Adrian Benepe, NYC Commissioner of Parks and Recreation for the past decade, is leaving city service to become the Senior Vice President of City Park Development at the Trust for Public Land. He will be replaced by Veronica White, who is currently the executive director of NYC’s Center for Economic Opportunity…

The six winners of The Municipal Art Society of New York’s 2012 MASterworks Awards are New York by Gehry at 8 Spruce Street by Gehry & Partners, Best New Building; New York City Center by Ennead Architects, Best Restoration; East Harlem’s Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College by Cooper, Robertson & Partners, Queens Central Library by 1100 Architect with environmental graphics and sculptural iconography by Lee H. Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership, and El Museo del Barrio’s reconfigured courtyard by Gruzen Samton, Neighborhood Catalyst; and Jane’s Carousel by Ateliers Jean Nouvel, Best New Urban Amenity…

Dattner Architects won an award for Innovative Architecture & Design from Recreation Management Magazine for the Cordish Family Pavilion Lenz Tennis Center at Princeton University…

Solar One announced the winners of this year’s Green Design Lab Energy Challenge, a six-month competition among more than 20 K-12 schools to save the most electricity with a total $30,000 prize;top-performing schools included PS/MS 19, in the South Bronx, First Prize (21% savings), and Runners-Up PS 84-Steinway in Astoria (17% savings) and the Academy for Environmental Leadership, Bushwick Campus (14% savings)…

Amanda Burden, Hon. AIANY, FAICP, Seth Pinsky, and the “Vision 2020” team were given Special Citations by the AIANY Chapter at the 145th Annual Meeting on 06.13.12…

Sam Fox School announced the recipients of the 2012 Awards for Distinction including NYC-based Ann Meredith Rolland, AIA, LEED AP, and Stephen Yablon, AIA, LEED AP…

Japan Society has announced Dr. Miwako Tezuka will take over directorship of Japan Society’s Gallery from Joe Earle, who retires effective 09.30.12…

The New York office of engineering firm Buro Happold welcomes civil engineer Neil Porto, PE, as Principal…