The annual Samuel Ratensky Memorial Lecture was initiated by the AIANY Housing Committee in honor of Samuel Ratensky (1910-1972), an architect and NYC housing official who was responsible for major housing initiatives in the city from 1946 to 1972, and who served as a mentor to many architects who worked in his programs. The lecture series honors individuals who, like Ratensky, have made significant lifetime contribution to the advancement of housing and community design.
This year, the AIANY Housing Committee will be honoring Angela Brooks and Lawrence Scarpa of Brooks + Scarpa, recipients of the 2022 AIA Gold Medal “for their “pioneering brand of architecture that profoundly enriches the human experience.” The speakers will discuss their careers at the intersection of policy, design, and social responsibility, and how they push convention to address issues surrounding housing and homelessness and create profound impact on the practice of architecture.
Brooks + Scarpa is a multi-disciplinary practice that includes architecture, landscape architecture, planning, environmental design, materials research, graphic design, furniture desgin, and interior design services to produce innovative, sustainable iconic buildings and urban environments. With more than one hundred significant national and international awards and thousands of publications, awards conferred on the firm include the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award, AIA National and AIA California Firm Awards, the Lifetime Achievement Award from AIA California Council and Interior Design Magazine, Architectural Record Houses, Architectural Record Interiors, the World Habitat Award, and the Rudy Brunner Prize.
