What Do Public Architects Do?

See examples from our six agencies and organizations

At a public housing agency:

As a Public Architect serving in a Technical Planning capacity at a Public Housing Agency, Architects lead and oversee those planning aspects that relate to modernization work and major repair efforts. Architects deliver technical, high-level cost estimating and scheduling elements of planned capital projects to be prioritized in the five-year and annual capital plans. Architects work closely with a Financial Planning team to develop a strategically sound five-year capital plan and a Project Charter that defines the elements for each capital project.

Value Proposition- The Role of Public Architects in the Profession

The areas where architects work and practice has expanded beyond the boundaries of traditional architecture firms and sole practitioners, including all levels of government (federal, state, and local
jurisdictions), colleges and universities, major corporations, real estate developers, and other areas that are considered non-traditional.

What We've Been Working on Lately

Two examples: Reconstruction of Gilboa Dam (New York City) & Public Safety Building (Mission Bay, San Francisco)

Reconstruction of Gilboa Dam:

Deteriorated spillway

The Gilboa Dam is a key component of the New York City Water System (NYCWS). The NCYWS, operated and managed by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP),  distributes approximately 1.4 billion gallons per day of drinking water to eight million residents of the City of New York and approximately one million residents upstate, as well as numerous businesses and institutions. 

Thinking About Environments- Observations of a Public Architect

By Paula J. Loomis, FAIA, FSAME, LEED BD&C, PMP, APA

Andrews AFB was redesigned to provide compact nodes with shared parking

Often people refer to an installation as a small city and apply small city planning principles to it. While it is a small city, it is much more. This articles looks at “What is an installation?” “Why does it exist?” “How can we make it perform its function best?” “Why is it important that we take this approach?”

Public Architects Workshops in Atlanta 2015

Please plan to attend morning and afternoon workshops at the 2015 AIA Convention in Atlanta. These annual workshops provide opportunities for public architects and other design professionals to meet and discuss issues with colleagues from around the country and around the world. Public Architecture poses important questions for design professionals, for public servants and for citizens; and convention workshops provide tools for addressing some of these issues. The focus of the two half-day sessions this year is “cradle to grave” approach to technology and innovation in public architecture.