Madame Architect

Today on #MadameArchitect: Elena Manferdini, principal of Atelier Manferdini and Graduate Programs Chair at SCI-Arc. Elena focuses on the ties between placemaking, design, and education, having also taught at Cornell, UC Berkeley, UPenn, and Seika University. Her work is exhibited internationally, and she holds engineering and architecture licenses in Italy, with a Master’s from UCLA. In 2019, she received the ICON Award at the LA Design Festival for her impact on Los Angeles and society. In her interview with Julia Gamolina, Elena talks about the effects of a home-base in LA on her contributions in practice and pedagogy, advising those just starting their careers to be open to new ideas and technologies: https://lnkd.in/ey7k-JJT

#MadameArchitectPresents: On Tuesday morning, we hosted our first construction tour of Ray Harlem and the National Black Theatre at 2035 5th Avenue, the future home of the Ray flagship 222-unit apartment building and state-of-the-art NBT complex, designed by Frida Escobedo Studio in collaboration with Handel Architects and Marvel . We saw Ray Harlem's diverse amenities and apartments with impressive views, along with the shell of NBT's home, which will include a 250-seat immersive technology performance space, a 99-seat flexible studio theater, and grand loggia overlooking the corner of 125th St. and 5th Ave. The building also includes substantial commercial space on the ground and 2nd floors. We were joined by Laura Rog, Senior Director at LMXD; Deborah Moelis, Principal of Handel Architects; Dasha Faires, Design Director at Ray; Anaïs Cooper-Hackman, Programming & Partnerships Director at Ray; and Sade Lythcott, CEO of NBT who provided compelling details on the development and construction processes and painted a picture of how the building is expected to come to life. #madamearchitect #LMXD #rayisaplace #rayharlem #nationalblacktheatre

Today on #MadameArchitect: Sharon Xu, Co-Founder of Chicago-based Studio Becker Xu. Her experience building academic and cultural spaces as well as student and affordable housing in Boston, New York, and Los Angeles informs her design approach as an architect and educator at the Illinois Institute of Technology today She holds a Master of Architecture from Princeton University and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In her conversation with Julia Gamolina, Sharon talks about designing with empathy at all scales and the impetus behind her practice, advising those just starting their career to seek out meaningful experiences: #studiobeckerxu https://lnkd.in/e7p2GNrZ

This month for #ExpandingtheConversation, Corgan's Varun Kohli, FAIA speaks with Julia Gamolina about his career and his work with the Pokhrama Foundation, where he led the design for a net-zero school campus in remote northern India, that serves a community with limited access to education. Born in India himself and raised in Nepal, Varun came to the U.S. as an exchange student in a small Nebraska town. Having studied architecture in New York and London, Varun has delved into urban systems and its relationship to the environment, becoming a fierce advocate for environmental and social sustainability: #madamearchitect Read the interview here: https://lnkd.in/gQAtG42z

Today on #MadameArchitect: Architect Shushana Khachatrian, founder of Armenian-based STUDIO SHOO. Her journey began with a degree from the Architectural Department of the University of Land Use and Planning in Moscow, after which she started working for several interior design firms across Europe. This experience laid the foundation for her to start her own practice, committed to creating functional public spaces that enhance people's lives and are a true joy to experience. Currently based in Milan, alongside running her practice, Shushana is further expanding her design expertise studying Product and Furniture Design at Instituto Marangoni. In her interview with Julia Gamolina, Shushana talks about her design heritage and her fresh approach, advising those just starting their careers to find their own unique style: https://lnkd.in/ekK6XMfT

This month for #InInk: While the history of breastfeeding is, quite literally, as old as humankind, the history of a space dedicated to this activity — lactation rooms — is much shorter. They were first needed in the 1960s and 1970s as married women with young children remained in the workforce in larger numbers, but only became a legal requirement in places of work in the U.S. in 2010. While small in square footage, they’re big on impacting new moms in the workplace and beyond. Our historical columnist, Kate Reggev, AIA, explores: https://lnkd.in/dJdes3tM Pictured here: Student nurses preparing a complex mixture of baby formula in a hospital, 1942. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

In honor of this weekend's Open House New York festival, today on #MadameArchitect: Kristin LaBuz, OHNY's Executive Director. She joined the organization in 2018 and was promoted to the leadership role in 2024. An urban planner by training, Kristin is a nonprofit leader with fifteen years of experience working in the sector. Before leading Open House New York, Kristin was a part of multiple mission-driven organizations like the Design Trust for Public Space, the DUMBO Improvement District, and NYC Health’s Active Design Department. She strives to enrich the shared public life of cities, improve the built environment, and promote the power of design. In her interview with Julia Gamolina, Kristin talks about organizational culture and the importance of in-person connection, advising those new to the profession to take advantage of what their city has to offer and show up. #openhousenewyork https://lnkd.in/e7QTf3yb

This month for #DaysWith, spend a day in Kochi, Kerala, India with utharaa zacharias, the co-founder of Soft-geometry, a design studio creating collectible furniture and objects that serve as poignant reflections on the universal yearning for softness in an often harsh world. Utharaa established the studio in 2019 with palaash chaudhary, after completing their Masters in Furniture and Industrial Design, respectively, at the Savannah College of Art and Design. With the narrative backdrop of Zacharias and Chaudhary’s own experiences of living and working between cultures in India and the US, soft-geometry’s objects explore the suspension between contemporary geometries and ritualistic hand-building inspired by Indian craft traditions. During the months of August and September, Utharaa traveled to Kochi, where she is originally from, with Palaash for what she describes as their annual “research and family trip.” She decided to chronicle one of the days for Madame Architect, a day that involves pookkalam, Onam sadya, and a return to where Utharaa and Palaash were married. #madamearchitect https://lnkd.in/encRwVMS

Today on #MadameArchitect: Mariana Mogilevich, the editor in chief of Urban Omnibus, the The Architectural League of New York's publication dedicated to observing, understanding, and shaping the city. A historian of architecture and urbanism, her research focuses on the design and politics of the public realm. Her book, "The Invention of Public Space: Designing for Inclusion in Lindsay’s New York" (University of Minnesota Press, 2020) received a JB Jackson Book Prize from the Foundation for Landscape Studies. Mariana was most recently the curator of “Streets in Play: Katrina Thomas, NYC Summer 1968” at New York City Parks' flagship Arsenal Gallery, and has developed exhibitions and other public projects on the urban environment for the National Parks Service, the New-York Historical Society, and Place Matters. In her interview with Julia Gamolina, Mariana talks about writing, observation, and urbanism, advising those just starting their careers to take time to explore: #urbanomnibus #architecturalleagueofnewyork https://lnkd.in/ezQg8VTe

This month for #NextGen, Gail Kutac speaks with Nina Weithorn, a Master of Landscape Architecture student at the University of Southern California, with a background in agriculture and environmental science, and a designer at TERREMOTO LANDSCAPE. Before beginning her MLA degree, Nina worked as a garden educator and collaborated on the establishment of food justice initiatives in Los Angeles, her hometown. She is passionate about soil remediation, agriculture, waste cycles, and community-based design. Nina plans to work at the intersection of agroecology, climate adaptation, and community engagement, developing frameworks to incorporate alternative food production models into landscape architecture. She has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies with a minor in Social Work from New York University: #madamearchitect Read Here: https://lnkd.in/eJPVDMeP