Fall 2019 — AIA New York

Center for Architecture galleries are closed until Thursday, May 2 as we install our upcoming exhibitions. Join us that evening from 5:30–8pm for our Spring Exhibitions Opening Night event!

Oculus Fall 2019 Cover

Fall 2019: The Future of Materials

A publication of AIA New York, Volume 81, Issues 3 & 4. Cover: Detail of cross-laminated timber (CLT) produced by Katerra’s new factory in the Spokane Valley in Washington, which aims to produce the largest volume of CLT in North America. Katerra’s CLT is shown here in the offices of Catalyst, a five-story CLT building currently under construction in Spokane. The building is designed by Vancouver-based Michael Green Architecture (MGA), which was acquired by Katerra In 2018. MGA is leading the design of several other mass-timber construction projects, including an 11-story timber office building in Newark. Photo credit: Courtesy of Katerra/McKinstry.

Table of Contents

Articles & News

Letter from the President

Lasting Impacts

by Hayes Slade, AIA

Molly Heintz, Editor-in-Chief. Photo: Nir Arieli.

Letter from the Editor

The New Building Blocks

by Molly Heintz

Beyond the Center

Archtober

At the Center

Fringe Cities: Legacies of Renewal in the Small
American City

At ground level, 25 Kent’s two volumes are separated to create a pedestrian street between spaces for retail. At the third floor and above, a connector joins the north and south volumes, linking space for office tenants. Photo: Caroline LeFevre, courtesy of Gensler.

Open House New York Spotlight: 25 Kent

by Jennifer Krichels

In Print

Capsule Book Reviews

by Stanley Stark, FAIA

Letter from the Executive Director

Fall Preview

by Benjamin Prosky, Assoc. AIA

Features

Introduction

The Future of Materials

Neri Oxman and The Mediated Matter Group's Totems, 2018. Architectural proposal for an environmentally responsive melanininfused structure. Created for Design Indaba. Rendering by Eric de Broche des Combes, Luxigon. The glass structure is designed to contain multiple strains of melanin, naturally obtained on-site and biologically synthesized at the lab. It provides UV protection during the day, while enabling stargazing upon sunset. A first-of-its-kind biologically augmented façade, the structure is designed to protect endangered species on-site and to celebrate the diversity of life on our planet. Photo: Neri Oxman and The Mediated Matter Group.

Living in the Material World of Neri Oxman

An upcoming show at MoMA reveals a vision for how biology and the built environment intersect.

by Fred A. Bernstein interviews curator Paola Antonelli

The Gople Lamp, a collaboration between BIG Ideas and Artemide, was primarily designed as a grow lamp to stimulate photosynthesis indoors. Photo: Courtesy of BIG.

Three faces of in-house R&D show how architecture can harness the environment.

by Julia van den Hout

The precast concrete panels of One South First’s façade. Photo: Courtesy of Gate Precast.

Material Innovation On-Site

During construction, architects are using both futuristic and low-tech methods to create better, more sustainable buildings.

by Natalie Dubois

Photo: Courtesy of ABC Stone.

Building Materials, Ancient to Future

Reports from the front

by Fred A. Bernstein, Katherine Fung, Jennifer Krichels, Bill Millard, and Alex Ulam

OP-EDS

A Sustainable Future Means Sharing Research

The future of building materials requires advocacy for a one-stop, open-to-the-public, environmentally...

by Greg Bencivengo, RA, and Shefali H. Sanghvi, AIA, LEED AP BD + C

Look to Nature to Help Create a Healthy Workplace

For most people, stress is inevitable, particularly workplace-generated stress. In America, 83%...

by Amy Jarvis, AIA

Oculus at US Modernist Library

View a digital archive of back issues from Oculus, and other publications

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