
The Center for Architecture is located in the neighborhood of
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
at 536
LaGuardia Place
West Broadway is a north-south street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, separated into two parts by Tribeca Park. The northern part begins at Tribeca Park, near the intersection of Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue), Walker Street a ...
, between West
3rd Street and
Bleecker Street
Bleecker Street is an east–west street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is most famous today as a Greenwich Village nightclub district. The street connects a neighborhood today popular for music venues and comedy, but which ...
in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
, New York City. The center was designed by
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
Andrew Berman
Andrew Berman is an architectural and cultural heritage preservationist in New York City. He is known for being an advocate of LGBT rights and an opponent of new construction. Berman was named executive director of the Greenwich Village Society f ...
and completed in 2003. Since its inception, the center, operated by the New York Chapter of the
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to ...
, has become an increasingly important cultural institution through its revolving exhibits on
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...
,
urban planning
Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water ...
,
urban design
Urban design is an approach to the design of buildings and the spaces between them that focuses on specific design processes and outcomes. In addition to designing and shaping the physical features of towns, cities, and regional spaces, urban de ...
, and
environmental planning
Environmental planning is the process of facilitating decision making to carry out land development with the consideration given to the natural environment, social, political, economic and governance factors and provides a holistic framework to ac ...
. The center also puts on seminars, public feedback forums, project unveilings, and educational programs, as well as events and changing exhibitions.
The Center for Architecture opened to the public in October 2003.
Geothermal system
In the summer of 2003, the geothermal system for the Center for Architecture was installed. For three weeks, construction crews drilled two wells, each 1,260 feet (~ 384m) deep beneath the sidewalk. After drilling through layers or gravel, pea stone, overburden soil and bedrock, the wells were connected to make a closed loop system. The geothermal system consists of pipes, heat exchangers and pumps for groundwater to flow through. The geothermal system cools the Center for Architecture during warm weather and heats it during the cold months by circulating water through
heat exchanger
A heat exchanger is a system used to transfer heat between a source and a working fluid. Heat exchangers are used in both cooling and heating processes. The fluids may be separated by a solid wall to prevent mixing or they may be in direct conta ...
s. The system is based on the fact that the earth's temperature at a thousand feet below Manhattan is a constant . The heat exchangers use the temperature of the water to cool (or heat as demand requires) the air released into the facility through air ducts. Air is blown over the chilled or heated water before traveling into the galleries and office spaces.
See also
*
List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City
New York City is home to hundreds of cultural institutions and historic sites, many of which are internationally known. This list contains the most famous or well-regarded organizations, based on their mission.
Museums
Also included are non-prof ...
*
Philadelphia Center for Architecture
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
2003 establishments in New York City
Art museums and galleries in Manhattan
Greenwich Village