February 13, 2025
The Center for Architecture, in partnership with AIA New York, is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 Arnold W. Brunner Grant for Architectural Research.
2025 Recipients
Alexandra Barker, FAIA
Project: “Climate-Adaptive Vernacular Building Practices of Mexico City and Oaxaca—A Study of Traditional and Contemporary Biostructures Using Local and Renewable Materials”
Award: $12,000
This study investigates climate-adaptive vernacular building practices in Mexico City and Oaxaca, focusing on traditional and contemporary biostructures that utilize local and renewable materials such as adobe, chukum, bajareque, and tapial. Through fieldwork and case studies, the research explores spatial strategies like courtyards, overhangs, and porous facades that enhance thermal regulation and ventilation. By bridging traditional knowledge with modern sustainability practices, the project aims to develop design guidelines for climate-resilient architecture while preserving cultural heritage.
Alexandra Barker, FAIA, is an architect and educator. She is the principal of Barker Architecture Office (BAAO), an award-winning practice based in New York. She is also a founder of Pratt Institute’s Graduate Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Design department, where she is currently Interim Chair and Associate Professor. She is a member of the Design Advocates Leadership Team.
Andrea Lamberti, AIA, and Sonya Falkovskaia
Project: “Crit Collective: Enriching Design Juries at Schools of Architecture and Design”
Award: $5,000
Ensuring that a broad cohort of jurors is available to participate in School of Architecture Design Juries is often a challenge. Crit Collective envisions a community through which faculty can access a pool of architecture graduates and design professionals with diverse experiences and expertise. Brunner Grant funds will go toward establishing a digital platform to facilitate this process for a fall 2025 launch.
About Andrea Lamberti: Lamberti is an architect based in New York City and former partner at Rafael Viñoly Architects. She served as president of AIANY in 2022 and is a member of the AIA New York State board. She holds degrees from the Harvard GSD and MIT.
About Sonya Falkovskaia: Falkovskaia is an architectural designer and researcher focused on equity and pedagogy. She has taught at Parsons and served as a visiting critic at several institutions. She has published research on female-led architectural pedagogy and holds an M.Arch from the Harvard GSD. She has studied at ETH Zurich, TU Delft, and The University of Bath.
Christian Ayala Lopez and Jennifer Pindyck
Project: “All in the Family: Recognizing New Typologies in Family-Owned Rural Cooperative Housing”
Award: $10,000
This research explores rural cooperative housing models to address regulatory, financial, and social challenges related to heirs’ property. The project aims to develop housing typologies that support multi-generational living on shared land and strengthen access to financial and legal resources.
About Christian Ayala Lopez: Lopez is an Assistant Research Professor at Auburn University. His work focuses on alternative housing models emphasizing affordability and resilience, and on expanding the impact of Rural Studio to under-resourced communities.
About Jennifer Pindyck: Pindyck is an Assistant Professor at Auburn University. Her work centers on equity, housing, and spatial interpretation. She previously practiced for nearly 20 years, including as a founding principal of DSNWRK. She holds degrees from Harvard GSD and Wellesley College.
Edward Kopel, AIA, LEED AP
Project: “Raise the Rail: Architectural Responses to Suicide by Jumping”
Award: $15,000
In New York City, suicide deaths by jumping occur at a rate 10 times the national average. This research examines architectural responses—such as netting and deterrent barriers—to reduce deaths from urban buildings, aiming to improve public health through safer built environments.
Ed Kopel is the founder of a Brooklyn-based design firm and has completed award-winning public works for the MTA, Battery Park, and others. In 2023, he founded Raise the Rail, a nonprofit advancing safer railing design standards. He holds architecture degrees from Columbia and Yale.
Neeraj Bhatia and Antje Steinmuller
Project: “Forming Life in Common”
Award: $8,000
Forming Life in Common examines alternative housing models that share domestic space to enable community, culture, and mutual support. The team is studying over forty collective housing projects across California to understand their spatial, social, and governance patterns.
About Neeraj Bhatia: Bhatia is an architect and urban designer, Associate Professor at the California College of the Arts, and principal of THE OPEN WORKSHOP. His work has been featured in major biennials, and he is widely published across leading architectural journals.