by: Camila Schaulson Frenz
We spent the entire month of Archtober celebrating architecture and design, but there is one special night of the year when architecture truly takes center stage: AIANY’s Heritage Ball. On 10.24.13, more than 1,200 professionals from the architecture, engineering, construction, and real estate industries gathered at Chelsea Piers’ Pier Sixty for an unforgettable evening.
While we all enjoyed the black-tie schmoozing and networking, the Heritage Ball also honors design excellence in our city. This year’s honorees were Tod Williams, FAIA, and Billie Tsien, AIA, Co-founders of Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects; Stephen M. Ross, Founder and Chairman of the Related Companies; Patricia E. Harris, First Deputy Mayor of the City of New York; and Richard Kahan, Founder and CEO of The Urban Assembly. These architects, developers, public officials, and non-profit leaders assure us that our city’s built environment is in good hands.
The Heritage Ball also honored the winning team for the FAR ROC: For a Resilient Rockaway Competition, the Swedish firm White Arkitekter with Gensler and Arup. The winners were announced by RuthAnne Visnauskas, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing and Preservation. Competition organizers Ron Moelis of L+M Development Partners, Katie Swenson of Enterprise Community Partners, and Steve Bluestone of The Bluestone Organization also attended.
With this year’s mayoral election and the publication of the Chapter’s “Platform of the Future of the City,” AIANY has expanded its efforts to help shape public policy by engaging with officials in conversations about the city’s future. This was reflected by the numerous and notable public officials in attendance, including: Robert LiMandri, Commissioner, NYC Department of Buildings; Janette Sadik-Khan, Hon. AIANY, Commissioner, NYC Department of Transportation; David Burney, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Design & Construction; Robert Tierney, Chair of the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission; Victor Calise, Commissioner, Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities; Bea de la Torre, Assistant Commissioner for Planning, NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development; and Council Member Gale Brewer, elected yesterday as Manhattan Borough President.
F. Eric Goshow, FAIA, AIANYS President; Susan Chin, FAIA, 2013-2014 AIA Vice President; Walter Hunt, FAIA; A. Eugene Kohn, FAIA; George Miller, FAIA; and Margaret Castillo, FAIA, represented current and past AIA leadership.
2013 also marks the Center for Architecture’s 10th anniversary. An anniversary video, directed by Ian Harris of Arbuckle Industries, played as attendees made their way from the cocktail reception to their dinner tables. The video tracked the evolution of the Center for Architecture from opening day until now, featuring stills from a decade of exhibitions and programs. It also included interviews of past presidents Walter Hunt, FAIA; Eugene Kohn, FAIA, and Rolf Ohlhausen, FAIA, along with Andrew Berman, AIA; Cynthia Kracauer, AIA; and Rick Bell, FAIA. After the ball, attendees were transported to the 10th anniversary Party@theCenter – decked out in black and silver to the tens.
Event: Heritage Ball 2013 and 10th Anniversary Party@theCenter
Location: Chelsea Piers’ Pier Sixty and the Center for Architecture, 10.24.13
Organizers: AIA New York Chapter and the Center for Architecture Foundation
Sponsors: Oldcastle Building Envelope, Related Companies, Tishman Speyer (Investors), AECOM, Arup, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Desimone, Fried Frank, Hudson Yards, IBI Group – Gruzen Samton, Jaros Baum & Bolles, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Mancini Duffy, MechoSystems, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, Schulte Roth & Zabel, Sciame, Studios Architecture, Thornton Tomasetti, Tutor Perini Building Corp (Benefactors), AAI (Adamson) Architects, AIA New York Chapter Past Presidents, AKF Group, Allied Works Architecture, Arenson Architectural Products, B.R. Fries Constructors, Benson Industries, Bernard Tschumi Architects, Beyer Blinder Belle, Brookfield Financial Properties, Boston Properties, Buro Happold Consulting Engineers, Callison Architecture New York, CBRE, Cerami Associates, The City University of New York, CNY Group, The Corcoran Group, Cosentini Associates, Davis Brody Bond, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Ennead Architects, Extell Development Company, Forest City Ratner, Francis Cauffman Architects, FXFOWLE Architects, Gensler, Gilsanz Murray Steficek, Goldstein, Hill and West Architects, Handel Architects, HOK, Hunter Roberts Construction Group, Ibex Construction, Ingram, Yuzek, Gainen, Carroll & Bertolotti, International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD NY Chapter), Jones Lang LaSalle, Joseph R. Loring & Associates, Knoll, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, Lane Office Furniture, Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, Lend Lease, Lucius Pitkin, Lutron, Metropolis Group, Miller Blaker, Mitchell | Giurgola Architects, National Reprographics Inc., Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, Perkins+Will, Perkins Eastman, Rafael Viñoly Architects, Robert A. M. Stern Architects, Robert Silman Associates, Sage and Coombe Architects, Schneider Electric, Severud Associates, SHoP Architects, Skanska, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, SLCE Architects, Stephen Jacobs Group, Studio Daniel Libeskind, STV Incorporated, Syska Hennessy Group, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, Turner Construction Company, Vanguard Construction & Development Co., Vidaris, WASA/Studio A, Weidlinger Associates, WSP, Zetlin & De Chiara (Patrons)