forum featuring NYC Department of Design + Construction (DDC) Commissioner Feniosky Peña-Mora, who discussed the search process for the newly-created position of Chief Architect. Members of the search committee, including AIANY Executive Director Rick Bell, FAIA, will select a candidate, who will be empowered to take DDC’s design, sustainability, and resilience efforts to a new level.

DDC is one of the largest civic construction management agencies in the United States with a current portfolio approaching $10 billion across all five boroughs. Since 1996, DDC has completed almost 4,000 projects ranging from new and/or renovated facilities to street, plaza, and coastal resiliency projects to improve the quality of life of New York City residents, businesses, and visitors. Projects have included the new Police Academy Campus, Queens Museum, Bronx Zoo Lion House, Weeksville Heritage Center, Stapleton Branch Library, Columbus Circle, Times Square, and myriad others.

Reporting directly to the DDC Commissioner, the Chief Architect will be responsible for reimagining and leading design excellence and realizing DDC’s mission to bring beautiful, efficient, innovative, resilient, and environmentally-conscious design to all New Yorkers. In this newly created position, the Chief Architect will have the authority to review and approve all design,  and promote and implement new initiatives focused on design excellence, resiliency, sustainability, and innovation. The Chief Architect will collaborate with city agencies, the design community, and DDC professionals to use architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design in implementing city policies and goals. This will include responsibility for bringing visibility to DDC’s innovative design programs through local, national, and international outreach and public events.

For additional information, please see the DDC’s posting.