Following our previous visit to New York-based OLI Architecture, we are keeping our Meet Your Next Employer series in Manhattan this week to explore the work of WXY Architecture + Urban Design.

Led by founding principal Claire Weisz, the firm has built a portfolio driven by “innovative approaches to public space, structures, and cities.” Recently, our editorial has reported on WXY’s involvement in a $45 million revitalization of the Storm King Art Center, a mixed-use affordable housing development atop a former juvenile detention center in the Bronx, and an urban farm within the Javits Center.

Several designers associated with the firm have also been honored with major awards and appointments within the industry, including founding principal Claire Weisz receiving an RAIC College Honorary Fellowship, managing principal Amy Hau’s appointment as director of the Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, and senior planner and urban designer Eugenia Di Girolamo’s appointment as the City of Denver’s first chief urban designer.

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring a Senior Project Architect to join their New York City studio. For candidates interested in applying for the position, or anybody interested in learning more about the firm’s output, we have rounded up three waterfront projects by WXY that exemplify the firm’s ethos.

Arverne East Nature Preserve and Welcome Center, Queens, NY

As we reported in April of this year, WXY completed a new welcome center at the Arverne East Nature Preserve in Rockaway, Queens. The project represents the first phase of New York City’s “first net-zero residential community” of 1650 units, and contains a community meeting room and space for the Parks and Recreation Department’s Urban Park Rangers program and the Campaign Against Hunger.

“Arverne East represents a unique and innovative path forward for the Rockaways — one rooted in honoring local knowledge, collective power, and an ongoing practice of community stewardship,” WXY founding principal Claire Weisz said about the scheme. “The sustainable and resilient architecture creates an inviting, accessible space to connect with nature — a promontory for everyone from beachgoers to community organizers to Parks Department staff.”

PlaNYC Far Rockaway Parks Beach 30th Pavilion, Brooklyn, NY

The Beach 30th Pavilion forms part of a wider revitalization of Far Rockaway Beach, with 28 acres of new and existing park landscapes renovated and enlivened to improve public access and amenities. Three unique structures were designed as part of the project: a performance lawn, a boardwalk overlook at Beach 20 Street, and a new pavilion at Beach 30 Street.

The Beach 30th Pavilion serves as a shelter and rest stop for beach activities, comprising a 3000-square-foot structure with an exterior lounge. The shelter’s design mixes skylights and oval cutouts, with the largest porthole containing a planted area to introduce the dune landscape to the pavilion. Slender columns hold light fixtures to activate the pavilion in the evening, while glazed brick in five different tones of green results in a palette that reads as an urban dune “camouflage.”

Hudson River Park Buildings, Manhattan, NY

WXY designed three buildings for the Hudson River Park, a major waterfront park being developed along five miles of Manhattan’s West side. The structures respond to the area’s former industrial role while bringing new uses such as a miniature golf and snack bar, Dock Master’s office, boathouse and restaurant, and skateboarding facility.

“The designs draw on the local vocabulary of robust marine structures and reinterpret the pragmatic nature of utility building with a sculptural gesture,” WXY says about the scheme. “Angling roof lines and 3-dimensional signs animate the composition. The buildings are zinc-clad and equipped with broad overhangs for shade and shelter. Glimpses of hard-wearing glazed brick at their bases and openings punctuate their components with vivid color.”

Meet Your Next Employer is one of a number of ongoing weekly series showcasing the opportunities available on our industry-leading job board. Our Job Highlights series looks at intriguing and topical employment opportunities currently available on Archinect Jobs, while our weekly roundups curate job opportunities by location, career level, and job description.