This year's AIA Conference on Architecture will be held in one of the design capitals of the world: New York City. With dozens of iconic buildings and many industry heavyweight firms, the city is a natural locale to celebrate architecture. Every weekday in June, ARCHITECT editors will be counting down the days until we see you in New York with suggestions of places to go and things to see.
12. AIA + ARCHITECT Booth
Have a few minutes between sessions? Stop by booth #1739 to hear from industry leaders on a variety of topics including biophilic design, mitigating risk in waterfront properties, and the future of licensing. A+ host and editor-in-chief of ARCHITECT Magazine Ned Cramer kicks off Day 1 of live programming at 10:30 am on June 21. —ARCHITECT Staff
11. The Candidates for 2020 AIA President-Elect
Each year, AIA members attending the AIA Conference on Architecture have the opportunity to vote for the candidates who will help lead the Institute's national office. Ahead of the June 21-23 event in New York this year, ARCHITECT spoke with Jane Frederick, FAIA, principal of Frederick + Frederick Architects, and William "Bill" Carpenter, FAIA, founder of Lightroom, who are both vying for the Institute's top leadership position. Learn more about them before casting your vote on Thursday, June 21. —Katharine Keane
10. Meet Your Candidates for 2019-2121 AIA At-Large Director
Each year, AIA members attending the AIA Conference on Architecture have the opportunity to vote for the candidates who will help lead the Institute's national office. Ahead of the June 21-23 event in New York this year, ARCHITECT spoke with the three candidates running for for 2019-2121 at-large director. Learn more about them before casting your vote on Thursday, June 21. —Katharine Keane
9. Introducing Jason Winters, AIA
Each year, AIA members attending the AIA Conference on Architecture have the opportunity to vote for the candidates who willto help lead the Institute's national office. Ahead of the June 21-23 event in New York this year, ARCHITECT spoke with the only candidate for 2019-2020 AIA Secretary, Jason Winters. Learn more about him before casting your vote on Thursday, June 21. —Katharine Keane
8. Docomomo Awards Ceremony
Since 2014, Docomomo US has recognized projects in its annual Modernism in America Awards that highlight the diversity of modern buildings and sites and demonstrate excellent preservation and documentation practices. The U.S. chapter of Docomomo International picked 13 projects for the 2018 awards—seven design awards of excellence, five citations of merit, and one special award of restoration excellence. This year’s winners will be honored on June 20 at Design Within Reach in New York. —Ayda Ayoubi
7. Grab a Drink
After a day walking the showroom floor and a trip across town to catch the keynotes at Radio City Music Hall, you will surely be ready for an evening cocktail. Go no further than the iconic Rainbow Room just around the corner on the 65th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. A 2017 Institute Honor Award–winner for interior architecture, the Rainbow Room is also home to Bar SixtyFive, which offers spectacular views and retro drink options. Be sure to make a reservation to secure your seat. (Cocktail attire is recommended.) —Katharine Keane
6. Huma Bhabha's Roof Garden Installation
Consider visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden—just a few blocks down from the Guggenheim Museum on 5th Avenue—to see "We come in Peace," an art installation by Poughkeepsie, N.Y.–based artist Huma Bhabha. The artist took inspiration from Robert Wise's 1951 sci-fi film The Day the Earth Stood Still. Bhabha's installation, according to the Met, invites visitors to "envision tales of foreign visitation." The installation features two cast bronze sculptures: "We Come in Peace," a 12-foot-tall five-head intersex standing figure and "Benaam (Urdu word for nameless)," an 18-foot-long prostrate sculpture. Looking at these haunting figures, you will recognize traces of pain, hope, and survival. "We Come in Peace" will be on view through Oct. 28. —Ayda Ayoubi
5. Shop 'Til You Drop
What better place to splurge than at Barneys New York’s downtown flagship, which was awarded a “Commendable Achievement” for its lighting design in the 2017 Architectural Lighting Design Awards. Take a short 10-minute cab ride—yes, we mapped it—from the Javits Center to the 7th Avenue multifloor store that features a central sculptural, spiral staircase surrounded by a glass-walled atrium designed by local firms Steven Harris Architects and Lalire March Architects. As the jury noted, you’ll see “everything you would expect to find in a high-end retail setting.” —Katharine Keane
4. Derrick Adams at MAD
For the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), local artist Derrick Adams produced a 50-piece exhibition inspired by the The Negro Motorist Green Book series, a guide to hotels, restaurants, and other businesses willing to serve to black travelers during Jim Crow. "The project is really timely, considering all of the conversations and issues surrounding immigration and racial tension,” Adams told The New York Times. "Derrick Adams: Sanctuary" runs through Aug. 12. —Sara Johnson
3. 'Designing Waste' at New York's Center for Architecture
"How [do] we manage waste in our buildings and neighborhoods?" and "How design can reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfills?" These are two fundamental questions that "Designing Waste: Strategies for a Zero Waste City," an upcoming exhibition at the Center for Architecture, will aim to explore. Curated by journalist Andrew Blum and designed by New York City–based design firm Wkshps, this exhibition will also examine waste management strategies that can help New York eliminate sending waste to landfills by 2030. —Ayda Ayoubi
2. Restaurant Reservations
Regarded as one of the world’s best food cities, New York has no shortage of restaurants, bakeries, bistros, and bars to choose from. Consider making a reservation at a recent James Beard Design Award–winning haunt. Our favorites include contemporary downtown eatery De Maria; 2017 Design Icon Award winner, Grand Central Oyster Bar and Kitchen; and 2016 winners Bruno Pizza, designed by Demian Repucci Design, and the Whitney Museum’s Untitled, a contemporary American restaurant designed by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop with Cooper Robertson. —Katharine Keane
1. The Conference Keynote Lineup
The conference consistently draws an impressive lineup of speakers to the keynote stage—remember Michelle Obama last year?—and this year is no exception. The keynote sessions are more condensed this year, spanning two days rather than three: David Adjaye, Hon. FAIA, founder of London– and New York–based firm Adjaye Associates, and Sheela Maini Søgaard, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) partner and CEO, are the headliners this year, and they will be joined by many more professionals in the field. —Sara Johnson
