The Architectural League of New York supports critically transformative work in the allied fields that shape the built environment. As a vital, independent forum, the League stimulates thinking, debate, and action on today’s converging crises of racism, inequity, and climate change, in service of a more livable and just world. The League’s public programs range from lectures by global leaders in circular construction and social housing to panel discussions on building with straw and immigration enforcement. We support architects and designers throughout their careers, with our Mentorship Program for students at public architecture schools and our Emerging Voices and League Prize awards showcasing distinct design voices.

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Q: Highlight one recent initiative, program, or exhibition

At our recent Current Work lecture, Toward Circular Construction, with Felix Heisel, the founder of Cornell’s Circular Construction Lab (CCL) discussed the built environment as a material depot for reuse and reconfiguration, offering many ways for architecture to rethink construction sustainably. At this lecture, Heisel expanded on the imperative for circular construction and the reuse, from CCL’s policy white paper on deconstruction for New York State to his work on residential prototypes across Europe designed for future disassembly.

Before the lecture, we welcomed attendees to a circularity trade fair, featuring New York–based organizations and vendors that put the circular economy into practice. Participating organizations and vendors included Better Than New, CO Adaptive Disassembly, Materials for the Arts, RECLAIM NYC, Repair Café El Barrio, Tri-Lox, and Vitra Circle.

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Q: What is something about your organization that most people don’t know/might be unfamiliar with?

We’re a membership organization! Membership support helps ensure that The Architectural League continues to explore new ideas in architecture and engage diverse audiences on major issues in the built environment and society. In turn, members receive benefits including free admission to League programs, access to New York State, AIA, and ASLA CEUs, and discounts at Phaidon/Monacelli, ORO, and Park Books, among others. Support the League's programming and mission by becoming a member today. Membership is designed to meet you wherever you are in your design career, with tiers starting at an accessible entry point for students and emerging professionals, up through options for established practitioners and firms.

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Q: How does your organization’s mission intersect with Archtober’s mission?

The Architectural League and Archtober share a commitment to engaging diverse audiences with the challenges and opportunities of architecture and design. Archtober's mission to deepen relationships with the places we inhabit aligns naturally with the League's work to stimulate thinking and debate on how the built environment can better serve society. Together, we approach architecture from complementary angles, connecting the built environment to urgent questions of equity, inclusion, and climate: Archtober opens the door, and the League deepens the conversation.

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Q: How does your organization see the future of architecture and design in NYC?

As League Executive Director Jacob R. Moore puts it, “our vision is for ever more inclusive, equitable, and responsible fields of the built environment that meet the spatial needs of society in meaningful, beautiful, and joyful ways. This means architecture by and for all, and requires not only that professionals focus on equity and quality, but also that the broader public and powers-that-be demand and create opportunities for designers to do their best, publicly minded work. ”To that end, recent and upcoming programs include Drawing Together, our Annual Meeting and Party, where we’ll host “Ask-an-Architect” public Q&A sessions and information sharing about the proposed Grand Army Plaza redesign with NYC DOT; Sign and Line, an RFP seeking designs that enhance the safety of jobsites in the face of intensifying immigration enforcement actions; Architecture, Planning, and International Law: On Data Centers examining the proliferation of data centers and pathways toward more humane infrastructure; and our annual Mentorship Program matching design professionals with students at local public architecture schools, among others.