Archinect - News

Immigrant women detail a 'completely different world' on construction sites in NYC

2023-06-28T11:15:00-04:00

[C]onstruction is a risky job, and even more so for undocumented immigrants, who often work under informal verbal agreements. And for women, being vastly outnumbered on every construction site means more pressure to accept lower pay and mistreatment. That’s why, as more immigrant women don hard hats in New York City, advocates are training them to stand up against exploitation – and transform the construction industry itself.

More than half of New York City’s 200,000-plus-strong construction workforce are immigrants. Myriad abuses abound in informal labor markets, adding to a dangerous climate that last year saw fatalities reach a three-year high.

The women featured in the Guardian article also detailed a culture of sexual discrimination where gender norms are often a reluctant means to financial stability. As one worker stated, “Because we’re women, we are constantly being devalued in these jobs.”

BIG's newest museum project is a timely testament to the outsider in Danish society

2022-06-30T14:45:00-04:00

The latest museum project from Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) is now officially open following a weekend ceremony for the new FLUGT Refugee Museum in Oksbøl, Denmark.

With Queen Margrethe looking on, Ingels and his team were on hand to inaugurate the new institution, which is meant as a platform for stories of the immigrant experience in Danish society.

Photo: Rasmus Hjortshøj

Located on the site of one of Denmark’s largest post-World War II German refugee camps, BIG’s design reworked an existing historic hospital structure into a 1,600-square-meter (17,220-square-foot) space, split into two buildings, that are connected by a single curved Corten steel volume to create a welcoming entryway into the exhibition areas.

Photo: Rasmus Hjortshøj

Its north wing maintains the original circulation of the hospital layout, utilizing the introduction of three stabilizing cross-sections to increase gallery space in the new exhibition areas. In the new sout...

Construction Casualties: The Deadly Cost of Skyscrapers for Immigrant Laborers

2021-03-22T16:35:00-04:00

Across the United States, construction workers were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Not to diminish the hardships and sacrifices of other essential workers and industries affected by the pandemic, Susannah Jacob of the Atlantic highlights the ongoing dangers and overshadowed accounts of construction laborers, specifically immigrant laborers.

Along with support from the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, her piece "The Dark Side of America's Gleaming Skyscrapers" expands on working conditions and on-site casualties. "Immigrant laborers have been dying tragic, sometimes grisly deaths on construction sites across the country. These deaths rarely make news, but they tell the story of an industry indifferent to the lives of its workers."

Photo by Daria Sannikova from Pexels

Within her coverage, she recounts the stories of Eric Mendoza, Nelson Salinas, Gregory Echevarria, Juan Chonillo, Carlos Moncayo, and Mario Salas Vittorio. How their deaths, along with countless others, are examp...

MIT Architecture PhD Student Mohamed Ismail Wins $90,000 Fellowship for Immigrants & Children of Immigrants

2020-04-17T17:07:00-04:00

“At a time when all forms of immigration are under attack, it’s more important than ever to be celebrating the achievements and contributions of immigrants and refugees from across the world,” said Craig Harwood, who directs the Fellowship program. “Our country and universities are enriched by the ingenuity that comes from abroad. When we honor and invest in New Americans our nation is stronger—the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellows are a perfect demonstration of that.”

An MIT architecture PhD student, Mohamed Ismail, is one of 30 immigrants and children of immigrants nationally, chosen as this year's recipients of The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans's $90,000 fellowship for graduate school students.

The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans, is a national merit-based Fellowship that honors the contributions of continuing generations of New Americans in the United States.

As a PhD student in building technology at MIT, Mohamed Ismail is researching the application of structural optimization to the alleviation of housing insecurity in the Global South. Born to Sudanese parents in the United States, Mohamed moved to the Philippines when he was eight. His parents had moved to the United States for an education and his father’s career in academia and research later brought them to the Philippines. Mohamed received his bachelor’s in civil and structural engineering at Duke University before receiving his Master of Architect...

The Architecture Lobby: Boycott the design of immigration detention and deterrence infrastructure

2019-07-31T13:44:00-04:00

The Architecture Lobby and ADPSR call on all design professionals to refuse to participate in the design and construction of any immigration detention and deterrence infrastructure, including but not limited to walls, Border Patrol Stations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) offices, detention facilities, or juvenile holding centers.

The Architecture Lobby (TAL) and Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility (ADPSR) are calling on designers to boycott any efforts to design and construct infrastructure related to the immigration detention and deterrence.

In a statement announcing their efforts, the two organizations write, "[TAL and ADPSR] continue to condemn the current administration’s assault on immigrant rights. These violent and racist policies are designed to cause fear and chaos; target those seeking asylum and refuge; and weaponize the built environment against immigrants."

Instead of helping design detention centers and border walls, the groups call on individual designers, groups of architectural workers, design students, and entire firms to organize against the unjust policies and practices they are being asked to support and perpetuate through their work. That includes speaking out against cruel immigration policies directly to local representatives, refusing to participate in the desig...

Immigrant Architects Honored with 2018 Vilcek Prizes

2018-02-12T09:00:00-05:00

This post is brought to you by the Vilcek Foundation

The Vilcek Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 Vilcek Prizes in the Arts and Humanities, this year recognizing the field of architecture. Awarded annually, the prizes call attention to the breadth of immigrant contributions to the American arts and sciences.

“The social, political, and cultural landscape of America has been shaped by generations of immigrant contributions,” says Marica Vilcek, co-founder and vice chairman of the Vilcek Foundation. “With the Vilcek Prizes in Architecture, we are pleased to recognize the many ways in which they have shaped its physical landscape as well—through bold, original designs, and through research that challenges the status quo, both in the building arts and in society.”

The Vilcek Prize in Architecture, which comes with a $100,000 cash prize, is awarded to architect and urban researcher Teddy Cruz, professor at University of California, San Diego, and director of desi...

The Vilcek Foundation announces three $50K awards for immigrant architects

2017-04-12T17:35:00-04:00

Established in 2000 to “honor the contributions of immigrants to the United States and to foster appreciation of the arts and sciences”, the Vilcek Foundation has just announced that a major new prize for architects is open for applications. Three winners will each receive $50,000 in unrestricted funding.

In order to qualify, applicants must have been born outside of the United States, be 38 years of age or younger, and hold a professional degree in architecture (or a related field). This includes professionals working in the fields of urban planning, landscape architecture, architectural engineering and architecture criticism.

Candidates must submit an application form, a CV, a portfolio, three short essays and proof of immigration status. A panel of experts will evaluate their portfolios and essays. Winners will be announced in February 2018. Submissions are open now. Head over here for more information.