Photos: An Evening with NOT NOT

On August 6, 2026, AIANY’s Committee on Residential Architecture hosted a special summer gathering at Van Alen Institute. Organized by Michael Landry (Dowbuilt) and Stephen Moser (Stephen Moser Architects), committee members explored NOT NOT: An Office, An Exhibition.

NOT NOT founders Ekin Bilal and Celia Chaussabel discussed their previous projects and their experience launching a young practice in New York. Gathered in their temporary office within Van Alen Institute, they addressed questions surrounding residential architecture and domesticity, from accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and alternative models of living to curiosity, invention, and play as tools for design. They also encouraged participants to reconsider what’s often deemed “uninhabitable space” challenging conventional assumptions about how we inhabit, adapt, and reimagine the built environment.

To close out the event, they led the group in “Chasing Dust Bunnies,” a participatory workshop that asked attendees to draw small, fragmented views of Van Alen’s space in order to capture architecture’s overlooked moments.