Emerging New York Architects
Committee

ENYA are looking for volunteers to help in the construction of the City of Dreams Pavilion this week and next at Lighthouse Park on Roosevelt Island. This year’s winning team, Somewhere Studio, will be begin work this Tuesday, May 21 by staking the site and laying foundations. The rest of the week will see the assembly of the CLT panel modules. Don’t delay, please sign-up to volunteer here.

For more information more please email us at cityofdreamspavilion@gmail.com.

Do you have questions about how to find your passion in architecture, manage work-life balance, and advance your career? If you said yes to any of those, you should consider finding a mentor.

In January the ENYA Committee and the AIA College of Fellows launched the TORCH Mentorship Program. The goal of the program is to empower architects by fostering symbiotic relationships that share professional knowledge, culture and leadership strategies from one generation to another. The program includes two parallel components, firstly a series of panels where Fellows share personal stories that led them to successful careers, and secondly one-to-one mentorship experience between a Fellow and protégé.

ENYA would like to encourage you to apply for one-to-one mentorship. It’s a simple application and we are looking for emerging professionals interested in developing communication and leadership skills and expanding their professional networks. 

Don’t hesitate, the deadline to submit applications is Tuesday, June 4 at midnight and can be downloaded from the top of our committee page or by clicking here.

Last month on April 22, TORCH hosted its second panel at the Center for Architecture. The panel of former AIANY Chapter presidents shared aspects of their life and practice that led them to be successful architects and why they went on to serve our local AIA chapter.

The group shared the experiences that inspired their careers and how perseverance, mentors, and a variety of early jobs helped shape their personal interests and goals.  The panelists agreed that it is important to be flexible early in your career, not only to develop technical skills and personal interests, but also to find a work environment that you enjoy.  Being flexible early presents an opportunity to learn different approaches to architecture and improve your salary quickly with each change. The panel also identified that after gaining meaningful experience, it’s important to stay in one place long enough to receive promotions and grow within your position.  The early experiences offered insight each panelist’s own passion which directly influenced long term career choices.

Moderator:
Tomas Rossant, AIA, Founding Partner, Ennead Architects

Speakers:
Gerard F.X. Geier, II, FAIA, FIIDA, LEED AP, Managing Partner, FXCollaborative
Carol Loewenson, FAIA, Partner, Mitchell Giurgola Architects
Susan Chin, FAIA, Executive Director, Design Trust for Public Space
Margaret O’Donoghue Castillo, FAIA, LEED AP, Chief Architect, NYC Department of Design and Construction

The next TORCH Mentorship Program event will take place on Tuesday, May 21! More details here.

Last summer emerging professionals joined forces with 1100 Architect and volunteers in town during the AIA Conference on Architecture for the A’18 Day of Service, which included a project to improve the lobby of a short term housing shelter in Queens. This year ENYA is looking for enthusiastic volunteers to join Francis Cauffman Architects as we build a tradition of community service at the 2019 AIANY Day of Service. Join us Saturday, May 18 to improve the appearance of several group spaces at a chemical dependency center in the Chelsea neighborhood.

The event runs from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM and the registration fee covers lunch and a t-shirt. You can REGISTER for the Chelsea Chemical Dependency & Mental Health Center session here. Please wear appropriate attire for painting.  

The ENYA Committee’s TORCH Mentorship Program officially launched this March. The program offers opportunities to empower both Fellows and emerging architects, by fostering symbiotic relationships that share professional knowledge, culture and leadership strategies from one generation to another.

Experienced professionals share their experience through a public series of panel discussions. The first panel, “Career Paths: What’s your plan?” took place at the Center for Architecture on March 19th. The panel of esteemed Fellows shared key moments that helped shaped their career path.

Denise Berger, FAIA, Port Authority of NY & NJ moderated the panel of Fellows: Rob Eisenstat, FAIA, Port Authority of NY & NJ, Lia Gartner, FAIA, The New School University, Renny Logan, FAIA,Richard Meier & Partners, and Michael Samuelian, FAIA, The Trust for Governors Island. Each of them discussed the pursuit of their careers, risks taken, challenges faced, regrets, and reflected on lessons learned. Almost all agreed that a combination of luck, persistence, and navigating unforeseen events helped them to achieve their current position. The panel recalled personal stories on the importance of mentorship, following their ambitions and finding inspiration, before sharing ideas for managing work-life balance, specializing within the field, and being able to adapt to the ever changing environment of architecture.

After the panel, emerging professionals were joined by the fellows at small tables to engage in more detail.  The table discussions covered topics like finding the right office culture for you, when to make a professional change, what to look for in a new job, transitioning into project management, and managing work-life balance.  

In addition to the the public panels, interested individuals can apply for a one-to-one mentorship with a Fellow.  The launch of the 2019 Individual mentorship application will take place at the second panel on Monday, April 22nd.  Find the TORCH program on the AIANY Calendar to register.