Architecture for Education

Since March, our committee has shifted to a virtual environment, focusing our efforts on sharing resources and facilitating structured conversation on the pandemic’s impact on our local NYC education ecosystem. The COVID-19 pandemic has acutely exposed inequities in access to education in our local NYC communities and we are committed to shining a spotlight on these topics and creating a forum in which we as designers come together to seek solutions to our built environment.

The following is a review of our recent committee meetings:

• April 01, 2020–Roundtable -“COVID-19 current state”
• May06, 2020–Roundtable -“How do we move forward -Sept 2020?”
• June03, 2020–Roundtable -“Impact to school design going forward?”
• July 01, 2020–Roundtable –“Equity and Access to Education for Underserved Communities”
• July 29, 2020–Panel Talk–“Helping NYC Return to the Classroom”

We plan to continue this series in September and October to examine lessons learned from initial school openings, necessary shifts in protocols, and further design implications. Our meetings are open to all and we welcome new voices and perspectives to these important conversations.

Please reach out to us if you’d like to join our monthly meetings!

The Architecture for Education committee convened for a special meeting in July. This panel included presentations and a discussion on how architects are assisting NYC schools return to the classroom. Three architects presented recently developed case studies and discuss the challenges and opportunities for implementation.

Panelists:
Lubrano Ciavarra Architects, Anne Marie Lubrano and Lea Ciavarra
MBB Architects, Sara Grant and Jean Li
Mitchell Giurgola Architects, Paul Broches

Content from this presentation and other committee efforts related to COVID-19 school resources can be shared upon request. Please reach out to us to join the conversation!

Mounting research shows that older adults and adolescents benefit from intergenerational educational activities. Older adults are the fastest growing age group in New York City, and children 18 and under account for 25% of the city’s population.

This panel was a collaboration between the AIANY Design for Aging Committee and our Architecture for Education Committee. We brought together professionals who presented their work in the field of intergenerational education, with an emphasis on the role of architectural design in fostering these activities. The diverse panelists have worked on projects including public libraries, intergenerational communities, university-level research, and programs helping adults learn technologies to live better in the digital age in an intergenerational setting.

Panelists:
Arthur Chang, AIA, Senior Project Architect, NADAAA
Matthew Kaplan, PhD, Professor, Intergenerational Programs and Aging, Penn State University
Margaret Sullivan, Principal, Margaret Sullivan Studio
Joyce Weil, PhD, Curriculum Manager, Older Adults Technology Center (OATS)

Moderator:
Miriam Sitz, Senior News & Web Editor, Architectural Record

Thank you for everyone who was able to join the AIANY Architecture for Education Committee for a roundtable discussion on the evolution of student housing in New York City.

The program presented three project examples: a recently completed new building at Pratt Institute, a series of phased renovations at New York University, and a project currently in design at Columbia University. The conversation focused on each institution’s specific student profile and how the programming and planning of the project responded to student needs within the context/constraints of New York City living.

Roundtable Participants:

Kimberlae Saul, AIA, Director of Planning, Design & Construction Pratt Institute
Carisima Koenig, AIA, Principal, Perkins Eastman; Co-chair, AIANY Professional Practice Committee
Kate Baier, EdD, Executive Director – Residential Life, New York University
Juan C. Matiz, AIA, LEED AP, Principal, Matiz Architecture and Design
Gwendolyn Conners, AIA, Principal, 1100 Architect
Michael Fierle, AIA, Associate, 1100 Architect
Joyce Jackson, Former Executive Director of Undergraduate Housing, Columbia University

Moderator:
Frances Fox, AIA, Associate Vice President, CannonDesign; Co-chair, AIANY Architecture for Education Committee

Each December, the Architecture for Education Committee gathers to celebrate and reflect on a year of good work. We look forward to 2020 – conversation, design ideas, and advocacy in education. Join us!