Spring 2026 Conversations
The Conversations in Practice series brings nationally and internationally recognized architects, academics, and allied professionals to NJIT to discuss their current work and developments in the professions of architecture and design. The theme for the 2025-2026 season is Engaged Communities. All events are held in Weston Gallery.
February 11, 2:30-4pm, Weston Gallery
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Engaging with Community for Social Impact, Urban Planning, and Redevelopment
Conversations in Practice co-hosted with the Albert Dorman Honors College Honors Colloquium
Moderator: Gabrielle Esperdy
NJIT Weston Hall Gallery, 2nd floor.
Speakers will address how they engage with communities through their distinct practices in the arts, urban design, and brownfield clean up. Sherri-Ann Butterfield of NJPAC will speak to creating social impact through the arts and how NJPAC leverages the arts to make positive changes in health, education, community development and civic engagement. HECTOR (Damon Rich / Jae Shin) will address how they plan collaboratively to empower communities. Drs. Jessica Miller and Sarah Heck will consider how the Center for Community Systems uses technical assistance and educational forums to help communities and individual residents make informed decisions throughout the brownfield redevelopment lifecycle.
Tuesday, February 24, 6-7pm RESCHEDULED FOR FALL '26
Ann Yoachim in Conversation with Mark Bess
Tuesday, March 3, 6-7pm, Weston Gallery
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Dietmar Feichtinger in conversation with Gernot Riether
After graduating with honors from the Technical University of Graz in 1988, Dietmar Feichtinger moved to Paris in 1989. In 1994, he established Dietmar Feichtinger Architects, a studio renowned for its diverse architectural portfolio and a methodology that underscores a deep commitment to both, environmental and societal considerations.
The studio is widely recognized for its groundbreaking architectural designs, particularly in bridge construction. A defining achievement came in 1998 when they won the competition to design the Simone-de-Beauvoir footbridge over the Seine, located directly opposite the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. This stunning 304-meter bridge, featuring a remarkable 190-meter clear span, stands out among Paris’s 37 bridges not only for its technical innovation but also as the only one named in honor of a woman. It was inaugurated by Mayor Bertrand Delanoë on July 13, 2006.
In 2002, the firm was commissioned to design the Jetty, a new architectural pathway connecting visitors to Mont Saint-Michel, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This 1,841-meter-long structure, unveiled in July 2014, blends seamlessly into the landscape, allowing Mont Saint-Michel to regain its island character during high tides.
Although Feichtinger does not consider himself solely a ‘bridge specialist,’ he has designed and overseen the construction of over 20 bridges and footbridges. Notable works include the Three Country Bridge over the Rhine between France and Germany and the Passerelle de la Paix in Lyon. In 2020, his studio completed the Maritime Walkway Aldilonda in Bastia.
In addition to his award-winning architectural practice, Feichtinger has taught at several European universities and, in 2023, was appointed Professor at the Institute of Architecture and Design at the Technical University of Vienna.
Thursday, March 12, 6-7pm, Weston Gallery
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Ryan Swanson in conversation with Hannah Berkin-Harper
Ryan Swanson is the founder and principal of The Urban Conga, an award-winning multidisciplinary design studio based in Brooklyn, NY. The studio is focused on sparking community interaction and social activity through open-ended play. To achieve this, they utilize play methodologies as a critical tool implemented not just in the work itself but within the community-driven design process in which the work is created. Focusing on working with communities to create inclusive multiscale spatial opportunities that transform once-overlooked or underutilized situations into stimulating creative outlets that evoke our innate drive to discover, explore, and empathize with others. Through this work, Ryan has collaborated worldwide with municipal agencies, communities, institutions, private businesses, NGOs, and more, delivering a wide variety of work from multiscale spatial interventions, public installations, temporary activations, workshops, development plans, and public policy recommendations.
Tuesday, March 31, 6-7pm, Weston Gallery
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Ignacio G. Galán in conversation with Etien Santiago
Ignacio G. Galán is an architect and architectural historian at Barnard College, Columbia University. His work addresses questions of residence, citizenship, and kinship with a focus on nationalism, migration, and disability. He is the author of Furnishing Fascism (2025), editor of Architecture's Kinships (2026), and co-editor of Radical Pedagogies (2021) and After Belonging (2016). He has exhibited his work at various venues, including the Chicago Architecture Biennial (2025), the Venice Architecture Biennale (2014 and 2021), and the Center for Architecture(2022), and has also served as curator of the Oslo Architecture Triennale (2016). His articles have appeared in JSAH,JDH, JAE, modernism+modernity, and Journal of Architecture, amongst others. His work as an architect has been recognized with the Emerging Voices Award (2025) by the AIA NY and is part of the permanent collection of the Pompidou Center.