“Future by Design: Re-thinking Processes of Making for Healthier Futures”

On the occasion of NYCxDESIGN, and as part of the School of Architecture and Design (SoAD) student tour, an exhibition will be held on May 15, 2025, at 5:30 PM at the New York Institute of Technology’s Manhattan campus, in the gallery space located at 1855 Broadway.

Promoted by SoAD Dean Maria Perbellini, this event showcases student work as the culmination of two semesters of Thesis Studio (Fall 2024 – Spring 2025), a core component of New York Tech’s B.Arch program at both the New York City and Long Island campuses. The selected works are curated by Dean Perbellini and co-curated by Department Chairs Trudy Brens and Dongsei Kim, alongside Professor Farzana Gandhi, with support from studio coordinators.

The presentation will take place in the ground-floor gallery, facing the street. As a backdrop to the installation is a project previously exhibited by New York Tech faculty at Salone del Mobile Milano 2024. The space will also include a selection of small-scale fabricated installations created by graduate students from the university’s Master of Science programs.

The thesis year provides students with a platform to explore their values, beliefs, memories, and theoretical perspectives, translating them into the design of cities, buildings, and their components. It encourages them to propose site-specific solutions while posing meaningful questions about broader historical, cultural, and ideological issues.

Thesis Studio sharpens students’ ability to analyze and represent complex site conditions, fostering proactive, creative, and critical engagement with contemporary societal challenges. It requires students to work both independently and collaboratively. Each year, the studio is guided by a central theme; this year’s theme, “Future by Design: Rethinking Processes of Making for Healthier Futures,” investigates architecture’s role in shaping a more resilient and sustainable future.

Through their projects, students examine the roles, responsibilities, and tools available to designers as “agents of change.” Their work integrates systemic design strategies while envisioning sustainable futures. At SoAD, experimental methodologies are embedded across curricular and extracurricular activities, with a strong emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion. This educational approach cultivates leadership and innovation through transformative learning experiences, advancing design and technology-driven education in architecture, construction, interior design, and digital art.

This event offers a unique opportunity to engage with visionary concepts, consider the spatial dimensions of human experience, and explore new frameworks for community-making centered on climate, ecological, and social well-being.