Oculus

Oculus magazine, AIA New York’s quarterly print publication, is an important means of asserting the identity and advocacy of architects in New York.
Oculus magazine Winter 2026 issue cover
Winter 2026: Architects and Advocacy

A Publication of AIA New York, Volume 88, Issue 1. On the Cover: Alafia, in East New York, Brooklyn, is a mixed-use community development designed and masterplanned by Dattner Architects. The first phase includes supportive and affordable apartments, retail, green space, and a One Brooklyn Health clinic. The full master plan spans 28.5 acres and a total of 2,400 affordable homes. Photo: Courtesy Chris Cooper/ArchExplorer, Dattner Architects.

Table of Contents
Features
Introduction
Architects and Advocacy
by The Editors
AMMA’s design of the Oceana Innovation Hub in Barbados borrows from the Barbadian chattel house, using passive ventilation, steep roofs, prefabrication, and natural materials to connect students to climate and place while minimizing energy use and embodied carbon.
When to Say Yes
Architecture firms must consider multiple factors when deciding whether to take on a project.
by Clifford A. Pearson
The End of the H-1B Pipeline: What Immigration Policy Means for U.S. Architecture
A virulently anti-immigrant federal government has imposed new fees and restrictions on H-1B visas and loans for architecture degrees.
by Stephen Zacks
Photo: Samuel Lahoz.
In Conversation
Architecture and the Right to Housing in New York
by The Editors
04 F4 Thumbnail Peter Bafitis
Housing at a Crossroads: A Special Op-Ed Section
Advocating for Communities Through Housing Design
by Peter Bafitis, AIA
Headshot of Magnus Magnusson
Housing at a Crossroads: A Special Op-Ed Section
Your Design Has Values
by Magnus Magnusson, AIA, LEED AP
04 F4 Bradley Sherburne CR
Housing at a Crossroads: A Special Op-Ed Section
It's Time for More Architects to Engage in Civic Life
by Bradley Sherburne, AIA
Headshot of Darby Curtis
Housing at a Crossroads: A Special Op-Ed Section
Designing for Dignity
by Darby Curtis, AIA
Headshot of Keith Engel
Housing at a Crossroads: A Special Op-Ed Section
An Architecture of Advocacy; An Architect As Advocate
by Keith Engel, AIA
News & Articles
Benjamin Gilmartin, AIA, 2025 AIA New York President and Mark Gardner, AIA, NOMA, 2026 AIA New York President. Photo: Samuel Lahoz.
Letter from the Presidents
Reflecting on 2025 and Looking to 2026
by 2025 AIANY President Benjamin Gilmartin, AIA and 2026 AIANY President Mark Gardner, AIA, NOMA
Jennifer Krichels headshot
Letter from the Editor
Keeping Ourselves Afloat
by Oculus Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Krichels
Three Oculus covers composite image
Call for Summer 2026 Op-Eds
Repair
by The Editors
Contributors to This Issue
At the Center
Meet the Media and Beyond: Strategies for Getting Your Firm Heard, Seen, and Hired
by The Editors
Beyond the Center
Sotheby's New Headquarters at the Breuer Building; New Museum’s OMA-Designed Building
by The Editors
PAU’s team conceived of three iterations of the shed: this is The Baseline Shed, intended for most sidewalks, introducing a subtly angled roof. Image: courtesy PAU.
Street Level
The City's New Sidewalk Sheds
by Beth Broome
Lit Review
by Anthony Paletta
Elsa Ponce headshot
Op-Ed
Designing Dignity: Architecture as Advocacy for Day Laborers and Gig Workers
by Elsa Ponce
05 OpEd SY Headshot
Op-Ed
Agency, Not Advocacy
by Sean Mingjue Yang
Headshot of William Wong
Op-Ed
Elevating Students and Schools
by William Wong, AIA
Headshot of Malachi Pursley
Op-Ed
Community Infrastructure in Data Centers
by Malachi Pursley, AIA, NOMA, with Rob Lobuono, AIA
Megan Marini headshot
Op-Ed
A Call for Regenerative Governance
by Alexandra Payne and Megan Marini
Headshot of Jesse Lazar
Last Word
Making Design Count in Mamdani's New York
by Jesse Lazar, Assoc. AIA, Executive Director, AIA New York and the Center for Architecture
Oculus at US Modernist Library
 
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