by Center for Architecture
The Center for Architecture is preparing to celebrate Common Bond: The Center for Architecture Gala, our single largest funding source, allowing the organization and its partner, AIA New York, to fulfill their mission to educate the public about the value of architecture and design. On Thursday, October 27, professionals from the architecture, engineering, construction, and real estate industries will gather at Chelsea Piers’ Pier 60 to celebrate those who continue the city’s tradition of design excellence. Besides offering a unique opportunity for professional networking, the event provides critical funding for the exhibitions, programs, scholarships and activities of the Center for Architecture, including our popular K-12 education programs. Consider supporting the event by purchasing a sponsorship, ticket, or ad by October 14.
We are delighted to introduce you to this year’s honorees, all of whom embody our community’s most cherished values: collaboration, sustainability, inclusion, civic engagement, and design excellence.
MEET THE HONOREES
Mark Chambers
Mark Chambers is a national environmental policy leader, advocate for social justice, and licensed architect inspired by public service and the lessons of collective action.
Most recently, Chambers served the Biden-Harris Administration as a day-one presidential appointee. As Senior Director for Building Emissions and Community Resilience at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, he led the development of the Administration’s climate policy for the built environment.
Chambers previously served as the Director of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and as the Director of Sustainability and Energy for the government of the District of Columbia. In these positions, he led efforts to align social and environmental policy across buildings, waste, transportation, health and energy sectors in America’s largest city and the nation’s capital.
Chambers is a recipient of the Director’s Award from the Smithsonian National Design Awards and the Public Architect Award from the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. He speaks frequently on the intersection of climate change, resilient design, and environmental justice and has been featured at forums like Creative Mornings, Living Future, Better Buildings Summit, and Climate Week. His work has been highlighted in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Grist, Architectural Record, Politico, Complex World, and Reuters, among others.
Chambers holds a BArch and a MS in Public Policy and Management, both from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA.
Madelyn Wils
Madelyn Wils served as President and CEO of the Hudson River Park Trust from June 2011 through February 2021. Over the past ten years, she has overseen over $1 billion of private/public partnerships, working with some of the world’s top architects and designers to create one-of-a-kind projects, including Little Island (named by Time Magazine one of the 100 Wonders of the World), Pier 26 (2021 Municipal Arts Society Masterworks Award for Best Urban Landscape and 2021 Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Award), Pier 57 (opened Spring 2022), and Pier 97 (under construction).
Previously, Wils was Executive Vice President of Planning, Development and Maritime for the NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), where she was responsible for many revitalization projects throughout the five boroughs. She successfully supervised the rezoning and master plans for Hunters Point South, Coney Island, Willets Point, and Seward Park and oversaw dozens of waterfront developments including parks, transportation improvements, and streetscapes.
Prior to joining NYCEDC, Wils served as President of the Tribeca Film Institute, where she managed the expansion of the organization from a ten-day film festival into a diverse institution offering year-round cultural and educational programming.
From 2001 to 2005, she served as Chair of Community Board One in Lower Manhattan, where she played an integral role in the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan in the aftermath of 9/11. Wils also led the development of the Master Concept Plan for the East River Waterfront and was awarded the Visionary Award from the New York League of Conservation Voters for her efforts.
Wils has been recognized by several organizations for her design and development leadership in the public realm, including with the Waterfront Alliance Heroes of the Harbor Award, Friends of Hudson River Park Leadership Award, the David Rockefeller Downtown Leadership Award, the Historic Districts Council Preservation Award, and the Frances Peters City Garden Club Award.
Wills was a founding Board member of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the Hudson River Park Trust. She has also served on the boards of the Alliance for Downtown New York, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Battery Conservancy, the Non-Profit Racing Oversight Board, the Empire State Stem Cell Board, Hudson River Park Friends, the Joyce Theater Foundation, the Gateway School, and the Millennium High School Advisory Board.
Statue of Liberty Museum by FXCollaborative. Photo: Iwan Baan
FXCollaborative
FXCollaborative believes in the powers of intelligence, intuition, and interconnection to design a better world.
Founded over 40 years ago, FXCollaborative is an architecture, urban design, and interior design firm committed to design excellence, social responsibility, and sustainability. The firm currently operate out of their Brooklyn, NY office with 120 employees.
FXCollaborative’s portfolio spans the globe and encompasses a wide range of project types and scales. Each project is rooted in their core commitment to improving the world through the social, environmental, and artistic enrichment of the built environment. The firm is vigorously engaged in the reinvention and revitalization of the urban condition and committed to positive change.
FXCollaborative enjoys the challenges that come with solving complex problems, harmonizing competing forces, and building consensus among stakeholders. Their approach is interdisciplinary and iterative, using design as a tool to rapidly explore and understand the opportunities inherent in every challenge. The firm embraces the role of economics, politics, and culture in achieving the best solutions.
FXCollaborative believes in the power of creative collaboration and actively engages clients, consultants, and project stakeholders in a transparent, thoughtful, and rigorous process that promotes excellence. Their inclusive approach means their designs don’t just sit on a shelf but win the support they need to be realized.
FXCollaborative brings private developers, public agencies, non-profit organizations, and mission-driven institutions their deep knowledge of and passion for buildings and cities. They recognize that transformation is often incremental, and sudden changes can take years of patient work. Their design solutions are elegant, layered, and integrated, creating rich and diverse places of vibrancy and vitality.