The Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies (Institute - NY) is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to supporting the study of architecture in New York City. The program provides interested students the opportunity to participate in an intensive, one-semester design studio. The Institute's emphasis is on the exploration of architecture as a mode of cultural production, as well as its intersections with other disciplines, and the influence of new technologies and new modes of practice on the design of urban environments. We hope to provoke collegial discussion and debate concerning the future of New York, to bridge the divide between academia and the design professions, and to open the culture of architecture to a critical engagement with related disciplines such as art and new media, urban planning and ecology, as well as politics, economics, and sociology.

Students come to the Institute from wildly different backgrounds, and with different goals in mind (often with little or no prior experience in design or architecture). The Institute is dedicated to providing both the physical and pedagogical space for students to explore these individual goals in a supportive environment. Projects are specifically tailored to each student's individual interests and experience, and emphasis is placed on the development of innovative concepts and ideas for New York City. This allows students the opportunity to immerse themselves in the city, and to interact directly with the very same urban conditions in which their projects are to be situated. Research plays an instrumental role in the formulation of design ideas and the development of each student’s project, and the use of digital design and presentation media is encouraged.

The Institute sits adjacent to (and is socially integrated with) the professional office of Kevin Kennon Architects, providing prospective architecture students a glimpse into the day-to-day workings of a professional architectural practice in New York City. Furthermore, the Institute is affiliated with several academic institutions through which undergraduate course credit can be earned, including Hampshire, Amherst, and Mount Holyoke Colleges, as well as the NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study. The Institute’s graduates have shown themselves to be well positioned for advanced study or practice in architecture and related disciplines. Of those who have gone on to study architecture formally, many have found success in the most prestigious design schools in the country; still others have made important contributions to the field.

Experience the city, investigate the city, design the city: study architecture in New York City at the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies.

Thirteen-week courses are offered during Fall and Spring semesters, and a shorter, eight-week course is offered during the summer. For more information, please contact the Institute's directors at 212.219.1171, or at info@institute-ny.org.