Author: Jessica Sheridan Assoc. AIA LEED AP

Center for Architecture Gallery Hours
Monday-Friday: 9:00am-8:00pm, Saturday: 11:00am-5:00pm, Sunday: CLOSED

Join an Architalker for a Hosted Tour of Center for Architecture
Exhibitions
Join us for free Architalker-hosted tours of the Center for Architecture exhibitions Fridays at 4:00pm. To join one of these tours, meet in the Public Resource Area on the ground floor of the Center for Architecture.

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

September 10 — October 4, 2008

Memorial Sites: New York to Nairobi

Memorial Sites: New York to Nairobi is an exhibition of photographs by Julie Dermansky which reflects on the meaning and history of memorials while addressing site specificity and the culture of place. “History belongs to all of us,” says Dermansky, “but it is the memorial site commemorating a particular historical moment and connecting it to the present that infiltrates our being and transcends history.” Dermansky has documented memorials in diverse locations, from the site of the destroyed US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, to the Valhalla, New York 9/11 memorial by Frederic Schwartz. Her global perspective explores the range of realized memorial design solutions. Memorial Sites: New York to Nairobi engages issues of injustice and genocide, while capturing the irony of sacred sites converted to tourist destinations.

Exhibition Curator: Tracey Hummer

Image caption: Oklahoma City National Memorial

September 5 — January 3, 2009

New Practices New York 2008

New Practices New York 2008 is the second juried portfolio competition and exhibition in a new biennial tradition sponsored by the New Practices Committee of the AIA New York Chapter. It serves as a platform for recognizing and promoting new, innovative and emerging architecture firms within New York City that have undertaken unique and commendable strategies – both in projects and practice.

From the 52 portfolios submitted, the New Practices Committee – consisting of Amale Andraos (Work AC), Jennifer Carpenter (TRUCK), Peter Eisenman (Eisenman Architects), William Menking (Architect’s Newspaper) and Charles Renfro (Diller Scofidio + Renfro) – was expected to choose the six most promising firms. The competition winners, all of whom will be participating in our exhibition are:

Baumann Architecture

Common Room

David Wallance Architect

Matter Practice

Openshop | Studio

Urban A&O

The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of programs organized by the AIA New York Chapter in collaboration with New Practices Committee

Exhibition organized by the AIA New York Chapter and the Center for Architecture Foundation

Exhibition Design: We Should Do It All

Media Partner: The Architects Newspaper

Underwriter: Häfele

Patron: ABC Imaging

Lead Sponsors: Ibex, MG & Company, Poliform, Thornton Tomasetti

Supporters: Fountainhead Construction, FXFOWLE Architects

Beverage Sponsor: SAAGA Vodka

Related Events

Wednesday, October 15, 2008, 6:00 — 8:00pm

Winner’s Symposium

Each firm will have a six-week exhibition and will be delivering a Hafele NY Showroom at 25 East 26th Street. For more information, visit Hafele’s New York showroom listing at www.hafele.com/us

July 17 — September 27, 2008

South Street Seaport – Re-envisioning the Urban Edge

The Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) presents the Third Biennial Ideas Competition, South Street Seaport | Re-envisioning the Urban Edge. This competition encouraged participants to envision new connections, both material and metaphoric, between this richly historic neighborhood and Manhattan’s contemporary urban fabric.

South Street Seaport | Re-envisioning the Urban Edge provided an opportunity, uncommon for students and young professionals in the field of design and architecture, to engage the ongoing evolution of the South Street Seaport. More than 200 participants entered the competition, representing a broad spectrum of domestic and international architects, landscape architects, urban designers, and graphic artists. From over 100 entries, a jury selected four top prizes, five honorable mentions, and additional Jury Selections, all of which are presented in this exhibition.

ENYA partnered with the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI), whose headquarters have been in the neighborhood since 1832. The principal element of the program is a community center for local residents and gallery space to house the SCI’s collection of maritime art and artifacts. In addition, competitors were encouraged to make community-building interventions in open spaces throughout the site in order to preserve the neighborhood’s intriguing history, while re-imagining its future edge condition on the downtown New York waterfront.

Exhibition organized by the AIA New York Chapter and Center for Architecture Foundation in collaboration with the Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA)

Exhibition organized by the AIA New York Chapter and Center for Architecture Foundation in collaboration with the Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA)

ENYA Co-Chairs:
Megan Chusid, Assoc. AIA

Harry Gaveras, AIA

Exhibition and Competition Developers:

Anne Leonhardt, Assoc. AIA

Heather Mangrum

Joel Melton, Assoc. AIA

Sean Rasmussen, Assoc. AIA

Exhibition Design:

Steven Mosier

South Street Seaport: Re-Envisioning the Urban Edge

Emerging New York Architects (ENYA)

Underwriter: F.J. Sciame Construction

Sponsor: Gensler; Propylaea Architecture; Richter+Ratner

  
  

Friends:

Service Point USA and A. Estéban & Company


Food Sponsor: Acqua Restaurant
Beverage Sponsor: Barefoot Wine and Brooklyn Brewery

09.03.08

09.03.08

It’s been three years since Hurricane Katrina, and even though Hurricane Gustav did not do as much damage as initially predicted, now is the time to reflect on progress that is being made. For some inspiration, check out “Architecture School” on the Sundance Channel airing Wednesdays. See the Editor’s Soapbox to read my review.

– Jessica Sheridan, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP

CLICK ON BLOG CENTRAL: AIANY BLOG: The AIANY Chapter has launched a new blog. Blog Central features opinion pieces on architectural issues relevant to NY-based designers, firms, and projects, along with spotlights on debates and discussions at the Center for Architecture and AIANY, and is an informal discussion board. Be sure to check it out regularly and contribute to the dialogue.

Some of the recent debates include:
· 6 Month Rule. NCARB passed a rule that requires a six-month regulated reporting period for intern architects enrolled in the Intern Development Program. Read how this affects firms and schools as well as individuals.
· Buildings Commissioner Qualifications. City Council voted to pass Intro 755-A eliminating the requirement for the Buildings Commissioner to be a registered professional. Weigh in on the topic.
· AIANY Policy. Have you wondered how AIANY establishes its policy positions? Laura Manville, the AIANY Policy Coordinator explains all.

To become a regular contributor to Blog Central, please e-mail e-Oculus. Pen names are welcome.

Students Bring “Real” Back to Reality Shows

“Architecture School,” a six-part weekly documentary series on the Sundance Channel, premiered August 20. After the inundation of reality shows about design infiltrating television over the last couple of years, finally here is a show that brings out the best about those who study and practice architecture, and in a realistic way.

So far, two episodes have aired. A fourth- and fifth-year design studio at Tulane University, under the tutelage of Professor Byron Mouton, AIA, holds an in-studio competition to design a single-family house in a low-income neighborhood of New Orleans devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The first episode features the nine students and introduces the project, while the second episode takes viewers through the design process, a critique with the Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans (NHS) which is helping to fund the project, and a critique with noted architecture professors and critics around the country (including former-dean Reed Kroloff, Assoc. AIA, the harshest on the panel). Finally, the students vote on whose house will actually be built.

Watching this show brought back all of the mixed memories of late nights in the studio and architecture school critiques. Through desk crits that send some students in directions that are critiqued later, students trying to channel Modern architects like Adolf Loos and John Hejduk, and claims that most students will be pulling all-nighters to try to pull off the best designs they can, it comes down to the final crit that persuades the studio to select Adriana’s S-shaped, industrial-inspired design. It is easy to empathize with the students who are working so hard because they genuinely want to make a difference in the world and positively impact an ailing community. Subsequent episodes will follow the students as they build the house together, and I look forward to watching it happen.

Center for Architecture Gallery Hours
Monday-Friday: 9:00am-8:00pm, Saturday: 11:00am-5:00pm, Sunday: CLOSED

Join an Architalker for a Hosted Tour of Center for Architecture
Exhibitions
Join us for free Architalker-hosted tours of the Center for Architecture exhibitions Fridays at 4:00pm. To join one of these tours, meet in the Public Resource Area on the ground floor of the Center for Architecture.

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

September 10 — October 4, 2008

Memorial Sites: New York to Nairobi

Memorial Sites: New York to Nairobi is an exhibition of photographs by Julie Dermansky which reflects on the meaning and history of memorials while addressing site specificity and the culture of place. “History belongs to all of us,” says Dermansky, “but it is the memorial site commemorating a particular historical moment and connecting it to the present that infiltrates our being and transcends history.” Dermansky has documented memorials in diverse locations, from the site of the destroyed US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, to the Valhalla, New York 9/11 memorial by Frederic Schwartz. Her global perspective explores the range of realized memorial design solutions. Memorial Sites: New York to Nairobi engages issues of injustice and genocide, while capturing the irony of sacred sites converted to tourist destinations.

Exhibition Curator: Tracey Hummer

Image caption: Oklahoma City National Memorial

Related Events

Thursday, September 10, 2008, 6:00 — 8:00pm

Exhibition Opening and Panel Discussion

September 5 — January 3, 2009

New Practices New York 2008

New Practices New York 2008 is the second juried portfolio competition and exhibition in a new biennial tradition sponsored by the New Practices Committee of the AIA New York Chapter. It serves as a platform for recognizing and promoting new, innovative and emerging architecture firms within New York City that have undertaken unique and commendable strategies – both in projects and practice.

From the 52 portfolios submitted, the New Practices Committee – consisting of Amale Andraos (Work AC), Jennifer Carpenter (TRUCK), Peter Eisenman (Eisenman Architects), William Menking (Architect’s Newspaper) and Charles Renfro (Diller Scofidio + Renfro) – was expected to choose the six most promising firms. The competition winners, all of whom will be participating in our exhibition are:

Baumann Architecture

Common Room

David Wallance Architect

Matter Practice

Openshop | Studio

Urban A&O

The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of programs organized by the AIA New York Chapter in collaboration with New Practices Committee

Exhibition organized by the AIA New York Chapter and the Center for Architecture Foundation

Exhibition Design: We Should Do It All

Media Partner: The Architects Newspaper

Underwriter: Häfele

Patron: ABC Imaging

Lead Sponsors: Ibex, MG & Company, Poliform, Thornton Tomasetti

Supporters: Fountainhead Construction, FXFOWLE ARCHITECTS

Beverage Sponsor: SAAGA Vodka

Related Events

Friday, September 5, 2008, 6:00 — 8:00pm

Exhibition Opening

Wednesday, October 15, 2008, 6:00 — 8:00pm

Winner’s Symposium

Each firm will have a six-week exhibition and will be delivering a Hafele NY Showroom at 25 East 26th Street. For more information, visit Hafele’s New York showroom listing at www.hafele.com/us

July 17 — September 27, 2008

South Street Seaport – Re-envisioning the Urban Edge

The Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) presents the Third Biennial Ideas Competition, South Street Seaport | Re-envisioning the Urban Edge. This competition encouraged participants to envision new connections, both material and metaphoric, between this richly historic neighborhood and Manhattan’s contemporary urban fabric.

South Street Seaport | Re-envisioning the Urban Edge provided an opportunity, uncommon for students and young professionals in the field of design and architecture, to engage the ongoing evolution of the South Street Seaport. More than 200 participants entered the competition, representing a broad spectrum of domestic and international architects, landscape architects, urban designers, and graphic artists. From over 100 entries, a jury selected four top prizes, five honorable mentions, and additional Jury Selections, all of which are presented in this exhibition.

ENYA partnered with the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI), whose headquarters have been in the neighborhood since 1832. The principal element of the program is a community center for local residents and gallery space to house the SCI’s collection of maritime art and artifacts. In addition, competitors were encouraged to make community-building interventions in open spaces throughout the site in order to preserve the neighborhood’s intriguing history, while re-imagining its future edge condition on the downtown New York waterfront.

Exhibition organized by the AIA New York Chapter and Center for Architecture Foundation in collaboration with the Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA)

Exhibition organized by the AIA New York Chapter and Center for Architecture Foundation in collaboration with the Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA)

ENYA Co-Chairs:
Megan Chusid, Assoc. AIA

Harry Gaveras, AIA

Exhibition and Competition Developers:

Anne Leonhardt, Assoc. AIA

Heather Mangrum

Joel Melton, Assoc. AIA

Sean Rasmussen, Assoc. AIA

Exhibition Design:

Steven Mosier

South Street Seaport: Re-Envisioning the Urban Edge

Emerging New York Architects (ENYA)

Underwriter: F.J. Sciame Construction

Sponsor: Gensler; Propylaea Architecture; Richter+Ratner

  
  

Friends:

Service Point USA and A. Estéban & Company


Food Sponsor: Acqua Restaurant
Beverage Sponsor: Barefoot Wine and Brooklyn Brewery

June 23 — September 14, 2008

Buckminster Fuller Dymaxion Study Center

Galleries: Libary

The Dymaxion Study Center will display over four hundred volumes of books by and about visionary inventor and theorist, Buckminster Fuller, whose work has influenced generations of architects and environmentalists. These volumes will include the complete and extremely rare set of Buckminster Fuller’s Synergetics Dictionary edited by Ed Applewhite, as well as other well-known works by Fuller, such as Synergetics and Nine Chains to the Moon. The Study Center will include selections from Fuller’s “live book squad” of influential texts and a Dymaxion timeline, outlining the evolution of Fuller’s geodesic designs in the context of their co-evolution with the Dymaxion map, organized in collaboration with Bonnie DeVarco, former Fuller Archivist and Shoji Sadao, President of Fuller and Sadao PC.

On Monday, June 23rd, 2008, the Center for Architecture will also unveil the Buckminster Fuller’s Fly’s Eye Dome, courtesy of the Buckminster Fuller Institute and Max Protetch Gallery, New York, in conjunction with NYC Department of Transportation’s Temporary Art Program and Friends of LaGuardia Place. The dome will be temporarily displayed at LaGuardia Park between Bleecker and West 3rd Streets. Its presence will draw attention to the imminent re-design of the park by landscape architect, Adrian Smith, ASLA, working with students and Friends of LaGuardia Place.

“The Fly’s Eye domes are designed as components of a ’livingry’ service. The basic hardware components will produce a beautiful, fully equipped, air-deliverable house that weighs and costs about as much as a good automobile. Not only will it be highly efficient in its use of energy and materials, it also will be capable of harvesting incoming light and wind energies.” – Buckminster Fuller, Critical Path, 1983.

The Center for Architecture’s Dymaxion Study Center will offer audiences an in-depth view of Buckminster Fuller, his influences, his words, and works.

Organized by: AIA New York Chapter and the Center for
Architecture Foundation in association with the Buckminster Fuller Institute

Exhibition and Graphic Design: Project Projects

Underwriters: NYC Department of Transportation’s Temporary Art
Program

Friends of LaGuardia Place, Center for Architecture
Foundation
Lead Sponsors: Spring Scaffolding

Sponsor: Richter+Ratner

Supporters: New York University; Purchase College, State University of
New York
Media Sponsor: Metropolis Magazine

May 22 — September 6, 2008

Ecotones: mitigating NYC’s contentious sites

Galleries: Margaret Helfand Gallery, Gerald D Hines Gallery, Public Resource Center

Given the global and local challenges of climate change, the Landscape Architecture profession is at the forefront of New York City’s sustainability efforts. Collaborating with governments, regulatory agencies, community groups, and design professionals, Landscape Architects are transforming ecological problems into opportunities for habitation and recreation. With Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s sustainability plan, plaNYC, in place, the challenge is to understand the interconnectedness of the City’s green spaces.

Ecotones are transition zones between adjacent ecosystems. In urban environments they emerge as contentious sites located between disparate or opposing forces: where industry meets the river; where community and industrial uses collide; where public and private interests merge. These areas are often the unconsidered result of infrastructure improvements and building developments yet have the potential to be cultural and ecological mitigators. The projects in this exhibition show us how sustainable practices, specifically, the collecting, cleansing, and reclaiming of water, can be used to mediate conflicting circumstances, integrating technical solutions with the social and cultural considerations that make for vibrant urban spaces.

Organized by the AIA New York Chapter and the Center for Architecture Foundation in collaboration with the American Society of Landscape Architects New York Chapter

Curator: Tricia Martin

Exhibition Design: Moorhead & Moorhead

Graphic Design: PS New York

Patron: Alcan Composites USA

Sponsor
H.I. Interior Corp

Duggal Visual Solutions

Supporters: Delta Fountains; H.M. White Site Architects; Landscape Forms; Langan Engineering and Environmental Services; Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Landscape Architects

Friends: EDAW; Lee Weintraub Landscape Architecture; Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects; Sawyer/Berson, Architecture and Landscape Architecture

08.19.08

08.19.08

Labor Day is almost here, so now is the time to enjoy the outdoors. August 23 is the last Summer Streets weekend, so be sure to celebrate car-free avenues citywide.

– Jessica Sheridan, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP

CLICK ON BLOG CENTRAL: AIANY BLOG: The AIANY Chapter has launched a new blog. Blog Central features opinion pieces on architectural issues relevant to NY-based designers, firms, and projects, along with spotlights on debates and discussions at the Center for Architecture and AIANY, and is an informal discussion board. Be sure to check it out regularly and contribute to the dialogue.

Some of the recent debates include:
· Buildings Commissioner Qualifications. City Council voted to pass Intro 755-A eliminating the requirement for the Buildings Commissioner to be a registered professional. Weigh in on the topic.
· 516 Fifth Avenue. AIANY delivered testimony in support of the Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects-designed 516 Fifth Avenue project.
· AIANY Policy. Have you wondered how AIANY establishes its policy positions? Laura Manville, the AIANY Policy Coordinator explains all.

To become a regular contributor to Blog Central, please e-mail e-Oculus. Pen names are welcome.

NYC Airports Struggle to Enter 21st Century

Event: New York Infrastructure: Are New York’s Airports Obsolete?
Location: Museum of the City of New York, 07.30.08
Speakers: Charles Van Cook, PE — Senior Vice President/Senior Technical Manager, Parsons Brinckerhoff; William DeCota — Director of Aviation, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; Richard Smyth — Vice President, JetBlue Airways; Jeffrey Zupan — Senior Fellow of Transportation, Regional Plan Association
Moderator: David Plavin — Consultant, Former President, Airports Council International-North America
Organizer: Museum of the City of New York; NY Building Congress; Regional Plan Association

The new JetBlue Airways Terminal 5, designed by Gensler, attempts to suit today’s travelers’ needs.

©Prakash Patel

The three most important factors that influence how travelers select an airport are accessibility, service, and convenience, according to studies cited by panelists in the airline industry. Contrary to popular belief, ticket prices come in fourth. With a projected 50% increase in travel by 2025, NYC airports (John F. Kennedy International, LaGuardia Airport, and Newark Liberty International) are not obsolete — they are paying the price for being among the first in the country. Now that Stewart International Airport has been added as the fourth airport in the line-up, those in the industry are faced with bringing the existing airports up to speed and creating a draw for city dwellers to travel 55 miles north to New Windsor, NY.

NYC airports carry some of the highest demands for passengers and cargo internationally, yet they have comparatively tiny airfields, stated William DeCota, director of aviation for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ). The congestion that this creates has caused the airports to face a high percentage of delays. Also, post-9/11 security needs have impacted travelers’ time spent in the airports prior to plane boarding, resulting in longer wait times all around, added Charles Van Cook, PE, senior vice president of Parsons Brinckerhoff. Richard Smyth, vice president of JetBlue Airways, believes problems stem from outdated 1960s-era technology.

Set to open next month, the new JetBlue Airways Terminal 5 at JFK, designed by Gensler, is an example of PANYNJ’s efforts to update the airport system. Since travelers are increasingly printing their passes at home, 20 security checkpoints greet passengers at the entrance as the first step in the process. Check-in counters secondarily flank the sides. Concession stands are past the security gates, encouraging travelers to purchase food for the plane while they wait to board. Eero Saarinen’s TWA Terminal is completely independent but ties back to the new terminal for public access. The 72-acre site allows for 26 dual gates with close proximity to the airfields, and with access to nearby roadways, AirTran, and parking, the terminal will handle 30% of JFK’s capacity, according to Smyth.

While airport improvements — satellite communication, precision-guidance equipment, e-tickets and e-passports, and even biometric sensors — will ease some of the bottlenecking in the three NYC-area sites as well, PANYNJ is hoping that Stewart will be the ultimate answer to overcrowding. However, congestion on Route 87 and existing train lines make the airport inconvenient. Studies such as the West of Hudson Regional Transit Access Study organized by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), for example, conclude that high-speed trains, such as those refined in Europe and Asia, are the answer. If the MTA’s Long Range Planning Working Group and the Systems Planning/Alternatives Analysis study, an interagency effort between the MTA and PANYNJ, can find ways to fund the system and locate it without tearing down neighborhoods in the process (one audience member suggested above the meridian on Route 87), then airport delays may be a thing of the past in NYC.

An Olympic Omission

As I was gearing up to watch the Olympics this year, I’ve been following the world record-speed development in China as it prepared for the opening ceremonies. I was excited to see that some of the hype surrounding the event — and not just in architecture circles — centered on the new stadiums. Herzog & de Meuron’s “Bird’s Nest” is referred to prominently and endearingly by announcers as the competitions continue. Watching swimming and diving competitions in PTW’s National Swimming Center has enhanced my viewing experience as the white bubble structure mimics and highlights the blue water. And it has been exciting watching cycling and long-distance running events as cameras zoom out to reveal the Forbidden City with OMA’s China Central Television tower just beyond.

While CCTV is still under construction, and journalists have revealed decorative walls hiding neighborhoods that did not “clean up” in time, not to mention the ongoing debate about whether architects should be practicing in countries with questionable politics, I am more disappointed that the media has not highlighted the international collection of architecture firms that contributed to the Olympic backdrop. China has provided an arena for global firms to contribute to the event, which is by nature a coming together of nations. There’s even a sense of competition as Herzog & de Meuron seems to be winning the design gold medal for the Bird’s Nest’s staging of the opening ceremonies, despite Michael Phelps’ record-breaking swimming performance in the runner-up National Swimming Center. As contemporary architecture takes the stage in the public eye, wouldn’t it be nice if the architects received recognition as well?

Documentary Series Follows Architecture School Students

On August 20 at 9:00pm, Sundance Channel will premiere a six-part weekly documentary series, “Architecture School,” about Tulane University’s architecture school competition to design and build an affordable, sustainable home in Katrina-battered New Orleans. The stories of neighborhoods and people who are contributing to the city’s rebuilding commemorate the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Filmed during the 2007-08 school year, the documentary follows the construction of a home in Tulane’s URBANbuild program, which allows fourth year architecture students to design and construct single-family homes. Faculty and students work together through the process of constructing the home.

Also, the new season of “e2 design,” narrated by Brad Pitt, will premier online on August 22 and on PBS stations nationwide later this fall. Exploring attainable solutions to environmental and social challenges, the six episodes of this season will feature projects from Cairo to Melbourne, Amsterdam to Nova Scotia, starting with the episode, “New Orleans: The Water Line.”