Illya Azaroff, MArch ’97, was inaugurated as the 2026 President of the American Institute of Architects. “Architects are at the forefront of designing buildings and spaces that can withstand nature’s fury,” said Azaroff in his inaugural address. “As AIA President, I will work to ensure architects are empowered to create communities that are better prepared to deal with future disruptions.”
The Daily Hub
A roundup of ideas and projects from around the Institute
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Visiting Assistant Professor of Undergraduate Architecture Sara Jazayeri was inducted into the American Institute of Architect’s College of Fellows for “exceptional work and contributions to architecture and society.”
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Karnama (Well of Death) by Pranav Dawar, BFA Film ’25, will premiere at the 2026 National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) opening night. The short documentary explores “the high-stakes world of the stunt drivers of Well of Death — where passion, risk, and sacrifice collide.”
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Visiting Assistant Professor in the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment Ifeoma Ebo and Professor of Undergraduate Architecture Deborah Gans spoke to Urban Omnibus about “Designing Mamdani’s New York.” “As architects and designers, we must position ourselves as translators between policy, aspiration, and lived experience,” Ebo said. “In my work with government and with communities, I’ve learned that our most critical contribution isn’t rendering the administration’s vision, but surfacing the spatial intelligence that already exists in communities and giving it form.”
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Zakariya Abdul-Qadir, MFA Fine Arts, Painting/Drawing ’25, was selected as a 2026 Bronx Museum AIM Fellow. “Cut, tear, paste, stitch: Through methods of painting, printmaking, and installation, Zakariya Abdul-Qadir collects source images (archival mining)— disassembling the narrative — to reflect a through line connecting a culture of Blackness and America.”
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Visiting Assistant Professor in the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment Michael Hiller was interviewed by NY1 for a segment on the discovery of a safe house that was used by the Underground Railroad. “I’ve been practicing historical preservation law for 30 years, and this is a generational find. This is the most significant find in historic preservation in my career, and it’s very important that we preserve this,” Hiller said.
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Pratt’s Family and Parent Engagement Program was selected as the Silver Award Winner for the Alumni, Community Relations, Family Programs, Fundraising, and related category in the NASPA Excellence Awards for “innovative initiatives that relate to the programs, policies, procedures, best practices, or services that relate to alumni relations, community relations, family programs, fundraising, and related units.” In an email, NASPA shared that it “is appreciative of the work that [Pratt is] doing to benefit students and transform higher education. By receiving this Silver Award for the Family Engagement program, [Pratt] demonstrated [its] commitment to strengthening and advancing the student affairs profession.”
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Archinect covered the Lever Long Enough to Move the World: Sketches in Contemporary Architecture exhibition on display in Higgins Hall. “The curatorial framework proposes that sketches act as ‘levers,’ enabling architects to assert the physical and material dimensions of architecture within an increasingly digital and dematerialized design environment. Despite their small scale and provisional nature, sketches are presented as tools capable of exerting influence disproportionate to their size.”
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Rickie Gao, Ray Chen, Anniella Pettingill, and Rachel Genito, all BFA Communications Design (Illustration) ’26, were shortlisted for the 2026 Communication Arts: Illustration Annual.
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Avery Norman, BFA Photography ’22, participated in a panel on “girlhood as an inner landscape where identity is imagined, tested, and continuously reshaped” for Vogue. She will also be showing work at the upcoming PhotoVogue Festival during Milan Fashion week.
More Pratt Institute News
Three Pratt Students and Two Alumni Named 2026 Fulbright Semifinalists
Each year, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers graduating seniors, recent college graduates, graduate students, and young professionals from the United States the opportunity to engage in academic projects, learn from diverse cultures, and work on pressing societal issues.
Imagining Alternative Futures for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal
From Pratt Institute News
Architecture students worked with local groups in Red Hook on neighborhood revitalization and climate resilience plans as NYC looks to redevelop the Brooklyn Marine Terminal.
Pratt Pairs: Valentine’s Day 2026
From Pratt Institute News
Alumni share their stories of meeting at Pratt and how they continued their lives together following graduation.