Center for Architecture
This commission was awarded through an open design competition sponsored by The American Institute of Architects. The brief for this public home for the AIA in New York City included galleries, a lecture hall, conference spaces, and administrative spaces. Our design sought to demonstrate the transformational potential of architecture through a reconfiguring of an existing structure, and to create public spaces that speak of the urbanism and civility of the city itself.
We proposed removal of structural slabs from two levels of the existing industrial loft building to create three-story spaces and open sight lines from the street into the full depth of the Center. Natural light and views penetrate the galleries and lecture hall. The resulting spaces are spatially dynamic and programmatically flexible. A geothermal system utilizing groundwater from two 1260-foot deep wells is used for the heating and cooling of the Center.
In 2015 we renovated the Center’s galleries and offices, including the design of a conference room for presentations and video conferencing.
