After the long holiday weekend, most of us are putting summer days behind us and are back to the reality of work and school.

Here is a bit of architecture school humor from Common Edge to brighten up your week and kick off the academic year, whether you are in the throes of your academic career or it is a distant, but surely unforgettable memory.

ENJOY!

WXY’s work has been recognized for its dedication to engaging, improving, and honoring public space. They design in conversation with the environment. They work to understand a context, and plan with community in mind. They challenge themselves to face the array of complex design problems and commit to solutions that forward a healthy and sustainable future.

WXY works at all scales. Whether designing public plazas and parks, intergenerational community centers or large-scale, affordable housing complexes, the WXY approach leverages the contributions of public and private partners to create spaces that promote both physical and economic wellness for the entire community.

WXY is currently hiring:

Senior Project Architect (10+ Years Experience) - New York

Urban Data Analyst - New York

Senior Urban Planner - New York

Learn more about these opportunities and how to apply here.

Loci Architecture is an award-winning firm with over two decades of experience completing academic, residential (single-family and multi-family), restoration, and community projects. The Loci mission is to design a better city.

Loci is seeking an intermediate level architect to join their team and contribute to the design and documentation of upcoming work, particularly in the academic, multi-family housing development, sacred space, and preservation areas. This position requires a well-developed design sense and technical knowledge across a broad range of projects. An ideal candidate is comfortable working at different scales and budgets in a collaborative environment, is well organized, and effectively communicates with clients, contractors, and consultants.

Loci offers a comprehensive benefits and compensation package, and supports a healthy work life balance. They invest in developing their team’s professional skills, including helping them obtain certifications, creating a clear path to success within the firm, and supporting a career in architecture. Their mentorship program ensures that each employee, regardless of experience, learns about the different roles and opportunities in the office, and has an office colleague with whom they regularly meet throughout their employment. Many of the Loci team are actively involved with our communities, social issues, the arts, and music.

Following is the preferred profile for candidates:

• Licensed or actively pursuing licensure to practice architecture in New York State

• 5-7 years overall experience in New York City architectural offices since earning a professional degree

• A Bachelor of Architecture or Master of Architecture degree in the United States or equivalent degree earned in a foreign country

• Experience with Revit, CAD, and Adobe Creative Suite

• LEED Accreditation or Passive House certified

• Experience with the New York City Building Code, Zoning Resolution, Energy Code, and DOB filing documents and procedures

• Authorization to work in the United States

To apply: Please send your resume, portfolio, and a cover letter in PDF format (less than 10 MB) to: resumes@lociarchitecture.com. Include a short statement in the cover letter describing your NYC project experience.

Space4Architecture is seeking two (2) collaborators to join their team!

Space4Architecture is a New York-based architectural design studio working across different scales and typologies, both in the private and public realm. As a team, S4A desires to generate detailed and thorough design that engages their clients in a simple, direct, and joyful manner. Their non-hierarchical approach to design enables them to create architecture free of stylistic limitations that welcome and respond to clients needs. The office’s reputation for simplicity and clarity of design strengthens with every project researched and completed, as S4A believes this to be the foundation of a solid and timeless environment.

S4A is looking to expand their team as they are gearing up to start several residential projects in New York City and abroad! They are seeking someone passionate and fun with over three (3) years of experience.

S4A is also seeking a full-time, or freelance, collaborator to assist in creating 3D renderings and visualizations.

If any of these opportunities sound like a good fit, please contact hello@s4arch.com.

WIP Collaborative is a shared feminist practice of independent design professionals focused on research and design projects that engage community and the public realm. The collaborative formed within WIP Work In Progress | Women In Practice, a broader supportive network of women in practice. Founded on feminist principles, WIP supports those who eschew patriarchal conventions and define new narratives of architectural practice through their work. Distinct from a traditional firm built around a singular identity and authorship, WIP is centered around a way of working as an adaptable framework to meet the needs of its projects and collaborators. The WIP Collaborative team is composed of seven independent designers and their respective practices including Abby Coover (Overlay Office), Bryony Roberts (Bryony Roberts Studio), Elsa Ponce, Lindsay Harkema (WIP), Ryan Brooke Thomas (Kalos Eidos), Sera Ghadaki (SERA GHADAKI), and Sonya Gimon.

You may recognize WIP Collaborative’s work from features in ArchPaper, Curbed, and Fast Company for shining a light on the Restorative Ground installation that opened in Hudson Square July 2021.

Restorative Ground is a multifaceted landscape of choice, which draws from ongoing research by WIP Collaborative about creating inclusive and immersive public spaces.  Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, this research highlights the importance of providing a range of spatial qualities - high and low stimulation, tactile materials and textures, distinct experiential zones - in order to create a truly supportive public environment. The installation creates a dynamic platform for public life to re-emerge in Hudson Square; a place for individual and collective engagement, recreation, and healing.

The project is organized into three zones to offer a range of distinct experiences: Focused, Active and Calm. The Focused zone features large stained plywood tables with stools made of recycled rubber offcuts. (Image courtesy of Samuel Lahoz)

Restorative Ground was informed by the research that WIP began in 2020 on inclusive public spaces and designing for neurodiversity. Interviews with experts and self-advocates revealed the importance of experiential choice in public space for those who experience sensory sensitivity. Other groups that are often excluded by the design of public space, such as teenagers, share similar needs. These findings underscored a need for a supportive and immersive streetscape for all ages. Given the hardship and isolation experienced by so many during the pandemic, it was imperative for WIP to create an environment for safe collective interactions, healing, and joy. Since the installation’s opening in July, WIP has observed Restorative Ground’s use and activation by individuals and groups of all ages, including families with young children and skateboarders enjoying the streetscape together. In order to learn from its reception by these groups, WIP is currently conducting post-occupancy research and documentation that can inform their future work. 

The Active zone features sloped faces and curved vertical rails for climbing, hanging, balancing, or leaning. (Image courtesy of WIP)

In the Calm zone, a large hammock supports relaxed lounging and a place to enjoy the shade from the tree canopies above. (Image courtesy of WIP)

The project’s undulating sloped surfaces allow for both dynamic paths and quiet corners for individual use. (Image courtesy of WIP)

Each week Kids Learn Careers asks a different professional about their job. Listen to Esther Sperber tell Kids Learn Careers what it’s like to be an architect.

Desiree V Cooper Memorial Scholarship
Helping to increase the number of licensed African-American, women, and people of color architects.

 The Desiree V. Cooper (DVC) Memorial Scholarship Foundation celebrates the life and legacy of Desiree V. Cooper by championing the things she was passionate about in her professional career and personal endeavors: providing continual service to her communities and encouraging minorities and women in the advancement of their careers in architecture.

The Foundation is pleased to accept applications for the 2022 DVC Scholarships: The Black Women in Architecture Award, The Harrisburg Memorial Award, and The DC Memorial Award, and the NOMA Award.

All awards will be for the full cost of the ARE exams.

Applications are due Apr 30.

 Apply

The Desiree V. Cooper (DVC) Memorial Scholarship Foundation is pleased to accept the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation President’s Grant Fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation. This grant will allow the fund to increase the scholarship amounts given in its four categories and fund awards for the next three years. The Washington DC Alumnae Foundation Inc will support administration of this grant.

Press release

If you have any issues submitting or questions about the application, contact the committee at DVCscholarship@gmail.com.

Past Scholarship Recipients and Info

AIA New York and nycoba|NOMA are now accepting applications for the 2022 AIANY Civic Leadership Program (CLP). CLP focuses on developing skills that benefit designers interested in public service and community engagement, as well as architects who may one day consider a career in elected office. 

During the course of the program, ten selected participants will hone their engagement skills via a series of workshops, activities, and events. The program consists of five participant-led development sessions, additional team-building and skills-building sessions, and two public events, all of which contribute to building a framework for engaging with the public realm. The self-led development sessions are researched and planned in partnership by a pair of participants on a topic of their choosing, allowing them to dive deep into one aspect of civic engagement. Session topics may include public interest design, land use and public space, community engagement and relations, public development and infrastructure, and sustainability and resilience. Participants will also be required to plan one of two public-facing events.  

After completion of this program, CLP cohorts will have:  

• Cultivated their leadership skills

• Developed facilitation and collaboration skills for working with communities that architects, designers, and planners serve

• Gained awareness of civic issues in NYC and ways to get involved

• Met and engaged with local political leaders

The deadline to submit applications is Monday, April 25, 2022. CLP is committed to broadening equity, diversity, and inclusion to create a stronger profession. The application is open to all design professionals who have graduated; however, accepted participants must be AIA, Associate AIA, and/or nycoba|NOMA members at the start of the program.   

 AIANY will host two information sessions for members interested in learning more about applying to the Civic Leadership Program:
 
Morning Session, Friday, March 18, 9:00 – 9:45 am
Afternoon Session, Tuesday, April 5, 5:00 – 5:45 pm
 
CLP will culminate with two public events hosted at the Center for Architecture on Thursday, November 3 and Thursday, December 1, 2022.


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About AIA New York
AIA New York is the oldest and largest chapter of the American Institute of Architects with more than 5,500 architect, allied professional, and student members. AIANY is dedicated to three goals: design excellence, public outreach and professional development. www.aiany.org 

About nycoba|NOMA
nycoba|NOMA's mission is to advance the influential voices and promote the quality and excellence of minority design professionals.