Independent Project Residency
The Independent Project Residency, inaugurated in 2022, invites design practitioners to bring their own interests and projects to the Block House on Governors Island. Fellows are selected by a diverse committee of contemporary designers, artists, and practitioners.
IPA Fellows are among the first to stay overnight on the Island since the Coast Guard’s exit in 1996 and are immersed in the interdisciplinary culture of the program. The Residency concludes with a public activation.
IPA Fellows are among the first to stay overnight on the Island since the Coast Guard’s exit in 1996 and are immersed in the interdisciplinary culture of the program. The Residency concludes with a public activation.
Selection Committee Members
2026
2025
Past Residencies
Selected Topic Fellowship
The Selected Topic Fellowship, inaugurated in 2014, prompts teams of design practitioners to address a particular pressing urban issue in NYC by collaborating, sharing research, and proposing design solutions in an immersive collective studio setting.
Fellows have daytime access to workspace and shared amenities at the Block House and participate in panel discussions, research trips, and team meals. At the conclusion of the Fellowship, Fellow teams present their work with an exhibit and public presentation.
Fellowship opportunities are announced through an open call, with applications evaluated by an Independent Selection Committee.
Fellows have daytime access to workspace and shared amenities at the Block House and participate in panel discussions, research trips, and team meals. At the conclusion of the Fellowship, Fellow teams present their work with an exhibit and public presentation.
Fellowship opportunities are announced through an open call, with applications evaluated by an Independent Selection Committee.
Past Fellowships
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2022 Fall Fellowship: Reconnecting Communities Across the BQE
Teams considered sections of the BQE that might be removed, reconceived as boulevards, or decked-over, with an opportunity for communities to decide which programs—housing, community space, urban farms, recreation, schools, green industries—might occupy this potential “land bank” along the BQE corridor.
︎︎︎ Learn More
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2020 Fall Fellowship:
To BE or not to BQE
Five teams of Fellows were asked to envision a future without the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway; considering strategies and a re-use of the land it currently occupies in “a broader vision for the future of the highway.”
︎︎︎ Learn More
Recent Fellows
︎︎︎ All Fellows
Block House
In 2021, the Institute for Public Architecture moved into its new home: the Block House on Governors Island.
The house is a registered landmark, designed in the Greek Revival style by architect Martin E. Thompson in the 1840s. Located on the historic Nolan Park campus, it is currently the only building that supports overnight accommodations on the island.
Open Call
The 2026 Independent Project Residency Open Call is closed.
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