Archive

1. Photos: What Language Leaves Behind

   February 24, 2026 10:46 am Comments Off on Photos: What Language Leaves Behind

   What Language Leaves Behind: Integrating Graphics and Architecture

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   On February 19, 2026, we gathered at Van Alen Institute for an evening of conversation and discourse on interdisciplinary design practice with Taylor Loutsis, Studio Loutsis; Joshua Ramus, REX; and Craig Dykers, Snøhetta.

   Moderated by journalist Diana Budds, panelists discussed how shared values around community, integration, and cross-disciplinary partnership are central to their successful collaborative projects.

   ​This event was curated by the Van Alen Vanguard, a dynamic network of emerging design leaders. Diana Budds and Taylor Loutsis are among the inaugural cohort developing public programs and exhibitions that reimagine designers’ roles in civic life and center equity, resilience, and local knowledge.

   Related Projects

   

   Ongoing

   Van Alen Vanguard

   A cohort of rising professionals reimagining cities, public space, and designers’ roles in civic life.

   See Project

   

   Ongoing

   Urban Room

   Using our HQ to host public programs and as a flexible community space.

   See Project

2. What Language Leaves Behind: Integrating Graphics and Architecture

   February 3, 2026 10:23 am Comments Off on What Language Leaves Behind: Integrating Graphics and Architecture

   

   What Language Leaves Behind: Integrating Graphics and Architecture
   Thursday, February 19, 5:30–8 pm
   303 Bond Street, Brooklyn

    

   Join us for an evening of conversation and discourse on interdisciplinary design practice with Studio Loutsis, REX, and Snøhetta.

    

   Moderated by journalist Diana Budds, panelists will discuss how shared values around community, integration, and cross-disciplinary partnership are central to their successful collaborative projects.

    

   ​This event is curated by the Van Alen Vanguard, a dynamic network of emerging design leaders. Diana Budds and Taylor Loutsis are among the inaugural cohort developing public programs and exhibitions that reimagine designers’ roles in civic life and center equity, resilience, and local knowledge.

   Event schedule

   5:30 pm: Doors open
   6 pm: Presentation
   6:45 pm: Q&A moderated by Diana Budds
   7:15 pm: Cocktail reception

   Speakers

   

   Network

   Vanguard

   Diana Budds

   Journalist

   

   Network

   Craig Dykers

   Founding Partner, Snøhetta

   

   Network

   Vanguard

   Taylor Loutsis

   Creative Director and Founder, Studio Loutsis

   

   Network

   Joshua Ramus

   Founding Principal, REX

   Photos

   Updates

   Photos: What Language Leaves Behind

   An evening of conversation and discourse on interdisciplinary design practice with Studio Loutsis, REX, and Snøhetta.

   Read More

   

   Related Projects

   

   Ongoing

   Van Alen Vanguard

   A cohort of rising professionals reimagining cities, public space, and designers’ roles in civic life.

   See Project

   

   Ongoing

   Urban Room

   Using our HQ to host public programs and as a flexible community space.

   See Project

3. Death: A Salon on Ethics of Technology

   February 2, 2026 3:03 am Comments Off on Death: A Salon on Ethics of Technology

   Death: A Salon on Ethics of Technology

   Thursday, March 5, 6–8 pm
   303 Bond Street, Brooklyn

   There are two movements within every transformation: the ending of something that no longer serves, and the emergence of something not yet fully formed. Across natural systems we see this cycle continuously — decay makes way for growth; compost becomes garden. Death, in this sense, is not merely loss. It is transition. — Justin Den Herder, Vice President and Principal, TYLin

   ​The way we design our built environment is increasingly integrating AI, machine learning, and data-driven workflows. How can the design professions navigate this transformation with discernment and care? Explore what assumptions, systems, and habits may need to end in order to create a more generative, just, and resilient future.

   ​Join built environment experts in an open debate, exploring questions like:

   • What practices are no longer serving the public good?
   • ​What professional habits are rooted in scarcity, speed, or spectacle rather than care?
   • ​What forms of authorship, hierarchy, or labor structure may be reaching their limits?
   • ​What should we preserve, and what are we prepared to release?

   RSVP

   Event Schedule

   • ​6 pm: Doors open
   • ​6:30 pm: Intro remarks by Justin Den Herder, TYLin
   • ​6:40 pm: ​PechaKucha-style presentations by Dave Bennik, Building Deconstruction Institute; Joe Brennan, KPF; Carl Damas, Perkins&Will; and Austin Wade Smith, Regen Foundation
   • ​7:15–8 pm: Group discussion and debate

   RSVP

   ​This event is organized by Justin Den Herder as part of Van Alen Vanguard, a cohort of rising professionals reimagining cities, public space, and designers’ roles in civic life.

   Related Projects

   

   Ongoing

   Van Alen Vanguard

   A cohort of rising professionals reimagining cities, public space, and designers’ roles in civic life.

   See Project

   

   Ongoing

   Urban Room

   Using our HQ to host public programs and as a flexible community space.

   See Project

4. Announcing the Van Alen Vanguard

   January 13, 2026 2:18 pm Comments Off on Announcing the Van Alen Vanguard

   Van Alen Institute is thrilled to announce the Van Alen Vanguard: a dynamic network of 21 emerging leaders committed to civic life and design. Throughout the year, they’ll engage in collaborative learning projects that further their practices and reimagine designers’ roles in civic life. Activating our space at Gowanus, they’ll also develop events and exhibitions that center equity, resilience, and local knowledge in design.

   Learn more

   2026 Members

   Farida Abu-Bakare
   Associate Principal and Director of Global Practice, WXY

   Annie Barrett
   Founding Principal, Aanda Architects
   Senior Critic, Yale School of Architecture

   Francesca Bastianini
   Co-Founder and Principal, Sighte Studio

   Ekin Bilal
   Co-Founder, NOT NOT
   Visiting Critic, Cornell AAP

   Diana Budds
   Journalist

   Pamela Cabrera
   Senior Associate, Transsolar KlimaEngineering

   Celia Chaussabel
   Co-Founder, NOT NOT
   Reyner Banham Teaching Fellow, University at Buffalo

   Justin Den Herder
   Vice President and Principal, TYLin

   Curry J. Hackett
   Clinical Assistant Professor, NYU Steinhardt

   Jerome Haferd
   Founder, JEROME HAFERD Studio

   Ekene Ijeoma
   Founder, Black Forest
   Founder, Studio Ijeoma

   Dione Lee
   Senior Designer, HUSH Studios

   Taylor Loutsis
   Creative Director and Founder, Studio Loutsis

   Benjamin Meade
   Senior Design Director, Alloy Development

   Daniel Pittman
   Partner, TAD

   Sanjukta Sen
   Landscape and Architectural Designer, Field Operations

   Clara Syme
   Co-Director, a83

   Hermona Tamrat
   Founding Principal, hgt studio

   Paula Vilaplana
   Curatorial Associate, MoMA
   Instructor, Syracuse University School of Architecture

   Charlotte Wessell
   Director of Development, GSAPP

   Learn more

5. Dione Lee

   January 12, 2026 5:33 pm Comments Off on Dione Lee

   Dione Lee is a Singaporean designer and artist based in New York City. She designs experiences with the team at HUSH, where her work focuses on translating brands and stories into holistic environments, interfaces, and interactions. She has worked across commercial and cross-disciplinary projects spanning print, digital, and experiential media. Her practice is rooted in an interest in behavioral psychology and computer-mediated systems, using data, interaction design, and spatial storytelling to shape how people move, feel, and make decisions within designed environments.

6. Benjamin Meade

   5:33 pm Comments Off on Benjamin Meade

   Benjamin Meade is a Senior Design Director at Alloy Development, an architecture and development firm located in Dumbo, Brooklyn. Meade challenges the architecture and real estate disciplines by questioning existing practices and proposing new ways to benefit the social and built environment. Benjamin has been a part of the team since 2012, leading the design effort in the architectural, visual, and marketing departments.

7. Charlotte Wessell

   5:33 pm Comments Off on Charlotte Wessell

   Charlotte Wessell is a strategic advancement, governance, and communications professional with extensive experience supporting mission-driven organizations and academic institutions. She is currently the Director of Development at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP), where she leads advancement efforts in support of the school’s academic mission and strategic priorities.

   Previously, she spent nearly a decade at The Cooper Union, finishing her time as the Director of the Office of the President and Board Relations, where she managed the operations and strategic priorities for the President’s Office, Cabinet, and governing Board. Charlotte holds a master’s degree in Public History and worked in historic preservation advocacy prior to her career in higher education. She serves as the President of the Cobble Hill Playschool Board of Directors and lives in Carroll Gardens with her family.

8. Celia Chaussabel

   5:33 pm Comments Off on Celia Chaussabel

   Celia Chaussabel is an architect and educator currently based in Buffalo, New York, where she is the Reyner Banham Teaching Fellow at University at Buffalo. Her creative practice is focused on how narratives and aesthetics shape cultural perceptions of construction waste. Celia’s work speculates on what it would mean for the architectural profession to consider the sourcing, maintenance, and re-circulation of materials as critical design work. She designs architecture, furniture, exhibitions, video games, animations, and other mediums that bring awareness of the life cycles of the materials that make up the built environment.

   Celia is also co-founder of NOT NOT, a design practice exploring overlooked dimensions of architecture as sites for political and creative inquiry. NOT NOT projects often begin with constraints such as construction debris, material temporality, maintenance, and zoning loopholes to investigate cultural aesthetics and potential. NOT NOT’s design work has been exhibited internationally, including the Venice Biennale, Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York, the Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology, Salone del Mobile in Milan, and Princeton School of Architecture.

   Celia previously worked at Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis as a designer and researcher on the Manual of Biogenic House Sections (ORO Editions, 2022) and at Bellastock in Paris and Rotor in Brussels on research around material reuse. She holds a graduate degree from MIT (SMArchS 2025) and is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University (B.Arch 2019). She has previously taught at MIT and Tecnologico de Monterrey.

9. Ekin Bilal

   5:31 pm Comments Off on Ekin Bilal

   Ekin Bilal is a researcher and designer based in New York City. His work investigates how maintenance, material circulation, and back-of-house infrastructures shape the life of buildings and cities. Through architectural design and experimental representation, he explores the political and creative potential of overlooked systems—zoning loopholes, informal repairs, deconstruction practices, and the everyday labor that sustains the built environment. Prior to teaching, Ekin worked with public library systems on community-driven planning efforts and has worked with MIT’s Urban Risk Lab, Bureau Spectacular, New Affiliates, and SMA amongst others. He holds an SMArchS from MIT (2024) and a B.Arch from Cornell University (2020).

10. Taylor Loutsis

    5:31 pm Comments Off on Taylor Loutsis

    Taylor Loutsis is the creative director and founder of Studio Loutsis and the art director of AN Interior. With over a decade of experience at the intersection of branding, image-making, and the built environment, he brings together extraordinary creative talent and leads interdisciplinary teams that reimagine how visuals, spaces, and stories come to life.

    His work with leading studios, including 2×4 and Pentagram, combined with global experience spanning Germany, New York, Singapore, and San Francisco gives him a broad perspective on design’s role in shaping human experience. Taylor has partnered with clients such as Apple, Arc’teryx, REX, Prada, Brown University, National Sawdust, and Snøhetta, always striving to create work with clarity and impact. He has also led initiatives with the Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD), advancing how signage, exhibition, and environmental design engage public life.

    Taylor holds a BSD in Graphic Design from the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, teaches at Parsons, and serves as a visiting critic at SVA, Parsons, Pratt, and Rutgers.