November 21, 2024
November 21, 2024, New York, NY – The Center for Architecture is excited to announce new leadership transitions. Following two years of service to the organization as Chair of the Board of Trustees, Jennifer Sage, FAIA, LEED AP, Founding Partner at Sage and Coombe Architects, has stepped down, with Peter Robinson, Founder of WorkUrban and Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture at Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning, assuming the role. Marc Norman, Founder of Ideas and Action, who joined the Board as a Trustee in September 2022, has been appointed Vice Chair.
During her tenure, which concluded on June 30, 2024, Sage was an instrumental force in leading the Center for Architecture. She has been engaged with the organization for over a decade, having joined the AIANY Board of Directors in 2013 as a Director, serving as Vice President of Design Excellence from 2016 to 2018, and then joining the Center for Architecture Board of Trustees in 2019. Sage also currently serves as Co-Chair of the Center for Architecture’s Exhibitions Committee, through which the organization develops its annual exhibitions program, and is part of the Scholarship Committee, an essential initiative that awards scholarships and grants for students and professionals. While Sage is no longer Chair, she will remain on the Board of Trustees, where she will continue to provide guidance and expertise for the organization.
Peter Robinson, one of the founders of BlackSpace Urbanist Collective, joined the Board of Trustees in January 2021 and has since been focused on expanding the Center for Architecture’s strategic partnerships. His research focuses on cultural subjectivity and the city, broaching parallels and interferences among architectural/urban design, planning, and cultural theories as a means to engage and inform social action.
“I have had the privilege of watching the Center for Architecture evolve and expand over the years, continuously serving as a vital link between the profession of architecture and the people of New York City,” said Robinson. “As a young professional, I participated in the organization’s Learning By Design program in its early stages, and later became involved in other initiatives including NYCOBA | NOMA. Through these experiences, I’ve seen firsthand the impact of architecture as a tool for education, empowerment, and community-building. As the Center continues to deepen its engagement with communities, particularly those underserved and overlooked, I’m honored to step into the role of Chair and collaborate with our Board to guide conversations around how we can broaden our reach and make the field of architecture more accessible, vibrant, and inclusive.”
Marc Norman, the Larry & Klara Silverstein Chair in Real Estate Finance and Associate Dean of the NYU School of Professional Studies Schack Institute of Real Estate, previously served as the curator of the Center for Architecture’s 2015 exhibition, Designing Affordability: Quicker, Smarter, More Efficient Housing Now.
“I first joined the Board in 2022, and since then have been inspired by the organization’s commitment to showcasing and shaping the state of architecture and urban development in NYC and beyond,” said Norman. “I’m eager to continue furthering the Center for Architecture’s vision in fostering exchange and collaboration across the design, development, and policy sectors as we work together to create a more equitable, forward-thinking city.”
In addition to these leadership transitions, the Center for Architecture also welcomes new trustees Eran Chen, AIA, Founder and Director of ODA; Elizabeth J. Kennedy, FASLA, RA, Principal Landscape Architect at EKLA PLLC; and Anil Khachane, Senior Vice President of Development with Ian Schrager. Chen’s term began in September 2024, and Khachane and Kennedy will begin their service in the new year.
About Peter Robinson
Peter (he/him) is the founder of WorkUrban, a design consultancy that partners with communities, individuals and institutions while engaging students on a pathway toward leadership and empowerment. Through community engagement and participatory design, WorkUrban promotes effective urbanism around the world.
As a founding board member of BlackSpace Urbanist Collective, Peter utilizes his strong belief in the power of collaboration to advance student advocacy and create community change. A sought-after leader in the field of design consultancy, Peter also serves on the Board of Advisors for BRACE: Building Research + Architecture + Community Exchange and has been elected Secretary / Treasurer | Board of Directors | Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture.
Peter, a native of Kingston, Jamaica was raised in both Kingston and New York City. He earned a Bachelors of Architecture degree from Cornell University and a Masters of Science in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University. Peter’s research focuses on cultural subjectivity and the city, broaching parallels and interferences among architecture, urban design, planning and cultural practices/ theories as a means to engage/ inform social action.
Peter is an Assistant Professor | Social Justice and Equity Cohort | Department of Architecture | Cornell University, where he was also the Fall 2021 Mellon Scholar.
About Marc Norman
Marc Norman is the founder of consulting firm Ideas and Action, while at the Schack Institute of Real Estate at NYU he is the Larry & Klara Silverstein Chair in Real Estate Development & Investment and Associate Dean. Trained as an urban planner, he has worked in the field of community development and finance for over 25 years. Previous to his current positions, he has held leadership positions at University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business as Faculty Director of the Weiser Center for Real Estate; Duvernay+Brooks, LLC as Managing Director; Deutsche Bank as Vice President in the Community Development Finance Group; and led Upstate, A Center for Design, Research and Real Estate at Syracuse University. Norman has worked collaboratively to develop or finance over 2,000 units totaling more than $400 million in total development costs.
Norman works nationwide with cities, for profit and non-profit projects related to economics, wealth building and equitable development. He also engages in numerous public service and academic service activities. Since 1994, he has served as a board member for numerous non-profit, governmental and community organizations addressing issues of affordable housing and design, currently serving on the board of MASS Design Group, CAMBA Housing Ventures, and formerly as Chair for the Federal Reserve’s Community Advisory Council.
About Eran Chen, AIA
Since establishing ODA in 2007, Eran Chen, AIA, has earned a reputation for mold-breaking designs that will deliver a better urban future. Having completed more than 50 buildings in just over a decade, he has become one of the most prolific architects in New York. Eran’s work has been widely published around the world and recognized by the AIA, the Society of American Registered Architects, and others. His recent projects include the renovation of the former Postkantoor in Rotterdam, a mass-timber residential building in Washington D.C., and the conversion of a defunct parking garage into a public park and class A office building in Buenos Aires. His writings on architecture have been published in ODA’s book, Unboxing New York, as well as in ODA’s new monograph with Rizzoli.
About Elizabeth J. Kennedy, FASLA, RLA
Elizabeth J. Kennedy, FASLA, RLA, is the 2022 recipient of the Landscape Architecture Foundation Medal, which honors a career of distinguished work in landscape sustainability. The medal award follows her 2021 elevation to the ASLA Council of Fellows, which she will chair in 2025. It recognizes her efforts to intersect cultural heritage and ecology in socially just ways. Deemed “an exceptional leader, visionary, entrepreneur, advocate for social change, designer, teacher, and mentor to young professional women and BIPOC designers,” she heads EKLA, which she founded in 1994. The work she directs quietly challenges mainstream assumptions about the aspirations and needs of underrepresented voices that persist despite systems and biases that have long dispossessed the less powerful of spaces and rendered the people who use them invisible. In countering this invisibility, her projects exemplify landscape architecture’s potential to engage a broader critical understanding of place and identity.
About Anil Khachane
A former member of the AIA Board of Directors, Anil Khachane brings over 24 years of experience in coordinating projects across feasibility, design, development, and construction. After spending more than a decade in architectural practice, he transitioned to overseeing numerous development and redevelopment projects in collaboration with a variety of owners and operators. Currently serving as Senior Vice President of Development with Ian Schrager, his focus is on expansion of a boutique lifestyle hospitality brand. Anil has previously contributed to high-profile projects such as the redevelopment of Rockefeller Center during his time with Tishman Speyer. Throughout his career, he has led projects in affordable housing, occupied residential and commercial buildings, working with large institutional investors and property owners.
About the Center for Architecture
The Center for Architecture is the premier cultural venue for architecture and the built environment in New York City, informed by the complexity of the City’s urban fabric and in dialogue with the global community. The Center 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. centerforarchitecture.org
About AIA New York
Founded in 1857, AIA New York is the oldest and largest chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The Chapter’s members include 5,000 practicing architects, allied professionals, students, and public members interested in architecture and design. AIA New York is dedicated to three goals: design excellence, public outreach, and professional development. aiany.org