Image credit: Brookfield Properties/ Sitelab urban studio
Event Description
How can we build new cities that prioritize human activity and economic accessibility? Using our most recent projects as case studies, SITELAB and ISA present a joint exploration of a scalable development model designed for people first.
While specific plans usually focus on the macro-scale, this session argues that Shaping Place succeeds when it addresses the "micro" experience of the inhabitant. We propose exploring different scales for integrated Frameworks for Medium-Density Growth that develop distinct development patterns as the primary drivers of a vibrant, walkable public realm. This framework moves beyond abstract urbanism to provide a blueprint for attainable, pedestrian-centric communities.
By combining urban design and residential innovation into a single, interdependent ecosystem, we demonstrate how to achieve human-scaled density that is both financially viable and affordable. Attendees will learn how this integrated model serves as a repeatable solution for creating active, affordable, and high-performance urban environments in North America and beyond.
CES: Estimated 1 LU/HSW for AIA Members
Speakers
Brian Phillips, FAIA, LEED AP, NCARB; Founding Principal / Creative Director, ISA
Arthur Perez, Intl. Assoc. AIA, HMONP; Associate, SITELAB urban studio
Moderator
Alex Miller, Past President, AIA UK; Senior Associate Principal, KPF
Speaker Bios
Brian Phillips is Founding Principal of ISA, and serves as Creative Director across the firm’s work. He has lectured widely on urbanism, housing, and the work of ISA which is widely published and has won dozens of national and local design awards. Brian was awarded a 2011 Pew Fellowship in the Arts and was named an Emerging Voice by the Architectural League of New York in 2015. He earned his MArch from the University of Pennsylvania, where he is a Lecturer in the Architecture Department, and has taught visiting studios at the University of Miami and Parsons the New School for Design. Most recently, Brian and ISA founded a non-profit called Meantime that works to activate vacant storefronts with short-term creative entrepreneurship residencies.
Arthur Perez is an Architect and Urban Designer at SITELAB urban studio, where he specializes in the strategic planning and design of large-scale urban environments. With a background in delivering minimalist mixed-use architecture in France, Arthur’s practice now focuses on the international redevelopment of mid-century industrial sites into vibrant, high-density neighborhoods. His work at SITELAB bridges technical complexity with a creative lens, deeply rooted in local history, geography, and community identity.
Alex Miller Alex Miller is a Senior Associate Principal at KPF, and provides leadership and technical skills to numerous projects often involving the interweaving of historic buildings and contemporary architecture. He has been involved in long-term with the design and delivery of multiple projects involving listed buildings in Covent Garden including the London Film Museum, the 2020 AIA National award-winning Floral Court mixed-use development, and the cast-iron framed Carriage Hall.
He enjoys complex projects at various scales and has experience collaborating with large teams in the delivery of projects. He is currently working on a 40-storey student residential accomodation tower adjacent London Bridge Station.
He is a past President of the American Institute of Architects UK Chapter and a past Secretary of AIA International.
