Our host for the 2023 Design Matters Conference is the AIA New York / Center for Architecture, located at 536 LaGuardia Place, New York, NY.
AIA New York opened its Center in 2003, blazing a trail that many other public-facing architecture organizations soon followed across the country. Architect Andrew Berman's design took a mish-mash of underutilized sub-basement space and created a coherent, highly functional three-story space with open sight lines from the street.
The Center for Architecture (CFA) shares a home with the AIA New York Chapter and has the unique advantage of drawing upon the ideas and experiences of practicing architects to produce thought-provoking exhibitions, informative public programs, and quality design education experiences for K-12 students. It also leads New York City’s annual month-long architecture and design festival, Archtober.
The Center for Architecture’s aim is to further public knowledge about New York City architecture and architects, foster exchange and collaboration among members of the design, development, building, scholarly, and policy sectors, and inspire new ideas about the role of design in communities by presenting contemporary and practical issues in architecture and urbanism to a general audience.
For anyone interested in developing or managing a permanent facility for public engagement, the CFA should surely be on your list of sites to visit.