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Walter Hood, a 'contemporary prophet of landscape and public space,' is awarded the Architectural League 2021 President's Medal

2021-08-04T09:00:00-04:00

There is much to reflect on when thinking of Walter Hood's illustrious career. Hood started his design practice in 1992 after he graduated from UC Berkley where he received his Master's in Landscape Architecture. Since then, his commitment to merging architecture, art, and urbanism has led him to become one of the most prolific landscape architects for social change and spatial equity.

Early this July, Archinect contributing writer Rukshan Vathupola conducted an in-depth interview with Hood. In his piece, Othering Blackness in Design: Reflections with Walter Hood, Vathupola crafted a discussion that highlighted Hood not only as a practitioner but as an individual who challenges the perception of landscape architecture, design, and urbanism as a cultural practice.

View overlooking the Walter Hood-designed New de Young Museum gardens in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. Image taken from the 9th-floor observation deck. Image © Mandy Sui Ta via Instagram/Courtesy of @deyoungmuseum

The hi...

The Architectural League announces Beaux Arts Ball 2019: WAVE

2019-09-11T11:13:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by The Architectural League of NY

The Architectural League of New York will hold its annual Beaux Arts Ball on Friday, September 27, 2019. Continuing their multi-year residency exploring the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Ball will take place at Shed 269, a vast former submarine assembly building, currently part of Agger Fish Corp.

First Wave, Nouvelle Vague, Third Wave, Next Wave, New Wave, No Wave. Waves have long been used as metaphors for movements and cohorts that mark moments in culture. The Architectural League Beaux Arts Ball 2019: WAVE will celebrate these generative and transformative forces of waves. The League has commissioned 2017 League Prize winners Greg Corso and Molly Hunker of SPORTS to design Ceiling Unlimited. The "fluid and dynamic" installation along with lighting designed by Ken Farmer of Wild Dogs International will create an original, immersive environment in response to this year’s theme.

Since the League’s revival of the event in 1990,...

Win 2 tickets to Beaux Arts Ball 2017: Alchemy

2017-09-14T09:00:00-04:00

The Architectural League of New York is getting ready to kick off another eventful Beaux Arts Ball, taking place September 22nd at Building 28 in Brooklyn's Navy Yard. Attendees will get to mingle with fellow designers and friends, listen to music spun by DJay Jung while illuminated by lighting from Joel Fitzpatrick Studios, and see site-specific installations by Brett H. Schneider and Lizzie Hodges.

Thanks to The Architectural League, Archinect is giving away two pairs of tickets to two of our readers!

This year’s theme, Alchemy, celebrates the transformation from one state to another, the quicksilver act of creation: dockyards into an innovation hub; concrete, steel, and wood into the world we live in. For a chance to win, respond to the following prompt in the comment section below by Friday, September 15th, 12 PM EST: Name your favorite instance of adaptive re-use in architecture this year.

Only your first comment will count. Two winners will be announced next Monday, September...

The Architectural League's Beaux Arts Ball 2017: Alchemy

2017-09-10T09:00:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by The Architectural League

Join friends and colleagues for Alchemy, the 2017 Architectural League Beaux Arts Ball taking place at Building 28 in Brooklyn’s Navy Yard. This year’s theme celebrates the transformation from one state to another, the quicksilver act of creation: dockyards into an innovation hub; concrete, steel, and wood into the world we live in. Responding to this year’s theme, Brett H. Schneider and Lizzie Hodges have designed UNPACKING, a site-specific installation that will stretch along 400 feet of the building’s interior to create “soft rooms” for the Ball’s patrons.

Learn more about this year's event and how to purchase tickets.

Since The Architectural League revived the event in 1990, the Beaux Arts Ball has become the premier annual party of the architecture and design community in the city with over 1,000 architects, designers, artists and their friends attending. The League identifies a distinctive architecturally significant v...

Beaux Arts Ball 2016: Tabula Rasa

2016-09-08T13:43:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by The Architectural League.

Join friends and colleagues for Tabula Rasa, the 2016 Architectural League Beaux Arts Ball taking place at A/D/O, a new design space in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. This year’s theme celebrates the creative act of fresh thinking and innovation and New York’s own ceaseless reinvention. The Ball will offer a rare inside look at the raw and in-progress 23,000 square-foot A/D/O space designed by Brooklyn-based nARCHITECTS. Responding to this year's theme, Ultramoderne will design a site-specific installation and Wild Dogs International will develop projection-mapped installations to be displayed throughout the space. Fredrik Berselius of Aska will create a menu of light fare.

Since the League’s revival of the event in 1990, the Beaux Arts Ball has become the premier annual party of the architecture and design community in New York with over 1,000 architects, designers, artists, and their friends attending. Located each year at a different...

Partygoers have a blast at the Architectural League's 2015 Beaux Arts Ball

2015-09-22T09:48:00-04:00

Architects, designers, and artists gathered at the Knockdown Center in Queens last Friday night for the Architectural League of New York's Beaux Arts Ball 2015. Co-chaired by Vishaan Chakrabarti of SHoP Architects and Maria Alataris, this year's "Threshold" theme kicks off another cultural year for The Architectural League and the New York design community. It also nods to the industrial history of the Knockdown Center, a former doorframe factory that was restored into an arts and performance space.

Every year, guests dress up, boogie down, socialize, and enjoy refreshments alongside fellow architects, all while helping support the League's programs.

Here's a glimpse of this year's party.

Inside the Knockdown Center's 50,000 square foot, 40-foot high spaces, the design offices of Alibi Studio, MODU, and Moorhead & Moorhead created site-specific “threshold” installations to play up the industrial space of the Knockdown.

Check out photos from 2014: Craft and 2013: -isms.

...

Win 2 tickets to the ArchLeague's Beaux Arts Ball 2015: THRESHOLD on September 18 in NY

2015-09-11T14:51:00-04:00

Tickets are already on sale for the Architectural League of New York's Beaux Arts Ball 2015: Threshold, happening at the Knockdown Center in Queens on Friday evening, September 18. Join fellow architects, designers, and artists in one of the most highly anticipated events for the New York design community.

If you haven't secured tickets yet, you're in luck because Archinect is giving away two pairs of tickets to two of our readers! (Two tickets per winner.)

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

Respond to the following question in the comment section below by Monday, September 14: What appeals to you most about the 2015 Beaux Arts Ball?

Only your first comment will count. Two winners will be announced on Tuesday, September 15.

Co-chaired by architects Vishaan Chakrabarti and Maria Alataris this year, the "Threshold" theme gives a hats off to the start of another cultural year for the League and the wider New York design community. It's also a play on the specific industrial history of the Knockdown Cen...

The Architectural League announces the Beaux Arts Ball 2015: Threshold

2015-09-03T21:57:00-04:00

Over 1,000 architects, designers, and artists will gather for a night of festivities at the Architectural League of New York's Beaux Arts Ball 2015: Threshold, taking place on September 18 at the Knockdown Center in Queens, New York City. Since the League revived the event in 1990 to fundraise support for their programs, the Beaux Arts Ball has grown into a highly anticipated event for the New York design community and friends. The League picks a different venue every year that is architecturally historic and based within the city's five boroughs.

Co-chaired by architects Vishaan Chakrabarti and Maria Alataris this year, the "Threshold" theme gives a hats off to the start of another cultural year for the League and the wider New York design community. It also draws inspiration from the specific industrial history of the Knockdown Center — a former doorframe factory restored into an artist/performance space.

Inside the factory’s 50,000 square foot, 40-foot high spaces, the design offic...

Win a copy of "Young Architects 16: Overlay" from the Architectural League Prize

2015-07-17T09:41:00-04:00

Since 1981, The Architectural League of New York has showcased the latest emerging design talent in the annual Architectural League Prize. Every year, the Architectural League selects three previous winners for the League Prize committee, who are tasked to develop the competition theme that engages certain aspects of architectural form and practice that are most relevant to their fellow young practitioners.

The 2014 edition took an intrinsic approach with the theme "Overlay", which had entrants contemplate how the interactive, incremental processes inform and direct their work. Participants examined their own creative processes and presented how their developed techniques are activated over time with additional layers of meaning as they further explore architectural concepts.

Earlier this month, the Architectural League published the winning entries from this competition in Young Architects 16: Overlay. The book highlights six American firms: Young & Ayata (Brooklyn), The LADG (Los An...

Henry Cobb presented with 2015 Architectural League of NY President's Medal

2015-05-07T15:30:00-04:00

Over 300 guests gathered at New York's Metropolitan Club for the Architectural League of New York's 2015 President's Medal dinner to honor medal recipient Henry N. Cobb, a founding partner at Pei Cobb Freed & Partners.

Bestowed by the League's President and Board of Directors as the organization's highest honor, the President's Medal recognizes a distinguished body of work in architecture, urbanism, art, or design. Architectural League President Billie Tsien, who also previously received the Medal, presented the award to Cobb.

Here's more about the event from the Architectural League.

2015 President's Medal Dinner. Photo: Fran Parente.

In presenting the award, Tsien remarked:

"'There’s a lovely moment that happens from time to time when you look at a person’s face and you can see exactly what they looked like as a child. It is fleeting, and it is very beautiful. Now, often that look happens when curiosity is sparked and with it a sense of wonder. I have been lucky enough to spend some ti...

Marlon Blackwell and Rick Joy in conversation

2015-03-26T12:00:00-04:00

Architects Marlon Blackwell and Rick Joy have built their practices marrying diligent attention to the existing community, ecology, and building culture of a place with the refined craft of contemporary architecture. [...] The two sat down with Anne Rieselbach, the League’s Program Director, in October 2014 to discuss their first meeting 15 years ago, teaching, drawing, distaste for e-mail, and “transgressing the vernacular.”

Five teams selected to participate in the Re-Envisioning Branch Libraries Design Study in New York

2014-07-14T18:23:00-04:00

Although anyone with Internet access can do a quick search online, nothing replaces a brick-and-mortar public library for quality resources and info — yet these centers are consistently overlooked by city policymakers. After setting up an RFQ for the Re-Envisioning Branch Libraries Design Study in New York, the Architectural League and the Center for an Urban Future selected five interdisciplinary teams out of 45 submissions.

They are:

Andrew Berman Architect | Library Development Solutions  | Neil Donnelly | AEA Consulting | Auerbach Pollock Friedlander
Marble Fairbanks with James Lima Planning + Development and Special Project Office
MASS Design Group
SITU Studio
UNION

To find out more, head over to Bustler.

Winners of the 2014 Architectural League Prize for Young Architects + Designers

2014-04-24T19:21:00-04:00

The Architectural League of New York has announced the six winning young architects and designers of the 2014 "Overlay" Architectural League Prize. As one of North America's most prestigious awards for young practitioners, since 1981 the Prize recognizes provocative and exemplary work and provides a public outlet for the exchange of their ideas.

After The Architectural League and the Young Architects + Designers Committee hosted the portfolio competition, whose theme this year was "Overlay", six winners were invited to publicly present and showcase their work:

Kutan Ayata and Michael Young, Young & Ayata

Brooklyn Claus Benjamin Freyinger and Andrew Holder, The LADG, Los Angeles

Adam Fure, SIFT Studio, Ann Arbor

Thomas Kelley and Carrie Norman, Norman Kelley, Brooklyn and Chicago

Jenny E. Sabin, Jenny Sabin Studio, Philadelphia

Geoffrey von Oeyen, Geoffrey von Oeyen Design, Los Angeles

Find out more on Bustler.

Folly 2014 winner SuralArk to be installed at Socrates Sculpture Park in May

2014-04-03T21:23:00-04:00

Out of 170 submissions, Austin+Mergold's SuralArk recently won Folly 2014. Co-sponsored by The Architectural League of New York and Socrates Sculpture Park, the annual competition invites young architects and designers worldwide to propose contemporary interpretations of the traditional architectural folly. The jury also selected 10 Notable Entries. SuralArk will be designed and built at the Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, NY starting May 11 til Aug. 3, 2014.

Learn more about SuralArk and see the Notable Entries on Bustler.

The Living and Surfacedesign Inc. give first lecture in 2014's Emerging Voices series

2014-03-07T17:46:00-05:00

Emerging Voices is an annual award given by the Architectural League. It is an invited portfolio competition, identifying eight firms in North America that are influencing the current condition of architecture, landscape design and built environments. To see a full list of this year’s award recipients, click here. The winners will present their work weekly in a lecture series hosted by the Architectural League of New York during the month of March. For more information about these events, click here.

The Emerging Voices lecture series kicked off last night with presentations by The Living (David Benjamin) and Surfacedesign Inc (Geoff di Girolamo, James Lord, and Roderick Wyllie). Despite the differences in the scope of work between both offices, the pairing offered complementary insights into alternative approaches to designing built environments. David Benjamin’s work is inspired by experimentation and synthetic biology, employing a cross-disciplinary approach to undertake responsiv...

Winners of Emerging Voices 2014

2014-02-06T19:16:00-05:00

The Architectural League of New York announced today the eight winners of Emerging Voices 2014. The prestigious invite-only, portfolio competition recognizes emerging and potentially influential firms and individuals based in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico. This year's winners were selected by the jury for their alternative forms of practice and entrepreneurial spirit, as well as their accomplishments in the design and academic communities.

The winners are:

Pictured above: David Benjamin, The Living, New York

Related: YAP winner The Living selected to re-design MoMA PS1's courtyard this summer

Joyce Hwang, Ants of the Prairie, Buffalo

Salvador Macías Corona and Magui Peredo Arenas, Estudio Macías Peredo, Guadalajara

Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello, Rael San Fratello, Oakland

Mauricio Rocha Iturbide and Gabriela Carrillo Valadez, TALLER |MauricioRocha+GabrielaCarrillo|, Mexico City

Basar Girit, Aleksey Lukyanov-Cherny, Wes Rozen, and Bradley Samuels, SITU Studio, Brooklyn

Geoff di Girolamo, James Lord, and Roderick Wyllie, Surfacedesign, Inc., San Francisco

Betsy Williamson, Shane Williamson, and Donald Chong, Williamson Chong Architects, Toronto

Learn more about them on Bustler.

Elizabeth Diller, MoMA discuss expansion and Folk Museum's demolition with slice of NY architectural community

2014-01-29T15:46:00-05:00

The controversial plans to demolish the American Folk Art Museum in service of MoMA's expansion rumbled along last night, at a panel discussion hosted jointly by the Architectural League, the Municipal Art Society, and the AIA's New York chapter.

Catch-up on news surrounding MoMA's expansion here:

Archinect contributors / Parsons MArch students Ayesha Ghosh and Alex Stewart attended the event, taking notes and logging thoughts. The following is their report.

* updated February 3, 2014: You can also find a video of the entire discussion, courtesy of the Architectural League, at the bottom of this post.

A Conversation on the ...

A quick recap of the Beaux Arts Ball 2013

2013-10-02T20:09:00-04:00

Over 1,350 people attended this year's Beaux Arts Ball at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City on Sept. 28. Hosted by the Architectural League of New York — and with Archinect/Bustler as one of the media sponsors — the annual evening event brought together the architecture and design community for a centennial celebration of the infamous 1913 "Armory Show" — when European modern art was introduced into the U.S. The sold-out Ball also helps support other Arch. League events.

Special shoutout to long-time Archinectors John Jourden, Aaron Plewke, and Quilian Riano who attended the Ball!

Here's what Aaron Plewke shared with Bustler on the event:

"The overall environmental effect created for this year's ball was quite successful. The white tarp-like canopies created an intimate space at the center of the dark and voluminous armory hall. The sound installation built from a dream-like drone steadily toward a beat-heavy dance party. Large Mylar puppets marched rhythmically through the space, adding spectacle, and pushing vertically into the dark void above."

Last chance to get tickets for New York’s Beaux Arts Ball 2013: –ism

2013-09-26T15:10:00-04:00

Only a few more days until New York City's 69th Regiment Armory on Lexington Avenue opens its doors this Saturday night for an event extraordinaire: the Beaux Arts Ball hosted annually by the Architectural League of New York. This year's ball marks the centennial celebration of the iconic 1913 "Armory Show," so the theme for 2013 will be "–ism" and guests are invited to dress playfully as their favorite "ism."

The Architectural League also recently announced its 2013 fall "Current Work" lecture series, held in conjunction with the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture of The Cooper Union. The lineup includes Richard Meier, David Adjaye, Toshiko Mori, Thomas Phifer, and many others.

Check out the lecture poster below for details and click here for more upcoming League events.

The Architectural League of New York announces its Beaux Arts Ball 2013 theme: -ism

2013-09-05T18:44:00-04:00

Hey New Yorkers, it's that time of the year again and it's going to be extra special: The Architectural League of New York's annual Beaux Arts Ball at the 69th Regiment Armory is just around the corner, and this year, the event marks the centennial celebration of the iconic 1913 "Armory Show". The League announced Saturday, September 28, as the ball's date and emerging practices SITU STUDIO and Processional Arts Workshop as [...] featured artists to transform the space for one extravagant night.

Event Details

BEAUX ARTS BALL 2013: -ISM
Saturday, September 28, 2013
9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
69th Regiment Armory
Lexington Avenue at 25th Street
New York City

Environment: SITU STUDIO
Performance Installation: Processional Arts Workshop
Music and Sound Installation: Nathan Halpern (with Mary Lattimore and Chris Ruggiero)
DJ Set: Jon Santos
Beer, wine, and light fare

Tickets are $75 in advance; $100 at the door (space permitting). Tickets and a full list of this yearʼs Benefit Committee are available on the Leagueʼs website or by phone at 212.753.1722 x10.

2013 Architectural League Prize for Young Architects + Designers

2013-05-13T18:49:00-04:00

The Architectural League of New York today announced the six winners of Range, the thirty-second annual Architectural League Prize for Young Architects + Designers. The League Prize is one of North Americaʼs most prestigious awards for young architects.

This yearʼs winners are:

Rafael Luna and Dongwoo Yim, PRAUD, Boston and Seoul
Skylar J.E. Tibbits, SJET, Boston
Luis Callejas, Lcla Office, Cambridge and Medellín
Brandon Clifford and Wes McGee, Matter Design, Boston and Ann Arbor
Marc Fornes, MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY, Brooklyn
Bryan Young, Young Projects, Brooklyn

The Architectural League calls on MoMA to reconsider Folk Art Museum Demolition

2013-04-22T18:07:00-04:00

The Architectural League calls on the Museum of Modern Art to reconsider its decision to demolish the American Folk Art Museum. The Museum of Modern Art—the first museum with a permanent curatorial department of architecture and design—should provide more information about why it considers it necessary to tear down this significant work of contemporary architecture. The public has a substantial and legitimate interest in this decision, and the Museum of Modern Art has not yet offered a compelling justification for the cultural and environmental waste of destroying this much-admired, highly distinctive twelve-year-old building.

Annabelle Selldorf, president
Rosalie Genevro, executive director

Amale Andraos
Stella Betts
Michael Bierut
Vishaan Chakrabarti
Walter Chatham
Leslie Gill
Maxine Griffith
Frances Halsband
Hugh Hardy
Steven Holl
Wendy Evans Joseph
Rachel Judlowe
Paul Lewis
Frank Lupo
Thom Mayne
Richard Meier
Joseph Mizzi
Peter Mullan
Nat Oppenheimer
Gr...

Architectural League of New York Presents 2013 President’s Medal to Renzo Piano

2013-04-11T15:00:00-04:00

Renzo Piano has been awarded the highest honor of the Architectural League of New York, the President's Medal. The prize is bestowed annually on individuals in recognition of extraordinary body of work in architecture, urbanism, or design.

arquitectura 911sc on Mexico City and other projects

2012-06-12T11:47:00-04:00

We are interested in connecting architecture with the social

Confronted with the complexity and political uncertainty of Mexico City, Jose Castillo and Saidee Springall of arquitectura911sc strive for a “dual commitment to an architecture that connects the physical with the social, and architecture that is grounded and informed by the city.” Their performing Arts Center in Guadalajara is under construction. Recently completed projects include a low-income housing development, bookstores, offices, and commercial spaces in Mexico City, as well as urban planning and infrastructure projects throughout Mexico.

2011 Architectural League Prize for Young Architects + Designers

2011-05-24T14:08:15-04:00

The Architectural League has recently announced the winners of Itʼs Different, the thirtieth annual Architectural League Prize for Young Architects and Designers (formerly known as the Young Architects Forum). The Prize is an annual competition and series of lectures and exhibitions organized by the Architectural League and its Young Architects and Designers Committee.