Every building designed by Morris Adjmi Architects begins with a grid and a conversation. Sometimes these are literal: a street grid or a building facade; a conversation with the client or consultant. Sometimes they’re conceptual: a grid as an organizing system or municipal code; a conversation as a strategy for interpreting those systems. Within the urban milieu and historic neighborhoods that the office often works, this process inspires buildings that are contextual but unmistakably contemporary. A Grid and a Conversation is a survey of the firm’s first 20 years, focusing on work in New York City and featuring more than 25 key projects. Also included in the text are observations from architecture historian Diane Ghirardo, preservation expert Bill Higgins, real estate developer Charles Blaichman, architects Judith Saltzman and Fred Bland, and artist Lyle Starr, offering insight into how Morris Adjmi Architects synthesizes tradition and innovation to craft environments with a sense of purpose and place.