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. 

Mexican architect, Frida Escobedo, will design the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new $500 million Modern and contemporary art wing, the NY Times reported Sunday, March 13th.

Read the complete article here.

Congratulations, Frida!!

Lang Architecture is seeking help! Check out these available positions at Lang Architecture:

https://archinect.com/jobs/entry/150291539/project-architect

https://archinect.com/jobs/entry/150291542/project-designer

https://archinect.com/jobs/entry/150287300/interior-designer

Murphy Burnham and Buttrick Architects (MBB) is seeking architects to join their diverse, design focused architecture firm in New York City. MBB is a woman-owned, award-winning, interdisciplinary team of 28 people— including architects, preservationists, sustainability specialists and interior designers. MBB offers full services, from the earliest planning and study phases, through concept development and design, to the construction management and completion of built projects.

MBB has a diverse body of work including institutional, cultural, residential, and educational projects across a range of scales and they are committed to creating architecture that elevates the human experience. The firm has won numerous local, state, and national awards on a wide range of new, historic, and iconic buildings. The studio is structured to provide the rigor and technical expertise of a large firm with the personal approach and collaborative environment of a small firm. MBB has both breadth and depth of expertise in master planning, interior design, preservation, sustainable design, and architectural design and emphasize a team structure that facilitates continued education and professional advancement.

MBB is a collaborative practice driven by a shared vision of inclusive and sustainable design, technical innovation and rigorous, research-driven decision-making. Although they employ the highest level, 21st century design and construction technologies, their approach to architecture and design remains steadfastly contextual and human-centered.

MBB works hard to nurture a collaborative studio environment where architects and designers can hone their skills, expand their knowledge, and make positive contributions to the built environment and the communities we serve.

Architect (5-8 years Experience)

MBB is looking for individuals with a degree in architecture, exceptional design skills and a minimum of five to eight years postgraduate experience including REVIT/BIM experience. They value team members with strong verbal and graphic communication skills, the enthusiasm and ideas to contribute to design dialogue and the determination to continue to interrogate and improve on design. The collaborative environment relies on designers who work well with a team.

Mid-level Preservationist Architect

Candidates should have strong knowledge of building materials and their deterioration patterns, conservation techniques, construction technology, experience with construction administration and be able to work in AutoCAD. Candidates should have three to ten years of work experience. Candidates should be capable of working on multiple projects within the office concurrently and coordinate work with respective project teams. We value team members with strong verbal and graphic communication skills with the enthusiasm and ideas to contribute to design dialogue and the determination to continue to interrogate and improve on design. Our collaborative environment relies on individuals who work well with a team.

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Please email a letter of interest, your resume and a pdf of work samples (maximum of ten pages) to Maricela Salas at msalas@mbbarch.com. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis and indicate details relating to work authorization status on the cover letter.

Please include your name and position in the subject line of all emails and files submitted. Please no phone calls and/or office visits.

Salary is negotiable and we offer a full range of benefits that includes health and dental insurance, and a 401k Retirement plan.

This Design Excellence Feature highlights Kliment Halsband Architects (KHA), whose Mount Sinai Ambulatory Surgical Facility project in Kyabirwa, Uganda has received the AIA New York Design Award, the AIA Healthcare Design Award and Fast Company World Changing Ideas Honorable Mention.  This prototype for an independent, self-sustaining ambulatory surgical facility provides life-saving treatments in underserved parts of the world.

The design for the first of these facilities takes inspiration from the stands of banana plants found on the site in Kyabirwa, a rural village near the equator in Uganda. The solar panels collect sun and provide shade, much like the surrounding banana plants. The solar array shelters and powers the simple modular brick facility beneath. The building is composed of three functional elements: a reception pavilion and a courtyard waiting area for patients’ families, an intermediate pavilion for pre-op and post-op activities, and a sterile pavilion with two operating rooms and related support spaces. The facility provides access to surgical treatments not available to this community before, as well as training for nurses and surgeons on quality surgical care. The medical staff is also supported by telemedicine links to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, with real-time operating room video conferencing.

Clear design goals and a willingness to rethink the design process allowed KHA to create a building that is efficient, beautiful, and friendly.  The design successfully achieves the most efficient building structure to accommodate the essential equipment and program. “We narrowed it down to a very simplified equipment schedule,” says Frances Halsband, Founding Partner of KHA, “and then we started looking at what could we do in this place, which had no electricity, no water, no internet, nothing.”   - Architectural Record, Solar-Powered Facility Brings Surgical Services to Rural Uganda

“The building is designed with a focus on the simplicity of construction. Materials and systems are minimally invasive, based on available materials and labor. Simple modular building forms made it possible to use local labor to construct the building. All materials and technical system components are available locally and can be maintained in place. Regionally sourced bricks are composed in complex patterns of varying densities, forming screens that let in light and air to solid walls. The bricks and cladding tiles used in the facility were made from red clay dug directly out of the ground near the building site and fired in a local kiln. Brick was utilized in this project because of its availability, its historical presence in the area, and the potential to support the local economy through its use.” – Arch Daily, Mount Sinai Kyabirwa Surgical Facility / Kliment Halsband Architects

When asked if having a project halfway around the world changed the way she practices architecture, Halsband says, “It’s made us feel more free to question the premises of a design project, especially for project types we have a lot of experience with. Re-vision it! For this project we had a small design team. They wanted to be involved in something that was not only humanly scaled but socially useful, serving the community. In our firm, the project has generated interest in working on similar projects. And having the NYU graduate public health students involved here has been eye-opening, because they asked questions about the design that we might never ask ourselves. That has reminded us of the value of cross-disciplinary collaboration.” – Common Edge, An Architect Who Never Designed a Hospital Gives a Doctor Just What He Ordered

Learn more about the Mount Sinai Ambulatory Surgical Facility project at https://kliment-halsband.com/work/mount-sinai-kyabirwa-village-surgical-facility-healthcare/.