AIA-NY – Public Architecture: Low-Cost High-Impact Public Interventions

This event is free for ASLA members

The COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated the critical need for enhanced public spaces for recreation and socializing. In the wake of the pandemic, NYCHA architects partnered with colleagues across all disciplines and agencies to plan, design, execute, and deliver upgrades for over 60 public open spaces on NYCHA properties across the boroughs. This work was completed, planning to ribbon cutting, over the course of just six months. This program will examine how public architects literally “turned on a dime” to perform this work efficiently and effectively.

Speakers:
Bruce Eisenberg, FAIA, LEED AP, Director of Assets & Capital Management, NYCHA
Delma Palma, Deputy Director of Architecture and Urban Planning, NYCHA

Moderators:
Michael Plottel, FAIA, Public Architect, HumaneScale Design Corporation
Anna Torriani, AIA, Founding Partner and Design Principal, Atelier Pagnamenta Torriani

About the Speakers:
Bruce Eisenberg has dedicated his career to improving the civic realm by contributing to the design of public buildings and spaces. For over 30 years, he has collaborated on the design of a wide variety of educational, recreational, commercial and residential projects in New York City and worldwide. He has been involved in all aspects of their design and construction and has advocated a sustainable approach, understanding how urban design, landscape architecture, and architecture support each other. Always pushing for responsibly designed projects, he has elevated them to the highest level of design excellence. As an architect with the New York City Housing Authority, Eisenberg has led the charge of raising the bar on design, taking a comprehensive approach to NYCHA’s aging infrastructure and bringing the agency’s properties in-line with best practices and industry standards. He works closely with all engineering disciplines and construction managers at NYCHA, plus coordinates on an inter-agency level across the city with agencies including NYPD, FDNY, DOB, DDC, Parks & Recreation, City Planning, and the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities.

Delma Palma is a public architect who has focused on improving the public realm and setting the standards for public housing residents at the New York City Housing Authority. She has collaborated with the NYC Public Design Commission on the Connected Communities Guidebook for urban design and community engagement. For NYCHA’s Open Space Master Plan, she oversaw the assessment of 130 developments, which will set the stage for millions of dollars in investment for public spaces. Palma has worked closely with city agencies including Parks and Recreation, City Planning, and the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, among others.

Michael Plottel has led a highly diverse set of socially relevant projects and building types, ranging from public safety, social housing, transportation, educational facilities to public parks and public art. As former Director of Capital Project Management at Columbia University Facilities, Plottel has sought to balance the needs of citizens first and foremost, with those of policy-makers, designers, project managers and builders. He has dedicated his career to advancing the practice and theory of public architecture by focusing on the design and construction of socially relevant projects with the result of rebuilding cities, strengthening institutions, enhancing public spaces and ultimately serving the everyday needs of the citizen. Plottel’s elevation to AIA Fellowship recognizes his rich contribution to New York City’s successful re-urbanization efforts, as well as his multi-decade dedication to fostering research and dialogue around the scholarship and practice of public architecture.

Anna Torriani is a founding partner and design principal of Atelier Pagnamenta Torriani, a New York-based atelier and international practice. Her expertise lies in the ability to analyze and synthesize each assignment. A strong advocate for design excellence in the public realm, she researches the geography, history, culture, interacts with the community and translates the findings into a concept in dialogue with the specific environment. Torriani pursues her understanding of public space through the studio’s Shaping Public Space (SPS) initiative and public engagement, having been nominated by Ban-Ki-Moon to serve on the Advisory Board for the United Nations Capital Master Plan, and as co-chair of the AIANY Public Architecture Committee.

1.5 LACES/HSW Credits (approved)