TOPIC

Design

Studio Reports

Future Bronx(es)

In the latest installment of their Crisis Fronts degree project, Michael Chen and Jason Lee ask students to use the specific urban challenges of the Bronx to investigate the intersection between public policy and speculative design.

Typecast: Towers in the Park

Typecast

Typecast is a long-term Architectural League study into architectural typologies that begins with a closer look at five "towers-in-the-park," one in each borough of New York City.

Experimental Landscapes: Alexander Felson on Ecology and Design

Urban ecologist Alexander Felson proposes a new kind of ecological practice, one that moves from analyzing nature to shaping it and embeds scientific experiments into the design process.

Multitasking Infrastructures: A Conversation with Sheila Kennedy and Veit Kugel

Sheila Kennedy and Veit Kugel discuss integrating natural systems, material innovation, and digital technology in projects that reflect a singular and synergistic approach to architecture, infrastructure, and civic space.

Studio Reports

Studio Report: The Good Old Days

Daniel D'Oca shares student work that proposes creative ways to improve seniors' comfort, mobility, safety, and happiness to support aging in place.

Vacant Lots: Then and Now

In 1987, the League launched a design study to examine the potential of small-scale infill housing to contribute to the city’s affordable housing portfolio. We look back at what was proposed, and what was built instead.

From Waiting Rooms to Resource Hubs: Designing Change at the Department of Probation

Laura Kurgan describes an integrated, systemic design process for the largest alternative-to-incarceration program in the country.

Field Trip: United Palace Theatre

On 175th Street, a "Wonder Theater" rises seven stories from the street.

Low-Rise, High-Density Housing: A Contemporary View of Marcus Garvey Park Village

40 years after its construction, Karen Kubey revisits Marcus Garvey Park Village in Brownsville, Brooklyn, a revealing example of the design philosophies and policy priorities behind low-rise, high-density housing.

Adaptation and Experimentation: New Housing for New York