Archive

1. Gowanus Yearbook Workshop

   November 19, 2025 2:28 pm Comments Off on Gowanus Yearbook Workshop

   

   Gowanus Archive Workshop
   Tuesday, December 2, 12–4 pm
   420 Baltic St, Brooklyn

    

   Drop by the Gowanus Community Center for a photo, art, and mapping workshop. While your portrait photo is developing, draw and map what makes Gowanus Gowanus to you.

    

   Gowanus Yearbook is a growing wall of community portraits created by Rida Chaudhry, Ananaya Singh, and Kaye Yuvallos. They’re building a living portrait of the neighborhood through photos, drawings, and stories from Gowanus residents.

    

   Gowanus Yearbook is part of our Gowanus Research Fellowship, which supports the work of graduate design students as they engage with the Gowanus neighborhood and pilot projects in collaboration with local stakeholders.

2. Gowanus Yearbook Workshop

   2:27 pm Comments Off on Gowanus Yearbook Workshop

   

   Gowanus Yearbook @ Gowanus Community Center Drive
   Saturday, November 22, 12–4 pm
   420 Baltic St, Brooklyn

    

   Smile for the yearbook! Have your photo taken for Gowanus Yearbook at the Gowanus Community Center’s food and clothing drive.

    

   Gowanus Yearbook is a growing wall of community portraits created by Rida Chaudhry, Ananaya Singh, and Kaye Yuvallos. They’re building a living portrait of the neighborhood through photos, drawings, and stories from Gowanus residents.

    

   Gowanus Yearbook is part of our Gowanus Research Fellowship, which supports the work of graduate design students as they engage with the Gowanus neighborhood and pilot projects in collaboration with local stakeholders.

3. CB6 Full Board Meeting

   November 18, 2025 10:44 am Comments Off on CB6 Full Board Meeting

   CB6 Full Board Meeting

   Wednesday, December 10, 6:30 pm
   303 Bond Street, Brooklyn

   Brooklyn’s Community Board 6 holds their monthly Full Board meeting at Van Alen Institute. Open to the public.

   For more information about Brooklyn Community Board 6, calendar updates, and meeting agendas, click here or email Mike Racioppo, District Manager at mike@bkcb6.org.

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   The Urban Room at Van Alen Institute is a flexible, accessible, street-level space located at 303 Bond Street in Gowanus, Brooklyn. It’s a place for civic-minded organizations to meet and diverse groups to come together in dialogue, and serves as an information hub for the Gowanus community. Van Alen regularly hosts meetings for many local groups, including Brooklyn Community Board 6, the Gowanus Oversight Task Force, and Gowanus Mutual Aid, as well as a community fridge operated by One Love Community Fridge.

   For values-aligned nonprofits and community groups, Van Alen offers this space and meeting tech at no cost, while private and corporate space rentals support our mission to create more equitable cities through inclusive design. To inquire about using our space, fill out this form.

   Ask about using our space

4. Photos: Van Alen Fall Fest 2025

   October 23, 2025 2:39 pm Comments Off on Photos: Van Alen Fall Fest 2025

   Photos: Van Alen Fall Fest 2025

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   Wow, what a day! At Van Alen Fall Fest 2025, we welcomed more than 450 friends, neighbors, and curious passersby. We had such a fun time chatting with you all over donuts, cider, and crafts.

   Big big thanks to our collaborators who brought our space to life, including ArtBridge, Buro Happold, Gowanus Yearbook, Mookntaka, One Love Community Fridge, Powerhouse Arts, Public Housing Community Fund, Textile Arts Center, and TYLin. We also thank Bearded Baker and Chip City for donating their delicious cookies, and GG’s Fish and Chips, Cotton Candy Clowns, and Treelicious Orchards for more tasty seasonal treats. Several local businesses also provided some incredible raffle prizes in support of Van Alen Fall Fest, including Brooklyn Dance Lessons, Bond Craft Studio, Clayhouse BK, Craftsman Ave, Gowanus Wine Studio, Four and Twenty Blackbirds, and Strong Rope Brewery.

   Van Alen Fall Fest was presented in collaboration with Archtober, Arts Gowanus, and Open House New York.

5. CB6 Full Board Meeting

   10:48 am Comments Off on CB6 Full Board Meeting

   CB6 Full Board Meeting

   Wednesday, November 12, 6:30 pm
   303 Bond Street, Brooklyn

   Brooklyn’s Community Board 6 holds their monthly Full Board meeting at Van Alen Institute. Open to the public.

   For more information about Brooklyn Community Board 6, calendar updates, and meeting agendas, click here or email Mike Racioppo, District Manager at mike@bkcb6.org.

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   The Urban Room at Van Alen Institute is a flexible, accessible, street-level space located at 303 Bond Street in Gowanus, Brooklyn. It’s a place for civic-minded organizations to meet and diverse groups to come together in dialogue, and serves as an information hub for the Gowanus community. Van Alen regularly hosts meetings for many local groups, including Brooklyn Community Board 6, the Gowanus Oversight Task Force, and Gowanus Mutual Aid, as well as a community fridge operated by One Love Community Fridge.

   For values-aligned nonprofits and community groups, Van Alen offers this space and meeting tech at no cost, while private and corporate space rentals support our mission to create more equitable cities through inclusive design. To inquire about using our space, fill out this form.

   Ask about using our space

6. AIA Brooklyn: Future-Proofing Housing

   10:32 am Comments Off on AIA Brooklyn: Future-Proofing Housing

   Future-Proofing Housing: East vs West Coast

   Tuesday, November 18, 6:30–8:30 pm
   303 Bond Street, Brooklyn

   In this panel organized by AIA Brooklyn, explore how architects can learn from coast-to-coast approaches to designing housing that endures — and thrives — in the face of climate, health, social, and affordability challenges.

   This conversation brings together leading voices advancing high- performance multifamily projects centered on resiliency, passive survivability, healthy materials, and community well-being. Hear from Michael Eliason (Larch Lab, Seattle), Sophie Nahrmann (Studio Luz Architects, Boston), and Heather McKinstry (Dattner Architects, NYC) as they share insights on prefabrication, passive building innovation, and the creation of vibrant, climate-adaptive housing. The panel will cross-compare government agencies’ efforts and policy incentives in their respective cities and states to address affordability and the housing crisis.

   Moderated by Julie Torres Moskovitz, AIA

   1.5 AIA LU|HSW
   2 PHIUS (Passive House Institute US) CEUs

   RSVP

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   The Urban Room at Van Alen Institute is a flexible, accessible, street-level space located at 303 Bond Street in Gowanus, Brooklyn. It’s a place for civic-minded organizations to meet and diverse groups to come together in dialogue, and serves as an information hub for the Gowanus community. Van Alen regularly hosts meetings for many local groups, including Brooklyn Community Board 6, the Gowanus Oversight Task Force, and Gowanus Mutual Aid, as well as a community fridge operated by One Love Community Fridge.

   For values-aligned nonprofits and community groups, Van Alen offers this space and meeting tech at no cost, while private and corporate space rentals support our mission to create more equitable cities through inclusive design. To inquire about using our space, fill out this form.

   Ask about using our space

7. AIA Brooklyn: Social Housing Development Authority

   10:25 am Comments Off on AIA Brooklyn: Social Housing Development Authority

   What Would a Social Housing Development Authority in NYS Mean for Design?

   Tuesday, October 28, 6:30–8:30 pm
   303 Bond Street, Brooklyn

   In this panel organized by AIA Brooklyn, hear how New York might reimagine how housing gets built — putting public good and great design on equal footing.

   This conversation explores what a new Social Housing Development Authority could mean for architects working in multifamily housing. Hear from Susanne Schindler (Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies), John Paraskevopoulos (NYS Legislative Director), Iziah Thompson (Senior Housing Analyst, Community Service Society of New York), and Matthew Charney, AIA (VP of Design & Construction, NYCHA), as they unpack how new public frameworks could expand design’s role in shaping more equitable, sustainable housing across the state.

   Moderated by Julie Torres Moskovitz, AIA

   1.5 AIA LU|HSW

   RSVP

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   The Urban Room at Van Alen Institute is a flexible, accessible, street-level space located at 303 Bond Street in Gowanus, Brooklyn. It’s a place for civic-minded organizations to meet and diverse groups to come together in dialogue, and serves as an information hub for the Gowanus community. Van Alen regularly hosts meetings for many local groups, including Brooklyn Community Board 6, the Gowanus Oversight Task Force, and Gowanus Mutual Aid, as well as a community fridge operated by One Love Community Fridge.

   For values-aligned nonprofits and community groups, Van Alen offers this space and meeting tech at no cost, while private and corporate space rentals support our mission to create more equitable cities through inclusive design. To inquire about using our space, fill out this form.

   Ask about using our space

8. The Architect’s Newspaper’s guide to Archtober 2025

   October 1, 2025 4:12 pm Comments Off on The Architect’s Newspaper’s guide to Archtober 2025

9. Archtober, NYC’s architecture and design festival, celebrates 15 years

   September 4, 2025 10:58 am Comments Off on Archtober, NYC’s architecture and design festival, celebrates 15 years

10. Archtober Returns This Fall for Its 15th Edition

    August 25, 2025 10:58 am Comments Off on Archtober Returns This Fall for Its 15th Edition