http://www.planetizen.com/node/68148
Hello Everyone:
When is an architecture studio an urban design studio and when is an urban design studio an architecture studio? Now before I confuse you even more, let me clarify. In a recent blog post for Planetizen titled "Architecture+Urbanism: Both/And, Not Either/Or," Anna Bergen Miller looks at the New York City-based firm WXY Architecture+Urbanism
(http://www.wxystudio.com) which is an architecture and urban design studio. Ms. Miller reports, "The trend to interdisciplinary design has both practical and philosophical roots." From a practical point of view, a combination of short-term planning commissions and long-term architecture commissions can keep a firm busy for a while. From a philosophical perspective, both the designers and clients appear to be ready to break from the traditional definitions of architecture and urbanism. Rather, a firm like WXY Studio tries to integrate technical planning expertise with the idea that good design has social currency.
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The Visitors Center at the Museum of Jewish Heritage
WXY Studio
New York City, New York
wxiystudio.com |
Since its founding in 1998, WXY has taken a non-traditional approach to problem solving in the built environment. According to founding partner architect Claire Weisz, "We're always interested in the buildings and the space between buildings." One of the firm's first commissions was the Visitors Center at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City. The Visitors Center was designed in the aftermath of 9/11, as an experiment in post-9/11 public space. On firm's website, in the Featured Projects link, "The design challenge of this project were to complete the design and construction of a small space within three month to coincide with the Museum opening..."
(http://www.wxystudio.com/featuredprojects). Ms. Weisz continues, "Our first commission was to plan or the new security landscape...[It was] both architecture and infrastructure."
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Model documentation for affordable housing
Westchester County, New York
Photograph courtesy of WXY Studio
planetizen.com |
In 2011, the firm hired urbanist Adam Lubinsky as a managing principal. This coincided with the increased planning work that WXY was taking on. According to Mr. Lubinsky, "Even though the office was starting to more planning work, [Weisz] needed someone to drive that side...We really didn't know quite where that would go [but now] we're almost 50/50 designers and planning." Further, "sometimes pure planning or architecture, sometime a mix-but the mixes can be different."
Some of WXY's recent projects highlight the synthetic effects of the the designers different backgrounds. One example is in Westchester County, New York. The firm was tasked with the job of developing affordable housing in the of a lawsuit settlement won by the Anti-Discrimination Center. James E. Johnson, the appointed federal monitor, was charged with overseeing the project and called on WXY to assist the residents in looking at affordable housing in a new light. "The challenge is: how do you do something that's going to get people to think differently about this stuff," asked Mr. Lubinsky. Mr. Lubinsky continues, "We talked a lot about the value of design. We really struggled with this idea of design as something that you could get people to appreciate it." True, good design is an art form worthy of appreciation. WXY held a series of public forms for Westchester residents with the physical model built using the spatial-planning program Tygron. Mr. Lubinsky adds, "What this allowed us to do was look at design opportunities relative to the site, but also provide this immediate planning feedback...That was a real disruptive moment." Good or bad disruptive moment is unclear.
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Cross Section of Queensway
Borough of Queens, New York
Photograph courtesy of WXY Architecture+Urban Design
Dianstudio Architecture+Landscape Architecture
planetizen.com |
Currently, WXY is working on the The Queensway, a 3.5-acre park built on top of an abandoned rail line in the borough of Queens, New York. Collaborating with Dianstudio Architecture+Landscape Architecture, WXY is concentrating on using specific design gesture to acknowledge the concerns of the property owners next to the site. "In this context, it's a visioning process, and it's also a planning process, but what's really starting to make it work is the design attention to detail, which planners don't necessarily [look at]," says Adam Lubinsky. The implementation of landform mounds, plantings, and fences act as buffers between the public park and private homes. On the whole, the Queensway "has really been a planning process: what's the economic development potential, what are the parking challenges?" queries Mr. Lubinsky. "But what's really going to make the project work is the attention to detail and specificity.
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East River Blueway Plan
Brooklyn Bridge Beach
Photograph courtesy of WXY Architecture+Urban Design
planetizen.com |
WXY Studio recently received an American Institute Honor Award for the East River Blueway, which enhances, the East River with waterfront access, place making, storm and flood water management. The latter could come in handy in case of, heaven forbid, next superstorm. "In a way it positioned design as being many voices," says Claire Weisz because it evolved out of a collaboration between WXY, two landscape architects, a graphic designer, and an environmental designer. "This diversity of of design voices is really important to planning because it allows there to be lots of things experienced at the same time." Ms. Weisz characterizes her firm's interdisciplinary approach, "We think the future of design and planning, which is, with all the data that's out there, there's more people and firms needed in interpreting the data in a design sense." Further, "We really think we want to be at the forefront of making this data socially relevant and culturally relevant." Adam Lubinsky picks up the conversation thread, "We definitely want to pursue architecture projects, and also pure planning projects, but also finding these special moments where they really come together." Once the data is interpreted, how it gets applied to everyday life is the real task. Further, what happens when reality deviates from the data? These and many more questions will be up to firms like WXY Studio to figure out.
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