Mayor Bloomberg Embraces "Architecture as Public Policy"
By Mark Strauss, FAIA, AICP

Mayor Bloomberg contemplates public policy.
Samuel Lahoz

Event: "Going Public 2: City Snapshot(s) and Case Studies of the Mayor's Design and Construction Excellence Initiative" exhibition opening
Organizers: AIA NY Chapter
Sponsors: Bovis Lend Lease; Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson; FXFOWLE Architects; KPF; Supporters: Forest City Ratner Companies; National Reprographics, Inc.; Rose Brand; W Architecture and Landscape Architects
Friends: The LiRO Group; Special thanks to: Office of the Mayor, City of New York; New York City Department of Design and Construction; Center for Architecture Foundation; The Thornton-Tomasetti Group
Location: Center for Architecture, 10.10.06

With the opening of the "Going Public 2: City Snapshot(s) and Case Studies of the Mayor's Design and Construction Excellence Initiative" at the Center for Architecture (see On View), one of the highlights was a visit by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who opened the exhibition.

The Mayor embraced our 2006 theme, Architecture as Public Policy. He noted that Frank Lloyd Wright once said, "Architecture is life, and I've always believed that great architecture and design can have an extremely positive impact on our city, our fellow New Yorkers, and our quality of life. Great architecture is vital to the spirit of our city—and that includes public buildings and projects, too."

"That's why," he said, "Two years ago we started the Design and Construction Excellence Initiative. Its goal is to encourage city agencies to pay extra attention to the architectural elements in their projects—both large and small. One of its strategies uses professional peers from outside the city government to help with the consultant selection and project review process. The Initiative has represented a fundamental shift in the way the city has approached the development of public works—and this new approach is already paying dividends."

Over 60 projects managed by Commissioner David Burney, AIA, and the City's Department of Design and Construction are now in the design phase, the Mayor added. Seven of them are featured in this exhibition—and they showcase the breadth and quality of construction being undertaken by New York City—but they represent just a small part of what's shaping up to be the greatest era of public and private construction in New York since World War II.

Bloomberg commended Commissioner Amanda Burden, Hon. AIANY, and the Department of City Planning for moving forward with its master plans for revitalizing business districts and residential neighborhoods around town including: The Hudson Yards, Downtown Brooklyn, Queens Plaza, Hunts Point, Staten Island's Homeport, Lower Manhattan, Williamsburg, and Greenpoint. He noted that, "We've attracted world-renowned design firms to work, for the first time, on public projects—including minority- and women owned-businesses. Taken together, these plans represent a vision of a vibrant city of the future that truly reflects our diversity, creativity, and spirit. And over the past four years, we've worked with neighborhood residents, community leaders, and the AIA New York Chapter to bring the plans to fruition."

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Matchmaker, Matchmaker
By Linda G. Miller

Mayor Bloomberg waves his Architecture as Public Policy cap, presented to him by AIANY Chapter President, Mark Strauss, FAIA, AICP.
Samuel Lahoz

Event: Going Public Roundtable
Speakers: David J. Burney, AIA, Commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction; Kathryn Dean, Dean/Wolf Architects; Mark Husser, AIA, Grimshaw Architects; Thomas Mellins, architectural historian and exhibition curator; Todd Schliemann, FAIA, Polshek Partnership Architects
Organizer: AIA New York Chapter
Sponsors: Bovis Lend Lease; Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson; FXFOWLE Architects; KPF
Location: Center for Architecture, 10.12.06

Opening the new exhibition "Going Public 2: Case Studies of the Mayor's Design and Construction Excellence Initiative" (See On View), Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg told the one and only architect joke he says he knows:

"A beaver and a rabbit were standing at the base of Hoover Dam. The rabbit asked the beaver, 'Did you design this?' The beaver replied, 'No, but it is based on my concept.'"

The Mayor was quick to point out that the public works projects represented by the case studies of seven projects featured in this exhibition—Marble Fairbanks Architects' Glen Oaks Branch Library in Queens, Polshek Partnership Architect's Rescue Company 3 and Family Intake Center in the Bronx, Kiss + Cathcart's Remsen Yard in Brooklyn, Dean/Wolf Architects' Queens Hospital EMS Station, weisz + yoes studio's Surf Avenue Pedestrian Bridge in Brooklyn, and the team of Grimshaw/Ammann & Whitney's Queens Museum of Art—certainly are not original building types, but their message is to hire creative architects for buildings that provide everyday public services to New Yorkers.

What is an original concept for a municipality happens to be the Mayor's Design and Construction Excellence (DCE) initiative, itself a work in progress at the Department of Design and Construction (DDC), the subject of the next evening's roundtable discussion between architects participating in the program and DDC Commissioner David Burney, AIA.

The Commissioner said there is "an agonizing need for good quality, solid, modest buildings in New York City." The possible solution is the creation of the DCE, now in its second year of operation and based on the federal government's General Administration's (GSA) Design Excellence program. The initiative changes the standard fee-based method of architect selection in favor of one based on quality and design. The DDC issued an RFP and received 400 responses expressing interest. Of those, 24 small firms—with 10 or fewer professionals for projects under $10 million—and eight large firms were selected. These firms comprise a pre-qualified pool and it is the DDC's job to match firms with projects commissioned by other city agencies. Firms are invited to indicate if they are interested in a potential match, and proposals are reviewed and selected by the clients and DDC staff. Peer reviews, performed by professionals outside of government, volunteer their expertise at the early stages of the design phase. Currently, more than 60 pilot projects are underway and managed by the DDC.

Architectural historian and this exhibition's curator, Thomas Mellins wrote "perhaps nowhere more than in the public realm does architecture constitute a narrative, telling us stories about who we are, what we value, and what we aspire to be." Many of our public works have survived generations, so it is probable that what the city builds today will continue to tell our story and should, therefore, be a source of pride for our many different constituencies. Many examples of public architecture are defined by their sameness and banality of architecture built by bureaucracy. The Mayor's design initiative advocates that "public-ness" should equal sameness in quality. So how will we define the era of the DCE initiative? How will we judge the matches they made? Time (and architectural historians) will tell.

Arquitectonica's Folds Unfold BxMA
By Bill Millard

The Bronx Museum of the Arts attempts to energize the South Bronx.
Stephen Kliment, FAIA

A mural by Assume Vivid Astro Focus was commissioned for the opening.
Bill Millard

Event: Grand Reopening, Bronx Museum of the Arts
Speakers: Robert Perez, President, Board of Trustees, BMA; Hon. Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor, City of New York; Holly Block, Executive Director, BMA; Hon. Adolfo CarriÛn, Jr., Bronx Borough President; Hon. José E. Serrano, U.S. Congress, 16th Congressional District; Hon. Helen D. Foster, City Council Member, District 16; Hon. Aurelia Greene, New York State Assembly Member, 77th Assembly District; Hon. Joel Rivera, City Council Member, District 15; Hon. José M. Serrano, New York State Senator, 28th Senatorial District
Architect: Arquitectonica
Organizers: Bronx Museum of the Arts
Location: Bronx Museum of the Arts, 10.03.06

On a tight mid-block site at 165th Street along the Grand Concourse, the expanded Bronx Museum of the Arts (BxMA) establishes a striking profile without overwhelming its neighbors. Its folded painted aluminum panels and fritted glass, set at slightly nonparallel angles, carry multiple connotations both familiar and arcane (a theatrical curtain, an accordion, sets from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari). Abstract and visually scaleless—the addition is actually a modest 16,700 square feet—it proclaims its local importance while welcoming the energies of a culturally diverse community.

At the ribbon-cutting, city officials stressed the museum's value as a focal point for a borough in transition. To Arquitectonica principal Bernardo Fort-Brescia, FAIA, it's an organic response to a challenging site. "It wasn't just a tough urban site; it had a tough topography." Behind the façade and front lobby lies a steep rocky hill, requiring difficult excavation. The new building adapts to this condition as it leads visitors through ramps and galleries to an outdoor sculpture garden, accessible through a dramatic second-story gallery that doubles as an event space. The sculpture court is on grade, over 30 feet higher than the Concourse. The top floor includes generous educational, multimedia, and administrative rooms with elevated views and ample natural light.

"We had a multi-story building, and we didn't want it to feel like a multi-story building," Fort-Brescia says. The unified sculptured façade thus stresses verticals and de-emphasizes layered floors, in contrast to the surrounding 1920s buildings that highlight their six stories through orderly fenestration. "As a flat façade," he explains, "it would have been static. Once we made the choice of making it dynamic…we felt we needed to do the same in each section. The slight angles give it the sense that it's moving in the wind, that it's not anchored, that it's challenging gravity."

This project is the first phase of a multistage expansion for the BxMA, the Bronx's only art museum. Eventually, according to Arquitectonica's master plan, the accordion-fold surface will extend south to 165th Street, with the folds growing steadily subtler, approaching a flat state at the corner. The side walls will be removed to accommodate projected additions including an auditorium, more galleries and classrooms, and a residential tower. Along with new park and plaza construction, renovation of the Concourse, a new courthouse (by Rafael Viñoly Architects), and the planned new Yankee Stadium, the BxMA is expected to spawn a whole new life for the neighborhood.

Bill Millard is a freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared in Oculus, Icon, Content, and other publications.

Marathon: Multiple Voices Liven Up Design-In
By Mark Strauss, FAIA, AICP

(l-r): Connie Fishman, President of the Hudson River Park Trust, Mark Strauss, FAIA, AICP, James McCullar, FAIA, Susan Chin, FAIA.
Samuel Lahoz

Event: Design-In Marathon
Speakers: For a full list of speakers, go to the Design-In website
Organizers: AIA New York Chapter
Location: Center for Architecture, 10.07.06

Architecture as Public Policy, this year's AIANY theme, seeks greater influence for architects on public policy and the public realm. Architects need to better understand the political process, and our political leaders need to become greater advocates for design excellence.

Too often lawyers and planners insensitive to design have usurped the planning process. If architects are going to make a difference in our communities, we can't wait for zoning and master plans to be in place. We can't absent ourselves from the decision-making process. We can't provide grand visions of what a place might be without leaving our studios and ivy towers and fully interacting with the public. This is how architects made a difference in the past, and this is how we must make design matter for future generations.

Our annual Design-In has been a way to get architects and designers out of the drafting room to focus on ideas and issues related to policy. The opening of the Center for Architecture represented an occasion for the design and planning community to further the advancement of physical initiatives and public policies, a need that was exposed in the aftermath of 9-11. To support this notion, the "Design-In" was conceived as an occasion to lift our voice and allow the design and planning profession to be heard. Additionally, like the "Be-Ins" and "Love-Ins" of the 1960s, the "Design-In" was envisioned as a time of celebration while showing that individuals can make a difference in this uncertain world.

Continues…

OHNY Overview
With so many sites to visit in just two days, eO correspondents managed to cover a lot of ground for openhousenewyork. Here are highlights.

(l-r): Rockefeller Center Rooftop Garden; 7 WTC; 7 WTC; Grand Army Plaza
(l-r): Magda Biernat; Jessica Sheridan; Jessica Sheridan; Gregory Haley

(l-r): Heritage Housing Headquarters; Bronx Museum of the Arts; Moravian Cemetery; Switch Building
(l-r): Jessica Sheridan; Magda Biernat; Pollyanna Rhee; Jessica Sheridan

Alice Austin House; Snohetta architecture studio at the Cunard Building; St. George Ballroom; Common Ground
(l-r): Pollyanna Rhee; Magda Biernat; Magda Biernat; Magda Biernat

(l-r): Ling Loft; Scandanavia House; Jacob Crocheron House; Rosa Mexicano Restaurant
(l-r): Magda Biernat; Magda Biernat; Pollyanna Rhee; Magda Biernat

(l-r): Federal Hall National Memorial; Cook + Fox Architects; Birdbath; Staten Island Museum attic
(l-r): Magda Biernat; Magda Biernat; Jessica Sheridan; Pollyanna Rhee

Weiss/Manfredi Reveal Life's Layers
By Jessica Sheridan, Assoc. AIA

Event: Surface/Subsurface: Chameleon Collaborations
Speakers: Marion Weiss, AIA, Michael Manfredi, FAIA, partners, Weiss/Manfredi Architects; moderator Detlef Mertins, chair, University of Pennsylvania Architecture Department
Organizers: AIA New York Architecture Dialogue Committee
Location: Center for Architecture, 10.04.06

From the environment to wayfinding and urban diversity, Weiss/Manfredi Architects develops different aspects of design simultaneously. By not limiting themselves to one goal—such as sustainability or landscaping—they are able to achieve a complex, multi-layered architecture that comprises the many influences on human life.

The idea of "collection" is repeated throughout the Museum of the Earth in Ithaca, NY. Sited above an aquifer that discharges and directs water to the Cuyuga Lake, Weiss/Manfredi takes advantage of the water terraces that mark the property line. The gallery spaces are located in series of pavilions, situated to aid water collection and distribution. Earth berms are incorporated into the parking lot camouflaging the infrastructure with the landscape while also distributing water.

"Collective tissue for students en route to class," is how Marion Weiss, AIA, describes the Smith College Campus Center in Northampton, MA. The building contains galleries, performance spaces, dining facilities, lounges, mailrooms, and a bookstore—the epitome of people watching on campus. As students move through the core of the building, consisting of interconnected weaving passages, students have different vantage points to view others whose motion in the periphery draws attention. A series of terraces along the perimeter of the building, much of which is made of glass, allows others to be seen as people move through, within, and outside of the building. Movement becomes a performance.

Weiss/Manfredi incorporates multiple types of infrastructure, three parks, and a 40-foot drop from the city to the water's edge in the Seattle Art Museum and Olympic Sculpture Park. Visitors experience all aspects of Seattle on a zigzagging park as they are drawn from the city, over and under highways, to the water. The museum itself reacts to the splitting of the landscape as the folded plate stainless steel skin acts as a chameleon to the city reflecting light, traffic, and surrounding buildings. Sculptures are strategically placed throughout the landscape, a result of tight collaboration between the architects and artists. A Mark Dion sculpture, for example, depicts nature and culture, thus is located at the intersection between the city and park.

The cross-disciplinary approach to design highlighted in the forthcoming publication, Surface/Subsurface, can be explored through three common themes: cultivation and excavation, peripheral vision, and recovering infrastructure. Weiss/Manfredi Architects' projects incorporate the environment, movement and performance, and the urban fabric, consistently challenging the boundaries between landscape and building, function and emotion.

Science is First Full-Floor Tenant at 7 WTC
By Bill Millard

A metal sculpture that divides employee and visitor spaces shows the area's 19th century street layout.
Courtesy H³ Hardy Collaboration Architecture

Project: New York Academy of Sciences
Architects: H³ Hardy Collaboration Architecture (Hugh Hardy, FAIA, principal-in-charge; John Fontillas, AIA, project director; Darlene Fridstein, director of interiors; Mercedes Armillas, project manager; Geoffrey Lynch, AIA, project architect; Mario Censullo, AIA, [former employee] project architect; et al.)
Graphic designers: 2×4
Location: 7 WTC, 40th floor

As the first building to rise near Ground Zero since 9-11, David Childs, FAIA's sharp-angled, LEED-gold-rated 7 WTC tower is inevitably a political and cultural fishbowl; every constituency with a stake in Lower Manhattan is watching what happens here. The New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS) and Hugh Hardy, FAIA, principal of H³ Hardy Collaboration Architecture, have set a strong precedent: returning to the neighborhood where it was founded and becoming the first tenant to occupy a full floor of 7 WTC.

H³ bisected the building along a north-south axis, allocating western river views to NYAS employees and eastern urban views, beyond a porous metal sculpture-wall showing the area's 19th-century street layout, to visitors attending public functions. The ceiling-to-floor fritted windows provide stunning vistas and bring daylight into most segments of the facility, from the open-plan administrative areas (giving informal work groups multiple appealing alternatives to crowding each other's cubicles) to the panoramic multipurpose meeting spaces. Even the financial and information-technology departments have jaw-dropping views—a practical defiance of the office-space convention that normally stashes them in dull rooms without distractions.

H³ has responded to the parallelogram-shaped floor plan by repeating acute and oblique angles, possible almost everywhere thanks to computer-driven fabrication methods. An angled ceiling rises from the elevator hall to the entrance lobby and reception area, maximizing drama upon entry. Angled offices, meeting rooms, and even custom furniture sustain a sense of movement.

The 2×4-designed photomurals are arranged by theme. Along one wall opposite the staff area, massively enlarged flower images are placed according to the color spectrum; inside the 300-seat auditorium, pixelated patterns subtly morph from representational birds to geometric forms to off-white and then morph back to birds. (The recurrent motif of barely-perceptible evolutionary change, Hardy says, is fully intended.)

The pièce de résistance along one interior corridor is an distorted projection of Joseph-Nicolas Robert-Fleury's Galileo before the Holy Office (1847), digitally warped so that the subjects are recognizable from a sharp angle, but vanish into horizontal abstractions when seen head-on. Meaningful information, this image implies, comes not from a mundane perspective, but from creative manipulation and surprise. It's an apt metaphor for scientific inquiry and the drama-driven work of Hardy and his colleagues.

Bill Millard is a freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared in Oculus, Icon, Content, and other publications.

Supporting Sprawl
By Carolyn Sponza, AIA

Courtesy robertbruegmann.com

Event: Sprawl: A Compact History, panel discussion
Speakers: Robert Bruegmann, historian, professor, and author of Sprawl: A Compact History; moderator James S. Russell, AIA, writer and critic; Alex Garvin, professor, planner, and real estate strategist; Eugénie L. Birch, Chair, Department of City & Regional Planning University of Pennsylvania School of Design
Organizers: Municipal Art Society; Storefront for Art and Architecture
Location: Urban Center, 10.03.06

Sprawl may not be as bad as people think, argues writer and historian Robert Bruegmann. Driving between the major cities of the northeast, one might feel that sprawl is overtaking America. However, the past half-century has actually seen a decline, or reversal, of sprawl in the U.S. as the population of many cities becomes denser. This misconception tops the list, according to Bruegmann.

Sprawl is a not just a modern American problem—the pattern of settlement spreading outward from city centers originated with the Greeks and is endemic to most affluent nations today. These nations are seeing an unparalleled convergence in levels of social and monetary comfort, an increase in auto use, and a preference for separated, single-family living. These trends, paired with other historical data, have persuaded Bruegmann that the need to spread out is a basic human desire noting, "as people become more affluent, they seem to want more space."

In academic debates, sprawl is often the indefensible underdog, and as a result has suffered through three waves of backlash in the last century. The first anti-sprawl movement occurred in early 20th century London resulting in the creation of a greenbelt system around the city; the second took place in the U.S. during the 1950s and 1960s, partially in response to the post-war residential construction boom. Presently, we are experiencing the third movement that is responding to concerns voiced by preservationists, New Urbanists, and environmentalists.

While playing devil's advocate in support of the sprawl trend, one might hope Bruegmann could conjure more substantive claims in favor of disbursed development than "human nature." When addressing the idea that sprawl contributes to global warming and natural habitat displacement, Bruegmann's counter was somewhat cursory, saying that current data linking the trends was inconclusive.

A recent wave of literature in favor of spreading development outside cities points to the fact that the pro-sprawl movement may be gathering momentum. As a result, the debate between cities and suburbia will persist, we hope.

Shanghai's Image Thrives in Spotlight
By Murrye Bernard, Assoc. AIA

Fashion in Shanghai reflects vibrant urban lifestyles.
Courtesy People's Architecture

Event: 3×3: A Perspective on China, Part V: Curating Shanghai: Art | Architecture | Fashion
Speaker: Christopher Phillips, curator, International Center of Photography; Sally Wu, New York-based fashion designer
Organizers: People's Architecture; Center for Architecture
Sponsors: Gluckman Foundation; Christopher Giattino
Location: Center for Architecture, 09.27.06

Shanghai's residents are not married to their pasts; this allows them to push the envelope in all aspects of design. Four facets of Shanghai's thriving culture—urbanism, architecture, contemporary art, and fashion—will be highlighted in upcoming exhibition, "Shanghai Kaleidoscope," at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.

City officials seek to brand Shanghai and create a recognizable image with hopes of making it an international tourist destination. The 2010 World Expo offers further incentive for development and improved infrastructure. The wooden structures that define the narrow streets of the old city in Shanghai stand in stark contrast to new housing developments that are rapidly closing in on them. A vast scale model of the city, located within the Urban Planning Exhibition Center, is updated weekly to reflect this constantly evolving mega-metropolis.

The developing skyline is symbolic of the changing urban lifestyles of Shanghai's inhabitants. In an effort to define a new vocabulary for urban clothing, and adjust to new ways of life, fashion designers experiment with fabric in two dimensions while drawing inspiration from traditional dress. Ultimately, perhaps Shanghai at night is the city's most alluring image: colorful lights and programmable building skins capture the pulsing vitality of the city and its changing inhabitants.

Murrye Bernard, Assoc. AIA, is the Proposal Manager for Polshek Partnership Architects and is Editor for AssociateNews, the national monthly newsletter of the AIA's National Associates Committee.

A Secret Garden Near Central Park

A private garden for residents at 40 Central Park South.
Courtesy Ken Smith Landscape Architects/Urban Projects A few blocks uptown from MoMA is a new modern sculpture garden—only this one is private for the residents of Atco Properties' 40 Central Park South, a 1941 apartment building designed by Mayer & Whittlesey. The 22-story building is actually in two parts and a garden separates it from an 11-story sister building facing West 58th Street. Ken Smith Landscape Architects/Urban Projects has designed a new outdoor space with planted ground covers, crushed white marble, recycled black rubber, and blue marbles which are under-lit for nighttime viewing. Ornamental plantings of Japanese maple, bamboo, and magnolia trees are strategically sited within the garden. A series of tall aluminum stained wood screens are planted with climbing hydrangea vines. Michele Oka Doner's recently commissioned bronze Guardian II is the focal point, Isamu Noguchi's cast steel torso, Man Aviator, and Chaim Gross's mid-century cast copper sculpture were restored and rededicated for the opening.

East Asia Flaunts Treasures to Western World

Two vases, China, ca. 1700, in front of the Glockenspiel Pavilion at the Zwinger.
© Porzellansammlung, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden New York-based Peter Marino Architect designed new exhibition space combining a vision of modern luxury with the opulence of the baroque period for the Zwinger Gallery in the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden. Inspired by the 18th century French architect Zacharias Longuelune, who drafted the original plans, approximately 750 Chinese and Japanese pieces are exhibited in and among gilded consoles, mantelpieces, and decorative tables in front of sumptuous silk covered walls. The collection—considered to be the most comprehensive collection of Eastern Asia treasures in the Western world—comprises Chinese pieces from the K'ang Hsi period (1662–1722), Japanese Imari and Kakiemon wares from the 17th and early 18th century, and contemporary works produced at the Royal Porcelain Manufactory in Meissen.

African American Architects Profiled
Starting October 13, AIArchitect,AIA national's weekly online newsletter, is launching a new series of columns on diversity in architecture. The first episode, entitled What the Numbers Tell Us, presents a statistical profile, at times encouraging, many times not, of the African American architect in America. The series, developed and written by AIANY member Stephen A. Kliment, FAIA, and based largely on interviews, will trace the work and careers of African American trailblazer architects, present and past. The series will also examine the status of African American women in the profession, along with the status of African American students and faculty in architecture schools and the critical role played by client/patrons. Each column will be linked to encourage feedback. The series forms part of the Practice section in the newly redesigned AIArchitect. You may access the diversity column directly by clicking on the link.

A Whale of an Aquarium for Coney Island
The New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), parent organization for the New York Aquarium, have unveiled three final concept designs of the Perimeter Vision Design Competition for the New York Aquarium at Coney Island. Wallace Roberts & Todd, West 8, and Smith-Miller + Hawkinson Architects have incorporated nautical and natural themes in their designs. Charged with maintaining the history and integrity of Coney Island, they must meet the programmatic needs of the aquarium while raising its profile as a tourist destination. The winning design will be chosen by the selection committee later this fall and will be built in phases around the existing facility. This project is part of the Coney Island Strategic Plan, an $83 million redevelopment plan to restore the fading beachfront attraction to its former status as "America's Playground." The 14-acre aquarium stands as the eastern cultural anchor to the Coney Island Boardwalk.

A Facelift for NYPL
The marble façades and roof of the landmark Carrere and Hastings-designed New York Public Library (NYPL) on Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, will be repaired with $5 million in funding committed by Governor Pataki. This new round of funding is in addition to the $10 million previously provided by NY State. The project will also include: inspections; removal and replacement of all worn mortar; restoration of ornamentation and statuary repair; removal of gypsum crusts and soiling; resurfacing stone; and replacement of deteriorated stone brackets and dentils. In addition, NY State allocated $2 million to renovate the Dorot Jewish Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, which is one of four research libraries in the library system. The NYPL intends to complete both projects in time for the 2011 centennial celebration of both buildings.

National Study: Working Families Pay More to Commute
A recent study entitled A Heavy Load: The Combined Housing and Transportation Burdens of Working Families, conducted by the Center for Housing Policy, the research affiliate of the National Housing Conference (NHC), shows that low- to moderate- income working families are finding that as they move further away from work to afford housing, they end up spending just as much or more for transportation than they save on affordable housing. The study surveyed people in 28 major metropolitan areas and shows that more than 85% drive to work in private vehicles. Public transit serves the greatest share of working families in the New York Metro area at 31%, followed by Chicago at 14%, and Washington, D.C. at 13%. The overarching recommendation of the study is that it is essential for regions to coordinate their housing and transportation policies to ensure they fully reflect the needs of working families such as building more affordable housing near existing and planned transit hubs.

House of Justice for Rhode Island
The New York office of Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK) completed the 200,000-square-foot Leighton Judicial Complex at the Kent County Courthouse in Warwick, RI, replacing existing antiquated facilities. In addition to the large glass-wall surfaces, the new courthouse—four times larger than its predecessor—relates to its original New England roots by adapting traditional red brick and limestone masonry details. The facility contains 16 courtrooms and office support space for the district, family, and superior courts, as well as offices for the attorney general, public defender, sheriff's department, probation offices, and the capitol police.

Keep an Eye Out for Fall OCULUS: Special Design Awards Issue
Kristen Richards, Editor-in-Chief, OCULUS

Pentagram Design, Inc.

The AIANY 2006 Design Awards take center stage in the fall issue of OCULUS, due to mail November 8. In the spotlight are the 30 Honor, Merit, and Citation award winners in Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Projects, selected by three juries from more than 400 entries. Also included are the winners of the annual design competition sponsored by the American Society of Landscape Architects New York Chapter (ASLANY), and the Lumen Awards presented by Illuminating Engineering Society New York Section (IESNY).

OCULUS is sent free to all members of AIA New York and AIA New York State, and subscriptions are available for $40 ($60 for international subscribers). Click here for the online form.

Coming Soon to the Center: PIE
By Olivia Stinson, Public Resource Manager, Center for Architecture

Pentagram Design, Inc.

The Center for Architecture is expanding its role as a key public resource with the launch of its Public Information Exchange (PIE)—but it needs your input!

PIE will provide a nexus for information and ideas relating to New York's built environment. Serving as a virtual forum, a physical and technological installation will inform visitors of proposed developments across the five boroughs and feature information about the Center's rotating exhibitions, informal discussions, and professional dialogues.

The project is in its nascent stage. The design of the installation and its interactive interface are still in development, as are other components such as a remotely accessible website and database. The evolution of these elements will rely on the Center's community of architects, planners, designers, government representatives, and community activists to update content and commentary in the interest of public participation.

To launch PIE, the Center will host Visualizing the City, on 10.28.06. The conference will engage the public in the development of PIE and gather feedback from an invited panel of experts. For the full list of speakers, click the link.

PIE is a Legacy Project of AIA in conjunction with its 150th Anniversary in 2007. PIE and the Visualizing the City conference are sponsored by: New York City Council, National Endowment for the Arts, Carnegie Corporation, The Graham Foundation, the New York Community Trust, and the Center for Architecture Foundation.

Untitled (Riverside South), 1994, gelatin-silver print collage
Courtesy Senio & Shopmaker Gallery

Through 11.22.06
Mary Miss: Landscape in Photo/Drawings

Spanning the fields of architecture, landscape design, sculpture, and installation art, this exhibition of Mary Miss's work challenges conventional ways of seeing the landscape we inhabit. The work focuses on Miss's photo/drawings, a technique which employs collage to depict an altered whole.

Senior & Shopmaker Gallery; 21 East 26th Street

Courtesy Archi-Tectonics

10.27.07 through 12.02.06
P.A.N. [Progressive Architecture Network]

This exhibition will feature the work of five young, european architecture firms, each which share a common attitude toward architecture. Highlighted firms include: Sadar Vuga Arhitekti (Ljubljana, Slovenia), R&Sie (n) (Paris, France), J¸rgen Mayer H. Architects (Berlin, Germany), IaN+ (Rome, Italy), and Archi-Tectonics (New York). The exhibition was curated by Winka Dubbeldam and Helene Furjan, and a symposium corresponding to the exhibition will be held at Columbia University 10.23.06.

Frederieke Taylor Gallery; 535 west 22nd street, 6th floor