by: Nicole Pesce
On Monday, 01.27.14, the winners of the New Practices New York competition were announced at the Center for Architecture. Held since 2006, the biennial competition serves as a platform to recognize and promote the city’s new and innovative architecture and design firms that employ unique and innovative strategies, both for the projects they undertake and for the practices they have established. The juried portfolio competition is sponsored by the AIANY New Practices Committee, which focuses on exploring new models of architecture and design practices.
The competition jury reviewed more than 60 submissions. Jurors included Alejandro Zaero-Polo, architect, AZPA; William Menking, editor-in-chief, The Architect’s Newspaper; Jing Liu, principal, SO-IL; and Elaine Molinar, AIA, director of strategic planning & business development at Snøhetta. After careful deliberation, the jurors named their selected firms at the New Practices New York 2014 Winners Announcement and Reception in the evening.
The six winners are:
Bittertang
dlandstudio architecture + landscape
Fake Industries Architectural Agonism
form-ula
NAMELESS Architecture
PARA-Project
Following the announcement, New Practices New York Committee Co-chairs Philip von Dalwig, Assoc. AIA, and Chris Leong, Assoc. AIA, moderated an engaging and informative discussion with the jurors about what it means to be a new practice in New York, why people choose to create new practices, and the different types of projects they frequently take on. The jurors noted that they made an effort to pick projects whose moods reflected different forms. One particularly notable topic of conversation was the effect of the recession on design. It was suggested that the economy led to a greater number of submissions of work done in Asia as well as more theoretical projects and pop-ups. The projects all reflected the free thinking that draws architects to founding new practices.
Throughout the coming months the Center for Architecture will host a symposium and six lectures by each of this year’s winners. The “2014 New Practices New York” exhibition, designed by Pentagram and featuring the work by the winning firms, will open at the Center on 10.01.14.
The competition and following events create a dialogue about the necessary skills that help architects succeed in the fast-paced design world. Participating in the New Practices New York Committee is an exciting way to explore the work of emerging architecture firms in New York, and learn about the issues, challenges, and rewards that surround establishing a new practice in the city. For more information on the AIANY New Practices Committee and its events, click here.
Nicole Pesce is AIANY’s Development Coordinator.
Event: New Practices New York 2014 Winners Announcement and Reception
Location: Center for Architecture, 01.27.14
Speakers: Philipp von Dalwig, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, Co-Chair, AIANY New Practices Committee; Chris Leong, Assoc. AIA, Co-Chair, AIANY New Practices Committee; Alejandro Zaera-Polo, Architect, AZPA, Dean, Architectural Design, Princeton University; Elaine Molinar, AIA, Director Strategic Planning and Business Development, Snøhetta; Jing Liu, Principal, SO-IL; William Menking, Editor-in-Chief, Architects Newspaper, and Professor, Pratt Institute; Rick Bell, FAIA, AIANY Executive Director (opening remarks); and AIANY 2014 President Lance Jay Brown, FAIA
Organizers: AIANY New Practices Committee