Tag: workac | ArchDaily

Experimentation, Learning, and Evolution in Architectural Design: Get to Know WORKac

Moises Carrasco — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 05:00:00 +0000

WORKac is a New York-based firm founded in 2003 by Amale Andraos and Dan Wood. The firm has always believed in "the power of architecture and design to engage in environmental and social concerns, and to create new possibilities for the future." In that sense, the firm's principals define their approach to architecture as a constant evolution. For them, it is a continuous process of learning, questioning, and relearning, which is nurtured through the firm's engagement in local culture, climates, and histories, as well as discourse in the fields of ecology, landscape, and urbanism. In this way, they are able to bring these topics together with a focus on public, cultural, and civic projects that aim to reinvent how people live, work, and experience the world.

WORKac Breaks Ground on "The People's Theater" in Inwood, New York

Nour Fakharany — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 05:30:00 +0000

WORKac has just initiated the construction of a new cultural center in Inwood, New York. Led by immigrants and women of color, “The People’s Theater: Centro Cultural Inmigrante” is dedicated to supporting immigrant New Yorkers through various artistic programs. Spanning multiple languages and generations, their unique form of theater serves as a dynamic platform for immigrants and members of the Latin, Black, and Queer communities.

Designing around Debate: The Gender-Neutral Bathroom

Ankitha Gattupalli — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 04:00:00 +0000

“Creating an equitable city implies that every citizen has their needs met”, states architect Wanda Dalla Costa at a time when metropolises were noticing change. Architects and the public have started to acknowledge the gender-driven design of public spaces. Across the world, urban areas have been a site of discrimination and danger to the LGBTQ+ community. Gender is demonstrated in public zones that promote visibility and interaction between people. An arduous challenge lays upon architects and planners to design fair environments and equitable spaces.

MVRDV’s Geology-Inspired Tower Begins Construction in San Francisco

Eric Baldwin — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 05:30:00 +0000

Construction has begun on MVRDV’s new 23-story mixed-use tproject at Mission Rock in San Francisco. One of four buildings in a multi-phase masterplan, the tower was designed alongside work by Studio Gang, Henning Larsen, and WORKac. The Mission Rock masterplan aims to turn 28 acres into a new neighborhood for San Francisco residents and visitors. The projects are made to connect to China Basin Park.

Mexican Architects Design 25 New Facilities for Mexico City's PILARES Program

Mónica Arellano — Sun, 04 Oct 2020 07:30:00 +0000

Mexico City's Secretary of Public Works and Services announced a collaboration with some of the country's most distinguished architectural minds in a move to add on to the capital's educational and cultural infrastructure. The project centers on the planning and building of 25 new Points of Innovation, Freedom, Art, Education, and Knowledge (PILARES), an initiative implemented by Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum.

Water Works, the Exhibition by WORKac at Musea Brugge Goes Digital

Christele Harrouk — Fri, 24 Apr 2020 09:00:00 +0000

WORKac in collaboration with Musea Brugge and Cultuurcentrum Brugge has created an exhibition entitled Water Works. Set to run initially from March 7th to June 7th, 2020 at the historic Poortersloge in Bruges, Belgium, the exhibition has been temporarily closed to the public due to the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic. However, the New York-based architectural practice has produced a brief video highlighting its six themed rooms and the eighteen projects on display.

MVRDV Creates a 23-story Mixed-Use Building for Mission Rock

Christele Harrouk — Thu, 17 Oct 2019 06:30:00 +0000

Part of the Mission Rock master plan in San Francisco, MVRDV unveiled their contribution, in partnership with Perry Architects, a 23-story mixed-use building, including offices and residential units. The firm joins other big names like Studio Gang, Henning Larsen, and WORKac in designing one of the vertical entities in this waterfront.

Mission Rock's Collaborative Master Plan to Transform San Francisco’s Waterfront

Christele Harrouk — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 07:30:00 +0000

The first phase of the planning vision for Mission Rock in San Francisco was initiated. The masterplan developed by the San Francisco Giants and Tishman Speyer put in place four buildings designed by internationally renowned architecture firms MVRDV, Studio Gang, Henning Larsen, and WORKac. The scheme also includes a 5-acre waterfront park by SCAPE.

"We Wanted a Gradient of Galleries": WORKac Explain their Design for the Beirut Museum of Art

Dima Stouhi — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 07:00:00 +0000

What is architecture if it does not understand its context? Architecture is shaped and curated by the area it lives in, showcasing the culture it embodies. The more of this identity it embodies, the more meaningful (and sometimes prominent) it becomes.

WORKac Selected to Design the New Beirut Museum of Art

Eric Baldwin — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 13:00:00 +0000

Architect Amale Andraos and her firm WORKac have been selected to design BeMA, the new Beirut Museum of Art in Lebanon. Centrally located in the heart of Beirut, the project will be positioned on a site that once marked the dividing line in the Lebanese civil war. The museum’s permanent collection will include modern and contemporary artworks from Lebanon, the Lebanese diaspora and the wider region. The new project will feature 70 balconies arrayed as a vertical promenade that blends indoor and outdoor spaces to create an open museum for the city.

WORKac Designs an 'Invisible' Penthouse in a Centuries-Old Cast-Iron Building

Ella Comberg — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 06:00:00 +0000

At first glance, The Stealth Building looks like a pristinely-restored cast iron apartment building. That’s because technically, it is. But upon closer inspection, the Lower Manhattan building is rife with innovative restoration and renovation practices by WORKac.

Architect Magazine Selects the Top 50 Architecture Firms in the US for 2017

Patrick Lynch — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 14:00:00 +0000

Architect Magazine has unveiled the 2017 edition of the “Architect 50,” their list of the 50 best architecture firms in the United States. The 2017 rankings are based on scores from three categories: business, design and sustainability. This year saw more entrants than ever before, with several first-time entrants making notable impressions, including the number 1 ranked design firm, WORKac. Topping the overall list was Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), who also ranked in the top 10 in both design and sustainability.

8 Projects Win ARCHMARATHON Awards for Best Projects in the Americas

Patrick Lynch — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 15:10:00 +0000

ARCHMARATHON has announced the winners of their 2017 Awards Program as the event, which took place at Faena Forum in Miami from October 12-14, comes to a close. Now in its 4th edition, the Awards focus on architecture studios that have been actively practicing in USA, Canada, Central America and Latin America.

15 Must-See Installations at the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial

AD Editorial Team — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 12:00:00 +0000

With the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial in full swing and open to the public until January 7, 2017, we've scoured the galleries, halls and corridors of the Chicago Cultural Center to bring you our favorite fifteen installations. Documented through the lens of Laurian Ghinitoiu and assembled by our Editorial Team on location, this selection intends to shed light on the breadth, scope and preoccupations of Make New History – the largest architecture event in North America.

The 16 Stories Behind the 2017 Building of the Year Award Winners

Isabella Baranyk — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 09:30:00 +0000

After two weeks of nominations and voting, last week we announced the 16 winners of the 2017 Building of the Year Awards. In addition to providing inspiration, information, and tools for architecture lovers from around the world, ArchDaily seeks to offer a platform for the many diverse and global voices in the architecture community. In this year's Building of the Year Awards that range of voices was once again on display, with 75,000 voters from around the world offering their selections to ultimately select 16 winners from over 3,000 published projects.

Winners of the 2017 Building of the Year Awards

AD Editorial Team — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 07:00:00 +0000

With two weeks of nominations and voting now complete, we are happy to present the winners of the 2017 ArchDaily Building of the Year Awards. As a peer-based, crowdsourced architecture award, these winners were chosen by the collective intelligence of over 75,000 votes from ArchDaily readers around the world, filtering over 3,000 projects down to the 16 best works featured on ArchDaily in 2016.

AD Interviews: Amale Andraos and Dan Wood / WORKac

Eric Oh — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Ever present in the forum of architectural discourse, WORKac is known not only for their playful and well-developed projects, but also for their exhibits, installations and publications that all have a message: architecture has the power to change the way we live. Most recently, they’ve participated in the Chicago Architecture Biennial, re-producing famous speculative drawings by Antfarm to illustrate alternative ways of living. Even before that however, WORKac has been shifting its focus on the impact of architecture on the environment, looking at the way city planning and housing could improve to lessen our damage to the earth. Their book, 49 cities, explores the plans and strategies of its namesake to speculate on how we can begin to improve our own, current cities, while their exhibit at the MoMA PS1 event, “Foreclosed: Rehousing the American Dream” advertised a potential “Nature City” that could change the way we live.

49 Cities by WORKac Opens Kickstarter for its 3rd Edition Deluxe Reprint

Eric Oh — Sun, 16 Aug 2015 16:00:00 +0000

WORKac has begun crowd-funding for the 3rd Edition of their book, “49 Cities”. As the title implies, the book follows examples of urbanism throughout several centuries, from the ideal Roman city to the 21st century visions of utopia. 49 Cities looks at sustainability beyond the notion of the “Green Building”, serving as a catalyst and fertilizer for discussion and ideas on the design of the City of Tomorrow. Going out of print in 2010, demand for the book has continued, and it may now finally be available once again thanks to partnerships by WORKac with Inventory Press and Project Projects.