Author: Murrye Bernard, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP - Contributing Editor

Event: New Practices New York 2010: Jury’s Symposium
Location: Center for Architecture, 05.12.10
Jurors/Panelists: Toshiko Mori, FAIA — Toshiko Mori Architect, (Lead Juror); Joe MacDonald, Assoc. AIA — Urban A&O (Discussion Leader); William Menking — Editor-in-Chief, The Architect’s Newspaper; Guy Nordenson — Principal, Guy Nordenson and Associates; Galia Solomonoff, AIA — Founder, Solomonoff Architecture Studio
Organizer: AIANY New Practices Committee
Sponsors: Lead Sponsors: Dornbracht; MG & Company; Valiant Technology; Sponsors: Espasso; Hafele; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP; Media Sponsor: The Architect’s Newspaper

Clockwise: Lux Nova, MoMA P.S.1, NYC, by EASTON+COMBS; Academy of Performing Arts, Sarajevo, Bosnia, by Archipelagos; Hirshkron/Camacho Apartment, NYC, by Manifold; Wedding chapel, model, milled MDF, SO-IL; CHROMAesthesiae, site specific installation at Devotion Gallery, Brooklyn, by SOFTlab; Saipua, Soap and Flower Shop, Brooklyn, by Tacklebox; Phillip Lim Seoul Flagship, Seoul, by Leong Leong.

Clockwise: Photos by Adam Ward; Archipelagos; Dean Kaufman; SO-IL; Alan Tansey; Tacklebox; Iwan Baan; all courtesy AIANY

Every other year, the AIANY New Practices Committee holds a portfolio-based competition for emerging firms in NYC. This year, out of 65 submissions, jurors selected seven New Practices New York (NPNY) 2010 Winners: EASTON+COMBS (highest honor); Archipelagos; Leong Leong; Manifold; SOFTlab; SO-IL; and Tacklebox. The prestigious jury gathered to discuss the selection process, the importance of firms’ representation, and patterns among emerging practices.

Jurors faced the challenge of evaluating “fully evolved portfolios versus really interpreting the work,” according to William Menking, editor-in-chief of The Architect’s Newspaper. “Many emerging professionals haven’t mastered the skills or don’t take the time to present their work well,” he believes. Although graphics are typically the focus of a portfolio, jurors agreed that the text is very important, too.

Toshiko Mori, FAIA, the lead juror, felt that it is important for firms to show a range of practices. She thought EASTON+COMBS showed both “diversity and consistency,” while Archipelago’s portfolio told a “compelling narrative.” Joe MacDonald, Assoc. AIA, founder of Urban A&O and 2009 NPNY winner, was particularly impressed with SOFTlab: the digital and material practice “blurred.” They stood out for their tenacity; aside from creating “extremely successful architectural ‘events’,” they also design websites to stay afloat in the difficult economy. The most successful emerging firms are able to “implement big ideas in small increments,” according to Galia Solomonoff, AIA, founder of Solomonoff Architecture Studio. Guy Nordensen found it interesting to trace the evolution of new practices that emerged from established firms, such as SO-IL from SANAA.

A recurring theme among New Practices juries each year is the topic of built vs. unbuilt work. Menking said that he likes to see at least one project built, even if it’s just a little café. MacDonald was surprised to see so much built work among the submissions, and less speculative work or environmentally driven issues. However, he also saw “nothing daring,” proving that getting projects built won’t necessarily win the prize. Nordensen felt that a strong theoretical perspective was missing among the firms. Although Mori called the winners “a very sophisticated group,” she lamented the lack of innovative practice models and would like for firms be more articulate about credits for the role each person plays. Ultimately, NPNY is “not a beauty contest,” she said, but a gauge of “how you are evolving your practice.”

Menking pointed out that while NYC has a reputation of being a difficult city in which to start a firm, it is also ripe with opportunities for emerging practices. Besides AIANY’s NPNY competition, the Architectural League holds a similar competition for young architects; the Van Alen offers fellowships and holds competitions; the Museum of Modern Art frequently features groundbreaking work; and the Mayor’s Design and Construction Excellence program seeks smaller, creative practices, to name a few.

Murrye Bernard, LEED AP, is a freelance architectural writer and a contributing editor to e-Oculus.

Event: ACE Mentor Program of Greater New York 2009-2010 Final Presentations
Location: Center for Architecture, 05.03.10
Speakers: Introduction by Rick Bell, FAIA; Joseph Aliotta, AIA, LEED AP BD+C — Vice Chair/Architecture, 2009-2010 NY Board of Directors, ACE Mentor Program & Principal, Swanke Hayden Connell Architects; Presentations by ACE Mentoring Students
Moderator: Annika Smith — Executive Director, ACE Mentor Program of Greater New York
Organizer: ACE Mentor Program
Sponsor: AIANY Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA)

Site model of Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 2, made by ACE Mentor Team #21 (Helpern Architects, Skanska, Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers, Glickman Engineering Associates).

Murrye Bernard

Imagine entering architecture or engineering school and already understanding the concept of partis and programs, and possessing practical knowledge of building systems and construction management. NYC high school students who participate in the ACE Mentor Program will have such an advantage. Two teams from the 2010 class presented their final projects to a distinguished jury, including David Burney, FAIA, commissioner of the NYC Department of Design and Construction. “It’s like American Idol without Simon Cowell,” remarked Team Leader Darris James, Assoc. AIA, a senior associate at Gensler.

The students of Team #3 (FXFOWLE Architects, Thornton Tomasetti, Tishman Construction, WSP Flack + Kurtz) designed a mixed-use tower for Manhattan’s in-flux Hudson Yards area. They established the building’s profile by studying zoning diagrams and calculating the FAR. Then they created their own program, including residential units and retail space, a food court, and a museum complete with a planetarium to draw visitors from the street level. While the jurors complimented the iconic nature of the tower’s twisting, spiraling form — articulated by staggered balconies with community gardens for each residential floor — they questioned the viability of the dramatic cantilevers.

The level of completeness of the project impressed jurors. Students delved into the details, selecting eco-friendly materials, specifying high-performance glazing with integrated shading devices, and designing rainwater harvesting and gray water reuse systems. They studied both concrete and steel structural systems and learned about loading diagrams and shear walls. Their plan drawings incorporated mechanical systems, which required a bit of teamwork. “It’s exciting how engineering and architecture come together, allowing students to look at projects holistically,” commented AIANY Executive Director Rick Bell, FAIA,. In addition, students studied the often-overlooked topic of construction management, including cost estimation, project schedules, and even equipment staging.

Team #21 (Helpern Architects, Skanska, Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers, Glickman Engineering Associates) followed many of the same exercises to develop a comprehensive site plan for Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 2. The presentation focused on the design process: they experimented with structural principles such as X-bracing and the importance of establishing a strong base by building models with dry spaghetti and marshmallows. The students also studied Bjarke Ingels’s concept of layering programs and developed an ambitious one of their own, combining a veranda, partially submerged retail space, an underwater theater, a botanical garden, and a Japanese teahouse.

Students studied soil profiles from the site and confirmed that their underwater theater could rest directly on bedrock. Determining the structural feasibility of this space proved challenging, as did figuring out how to support its glass dome (they settled on a tree-like sculpture). Though jurors praised their success in layering programs, Burney pointed out that the underground retail area might feel dismal — and also doesn’t have a good track record in NYC. Jurors asked the students why they went to the trouble of sinking the theater, to which they responded that their goal was to avoid blocking the sweeping views of Manhattan. James urged them to take the tree symbolism further and make it a stronger design element.

Through the ACE Mentor Program, students gained valuable insight into the architecture, engineering, and construction professions. Perhaps one of the most valuable lessons learned, according to one student, is that “everything is almost a variable until you complete the project.” Following the presentation and crit, ACE program leaders presented many students with cash scholarships toward their design school of choice.

Murrye Bernard, LEED AP, is a freelance architectural writer and a contributing editor to e-Oculus.

Event: The Changing State of the Design Press: Now What?
Location: Center for Architecture, 04.26.10
Panelists: Julie V. Iovine — Executive Editor, The Architect’s Newspaper; Michael Sorkin — Principal, Michael Sorkin Studio; John Hill — Founder, A Daily Dose of Architecture; Robert Ivy, FAIA — Editor-in-Chief, Architectural Record
Moderator: Kristen Richards, Hon. ASLA — Editor-in-Chief, OCULUS & ArchNewsNow.com
Organizers: AIANY Marketing & PR Committee; Oculus Committee
Sponsors: Hausman LLC; Trespa

First Metropolitan Home, followed by I.D., and most recently BD+C — a string of design publications have folded. It’s no secret that we’re buying fewer print publications and more often turning to the web for our design news and inspiration. The design press is in flux. Panelists from several major architectural publications gathered to ponder the question, “now what?”

The state of the design press is not just a concern for publications’ staff and writers, but relevant for architects and firms as well. These publications provide exposure for their work, not only to each other, but to the general public and potential clients. Is the economy solely to blame? Or is it also technology? More and more architects are turning to social media to promote themselves and to network. According to a recent survey by Function, an Atlanta-based AEC branding firm, 10% of architects are active on Facebook; 5% use Twitter; 28% use Amazon’s social features; while 35% of those surveyed are on LinkedIn.

Since technology has democratized the field, moderator Kristen Richards, Hon. ASLA, editor of both OCULUS and ArchNewsNow.com, questioned whether architecture critics could be “an endangered species.” Design blogs have proliferated, offering up information in bite-sized chunks. Now everyone can be a critic. However, it’s not all original; John Hill, founder of the blog A Daily Dose of Architecture, thinks that much of the content is dictated by design firms and their PR teams who send out press packets. For Michael Sorkin, all of these online outlets are “waging a war on our attention spans.” Sorkin, who lost his cell phone nine months ago and hasn’t bothered to replace it, marveled at the fact that he recently had to delete 18,000 sent messages from his computer to free up space. “That’s three Anna Karenina’s worth!”

One of the biggest challenges publications face now is keeping information flowing on all fronts, said Julie Iovine, executive editor of The Architect’s Newspaper. While print is the most carefully edited, standards must be maintained on the web, too. “I don’t think we’re married to paper, but we are married to visual display,” said Robert Ivy, FAIA, editor-in-chief of Architectural Record. To keep up with demand, Record incorporates video, live events, and Continuing Education opportunities. “We [design publications] are asked to do a lot.”

So, what next? Ivy believes the design press will remain essential in their role as “curators of content,” sifting through vast quantities of information to present the best to readers. Ultimately, the panel didn’t have specific answers as far as what medium that content will take, or who will be calling the shots. Iovine takes comfort in the fact that no one really knows, so “we’re all in the same boat.”

Murrye Bernard, LEED AP, is a freelance architectural writer and a contributing editor to e-Oculus.