"House Housing; An Untimely History of Architecture and Real Estate", a globally touring exhibit, has finally arrived in its place of conception, New York City. After first appearing at the 2014 Venice Biennale, “House Housing” has popped up in Chicago, Berlin and Los Angeles. The exhibit opened this past Tuesday, July 12 at the AIA New York Center for Architecture.

Researched and organized by Columbia University’s Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture, the opening was accompanied by a panel discussion moderated by Reinhold Martin, Director of the Buell Center. Martin was joined by Patrice Derrington, Director of the Real Estate Development Program at Columbia, GSAPP and Lissa So, Founding Partner at Marvel Architects.

The exhibit is quite timely, given the frequency with which New York’s housing stock is embroiled in tension between real estate, architecture, private capital and the demand for more affordable housing. If anything, the exhibit and panel discussion were right on schedule, given Mayor Bill de Blasio’s zoning overhaul that passed in March. The conversation, lasting little over a single hour, attempted to contextualize the complexities of the relationship between real estate and architecture, and by the end turned into the spectacle that mediating between the two actually is. Accusations were flung, mildly irrelevant personal stories dragged on, and multiple moments of mansplaining elicited occasional groans, but this internet comments section was contained to the open discussion.

The conversation very quickly engaged ideas of wealth disparity, zoning, the impact of tax law on affordable housing, racial tension and even the ethical choices of architects (through the example of whether architects should design prisons). While the panel provided a survey of all the issues around affordable and public housing, Derrington not only illuminated the root of some of the issues, she went as far to propose action. Her voice was refreshing, quick and to the point, as she called out issues like the impact of the Capital Gains Tax and how action to change it would be effective in destabilizing current systems of inequality.

Martin posed the question, “What happened to public housing?” The move away from public housing towards affordable housing brought in the topic of developers, engaging the work of Marvel Architects.

Lissa So brought a unique perspective as a principal of an architecture firm actively involved in the fray of the development world. She brought up the example of their Brooklyn Public Library project and Hudson Company Inc’s decision to place double the requested affordable housing offsite as a compromise in location. Unfortunately, her most interesting statement about the project was never expanded on: “These weren’t decisions that we were making, but these were decisions that we were defending,” she stated, implying the inability of the firm to participate in the decision making process in compromising location for quantity. So dealt the audience with a blanket explanation of “It’s complicated,” with not much further insight into whether as an architect she agreed with the decision. This seemed like a missed opportunity to unpack the role architects can actually make in a developer-driven building market.

The discussion that followed was a bit disjointed, with some bits that were more constructive than others. Unfortunately, a defining moment was a vehement attack on the Brooklyn Public Library project, the criticism hinging on the alternative location proposed for the affordable housing. While unproductive in its delivery, it directed the debate towards a discussion on gentrification and racial divides. Other comments integrated ideas of quality of life, and quality of architecture.

The actual "House Housing" exhibit was small, as if confined by the limited availability of land that also restrict public and affordable housing. Although cozy, the availability of the tear off sheets with “episodes,” historical anecdotes of architecture and real estate, were easily digested. All of the content present in the exhibit, as well as the accompanying book, The Art of Inequality are available at http://house-housing.com.

Overall the panel discussion was similar to the exhibition: a quick survey that opened a dialogue, only a prologue for a problem desperate for real solutions, as real as the architecture that “makes real estate real.”

The exhibit “House Housing; An Untimely History of Architecture and Real Estate” will be open at the Center for Architecture from July 12 - September 10, 2016.