Jeanne Gang Wins Architect of the Year 2016, Discusses AMNH Expansion and Urban Towers

Jeanne Gang, awarded Architect of the Year 2016 by The Architectural Review's Women in Architecture Awards for the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, spoke at the American Academy in Rome in a talk titled 'Defining Practice Embracing Blur' with Maristella Casciato. Gang is currently expanding the American Museum of Natural History in New York with the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation, designed to make science more visible and accessible through sculptural interiors, improved circulation, and digital extensions like live feeds from scientists' tools. The project aims to foster exploration and wonder while addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, and epidemics. Gang also discussed her towers: Solar Carve Tower in New York (2017 completion), which uses 'solar carving' to preserve light and air for the High Line; Folsom Bay Tower in San Francisco (2018 completion), which adds affordable housing and bay windows; and Aqua Tower in Chicago (2010). Her studio won a competition for the new US Embassy complex in Brasília, her first South American project. At the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial, Studio Gang presented 'Polis Station,' reimagining police stations as community-centered spaces. Gang emphasized architecture's role in addressing housing, social injustice, and climate adaptation.