215 Park Avenue South, 1901
New York, NY 10003
212 962 6307

Unified Penn Station plan gains momentum

Crain’s details how the comprehensive plan from ASTM, PAU and HOK has gained supporters among New York’s power brokers through a combination of big ideas, due diligence, and eye-catching designs.


Cultured Magazine highlights PAU Principal Ruchika Modi

Commemorating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Cultured Magazine looks at 11 boundary-pushing artists and their thoughts on resilience and imagination.


ASTM Group, PAU and HOK join forces in attempt to solve New York’s Penn Station

The Architect’s Newspaper details a new proposal that merges visions and may, at long last, solve the problem that is Penn Station.


The Architect’s Newspaper profiles PAU’s innovative control tower designs

As the FAA renews its interest in civic architecture, over 100 municipal and regional airports may see upgrades to their air traffic control towers.


FAA selects PAU to deliver new air-traffic control tower prototypes

Archinect highlights the innovative designs that vary in height from 63 to 119 feet and include elements such as all-electric building systems, thermal efficient facades, mass timber, and recycled steel and metal products.


PAU designs U.S. air traffic control towers to “build on legacy” of I.M. Pei

Dezeen covers PAU’s newly-released designs for sustainable air traffic control towers that will be built at U.S. airports as the largest commission since I.M. Pei’s designs in the early 1960s.


Axios reveals PAU’s competition-winning designs for the FAA’s new modular, energy-efficient control towers

Read about the adaptable control tower designs that contain a range of environmentally-friendly features and that are set to be built at 31 regional airports across the United States.


Biophillic installation debuts at Brooklyn’s PAU-designed Domino Sugar Factory

Archinect covers the JCFO installation housed in the unique microclimate of the redesigned interior.


The Telegraph’s My Kolkata profiles PAU founder Vishaan Chakrabarti

Priyam Marik sits down with Vishaan Chakrabarti to discuss architecture, urbanity, and how being a Bengali is his superpower.


The Architect’s Newspaper Editor’s Picks: PAU at Public by Design

Exhibit Columbus’ 2023 Winter Presentations offered the public a chance to comment on the upcoming round of installations resulting in a lively exchange on the design process.


The Way Things Work: The fight over Penn Station and Madison Square Garden

The New Yorker’s William Finnegan sits down with Vishaan Chakrabarti to discuss how the effort to renovate midtown Manhattan’s transit hub has been stalled by money, politics, and disputes about the public good.


Exhibit Columbus participants preview their installations

The Republic covers the official reveal of the designs of the 4 Miller Prize winners, considered the centerpiece of the August event.


Turning offices into condos: New York after the pandemic

The Financial Times and PAU’s Vishaan Chakrabarti discuss how these office to residential conversions can leave a lasting imprint on the city.


Vital City Op-Ed by Vishaan Chakrabarti

The City is My Lover: How New York City came to consume me.


At the Domino Sugar Refinery, a Glass Egg in a Brick Shell

The New York Times details PAU’s innovative design to bring the historic Domino Sugar Refinery back to life.


The big reveal: Exhibit Columbus design presentations planned for February 25th

Miller Prize winners to unveil upcoming Exhibit Columbus design plans.


MADE Modernism Weekly profiles PAU founder Vishaan Chakrabarti

Read the MADE By series which profiles leading voices in architecture and design. Vishaan Chakrabarti believes that cities – if they are designed to be sustainable, equitable and joyous – are the best hope for humanity.


PAU reveals design of Niagara Falls Heritage Gateways project

Architectural Record details PAU’s recently released plan, which places public infrastructure at the center of successful urban design.


PAU reveals plans for a spiraling Niagara Falls observation deck and park

The Architect’s Newspaper highlights the public spaces in the famous upstate New York city that are slated for a major upgrade courtesy of Practice for Architecture and Urbanism.


PAU to lead the design of a new gateway enhancement project at Niagara Falls

Archinect details plans for the creation of four gateway structures to enhance connections between downtown Niagara Falls and the state park, building on a previous 2021 Strategic Plan partnered by PAU and New York State.


Building for a sustainable future

Listen to Vishaan Chakrabarti discuss the prospect of making urban communities more livable, affordable and part of the climate solution on Climate Optimists Podcast.


The Power, Woker

Read Vishaan Chakrabarti’s review of David Hare’s Straight Line Crazy.


Free Our Cities. The Trevor Noah Podcast

Trevor Noah and David Kibuuka sit down with Vishaan Chakrabarti to discuss the joys of New York City’s car-free street life during the Covid-19 pandemic on The Trevor Noah Podcast.


Why Wakanda might be a model for our future cities

Read how the parks, mass transit, dense housing and lack of cars in the artfully imagined big screen metropolis may predict what our future real-life cities look like.


What if we designed cities around people instead of cars?

CNN podcast Downside Up discusses a world where our communities serve our needs, not our cars; with PAU Founder and Creative Director Vishaan Chakrabarti.


PAU named recipient of 2022-2023 J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller Prize

Read about PAU’s partnership with the City of Columbus to bring cultural and economic development to the public areas surrounding The Commons, the heart of Columbus’ historic downtown.


The Architect’s Newspaper Op-Ed by Vishaan Chakrabarti

The Goldilocks Framework: High-density, low-rise housing plus current technologies offer one solution to population growth and climate change.


Vishaan Chakrabarti appointed to “New” New York Panel

Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul tap leaders from New York City’s business, labor, academic, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors to examine the future of New York City and the region’s economy.


PAU is a proud supporter of Hire Ukrainian Designers

Read about the mission of a group of Architects who have volunteered their time to help Ukrainian design professionals find work opportunities and job placement with U.S.-based design firms.


Dezeen Op-Ed by Vishaan Chakrabarti

Read Vishaan Chakrabarti’s op-ed on a solution to our global housing and climate problems that is hiding in plain sight.


Architectural Record on the new JPMorgan Chase Headquarters Building

Foster + Partners and Collaborating Architect Vishaan Chakrabarti discuss the design of the head-turning, all-electric tower.


Arch Article profiles PAU Founder and Creative Director Vishaan Chakrabarti

“Know Your Architect” delves into the genesis of form and highlights how various mediums and means of expression can be used to narrate stories in architecture and design.


Fast Company on how to build bridges for people instead of cars

PAU and sbp’s Wave Bridge creates a unique, people-centric experience in the middle of a major American city.

 


Read Curbed’s Reaction to Governor Hochul’s Penn Station Proposal

“Hochul’s Penn Station Plan Is the Worst Kind of Urban Renewal.” Author Justin Davidson sounds off on the dubious arguments surrounding this latest plan and why it is the public that may be railroaded.


New York Daily News Op-Ed by Vishaan Chakrabarti

Read Vishaan Chakrabarti’s op-ed on how Eric Adams can shape the future of cities.


Vishaan Chakrabarti at TED’s Countdown Summit Conference

Watch Vishaan Chakrabarti’s TED talk that proposes a sustainable vision of housing for all of humanity.


PAU argues for a better plan for Penn Station and its neighborhood

Read why Chakrabarti believes the Pennsylvania Station Area Civic and Land Use Improvement Project State of New York General Project Plan should not move forward.


The Architect’s Newspaper on PAU’s Strategy for Downtown Niagara Falls

Read The Architect’s Newspaper’s article about PAU’s recently completed strategy for Downtown Niagara Falls.


Drexel Now Reports on Groundbreaking Ceremony for PAU’s West Tower at Schuylkill Yards

Read about the groundbreaking ceremony for the West Tower, the first high-rise building to break ground in Schuylkill Yards.


Buffalo News Covers the Release of PAU’s Strategy for Downtown Niagara Falls

Read about PAU’s strategy to reveal history, create connections, and promote mixed-use development in Downtown Niagara Falls.


Architect Magazine highlights PAU’s plan for Sunnyside Yard in article about post-pandemic New York City

Read Architect Magazine’s article that praises PAU’s plan for Sunnyside Yard, calling it “a prototype for the kind of mega-development that New York desperately needs.”


Madame Architect Interviews PAU’s Managing Principal Ruchika Modi

Read about Ruchika’s unconventional path to architecture.


Chakrabarti Contributes to Norman Foster Foundation’s ‘On Cities’ Masterclass Series

Watch PAU founder, Vishaan Chakrabarti, speak about inclusive urban planning.


Architect Magazine Covers PAU’s Award of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Expansion

Read Architect Magazine’s coverage on PAU’s initial design for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum expansion and renovation.


Ariella Cohen Interviews Vishaan Chakrabarti in Advance of Philadelphia Arts+Business Council Panel

Read about why Chakrabarti thinks cities will survive the pandemic.


PAU Included on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies List

Read about why PAU was included on Fast Company’s annual Most Innovative Companies list.


Cultured features article on PAU’s Managing Principal Ruchika Modi

Read Cultured’s article about Ruchika Modi, highlighted in their Power Players column which is dedicated to women shaping the architecture profession.


Community Board 5 Supports PAU’s Plan to Relocate Madison Square Garden

Read the Crain’s article about PAU’s plan to relocate Madison Square Garden, transform Penn Station and the surrounding neighborhood, and entice commuters.


The Architect’s Newspaper on PAU’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Project

Read The Architect’s Newspaper’s article about PAU’s latest win in the Midwest.


The Plain Dealer Covers PAU’s Award of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Expansion and Renovation

Read about the initial design for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame expansion and renovation.


PAU will be the Lead Architect for the Expansion and Renovation of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

Read The New York Times announcement about The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s plans for the future.


The Architect’s Newspaper Covers 16 Tech’s Latest Announcement

Read about the “landmark link for the crossroads of America” that PAU and sbp will be designing together.


Vishaan Chakrabarti is a guest on Here & Now

Listen to Vishaan Chakrabarti make the case for urban living.


16 Tech Awards Signature Bridge Project to sbp and PAU

Read 16 Tech’s announcement about the design team for their signature bridge project that will connect their 50-acre campus with Indianapolis’ research corridor.


Metropolis praises PAU’s plan for Michigan Central as a model for other cities in the “innovation belt”

Read about PAU’s 30-acre plan for Michigan Central, commended for weaving new structures into the historic neighborhood and dubbed by Metropolis, “an alluring, modernized regional destination for high-tech talent.”


The Detroit News shares Ford’s plan for Michigan Central

Read about the transformative PAU-led plan for Ford’s 30-acre Michigan Central site in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit.


Princeton University Press Will Publish Vishaan Chakrabarti’s Latest Book

Read Princeton University Press’ announcement about their acquisition of The Architecture of Urbanity: Designing Our Future for Pluralism and Planet.


Vishaan Chakrabarti Participates in CNBC’s @Work Summit

Watch PAU Founder, Vishaan Chakrabarti, and Ford’s global design director, Jennifer Kolstad, discuss the future of workplaces.


Design Disruption interviews Vishaan Chakrabarti and Benedetta Tagliabue

Watch Vishaan Chakrabarti discuss opportunities for more equitable architecture and public space post-COVID-19.


The New York Times writes about PAU’s proposal to ban private vehicles in Manhattan

Read Farhad Manjoo’s article about PAU’s proposal to make streets more equitable by banning private vehicles in Manhattan.


TED Interviews Vishaan Chakrabarti about Cities Post-Pandemic

Vishaan Chakrabarti discusses a new urban agenda that provides equitable housing, health care and transportation for all as a means to build and repair cities after the COVID-19 pandemic.


Buffalo News Announces PAU’s Newly-Awarded Project in Niagara Falls

Read the Buffalo News article about USA Niagara’s appointment of PAU to lead the redevelopment plans for all of their properties in Niagara Falls.


Curbed on PAU’s Master Plan for Sunnyside Yard

Read the Curbed article about how PAU’s Sunnyside Yard “may just be the future we didn’t know we needed.”


Vishaan Chakrabarti writes about the COVID-19 pandemic for Architectural Digest

Vishaan Chakrabarti shares his perspective on the COVID-19 pandemic relative to the future of urban places.


Fast Company on PAU’s 100% affordable, carbon-neutral Master Plan for Sunnyside Yard

Read Fast Company’s article about the Sunnyside Yard Master Plan where PAU Founder, Vishaan Chakrabarti describes the plan as a test case for “a new model for building housing and infrastructure.”


The Architect’s Newspaper on PAU’s Master Plan for Sunnyside Yard

The Architect’s Newspaper applauds PAU’s “ambitious master plan” for ensuring that Sunnyside Yard will not be another version of Hudson Yards.


NYCEDC Releases Sunnyside Yard Master Plan

NYCEDC reveals new website to share the PAU-led Master Plan for Sunnyside Yard.


The Architect’s Newspaper on Reactions to the Draft Federal Architecture Mandate

Read Vishaan Chakrabarti’s reaction to the executive order to impose a neoclassical style on all future federal architecture.


NY Mag Ranks Every Plan to Fix Penn Station

PAU’s proposal to fix Penn Station ranked number one (and number three!) by Justin Davidson of NY Mag.


Archinect on the Governor’s Plan for Penn Station

In the story on the Governor’s renovation plan for Penn Station, Archinect references PAU’s long-time interest in the project and our design proposal pitched in 2016.


Positive Energy Interviews Ruchika Modi

Listen to Ruchika Modi discuss how urban environments, when sensitively designed, can and should benefit the entire planet.


Archinect Interviews Vishaan Chakrabarti

“As Chakrabarti prepares to assume deanship over the school in 2020, he offers a preview of what his tenure might hold, speaks out against the “false choices” embodied by recent architectural pedagogies, and lays out a vision for how young architects might balance a desire for structural change with the patience and experience required to create work with lasting positive effects.”


The Architect’s Newspaper on PAU’s JFK Towers

Mark Faulkner explains the massing and materiality logic of PAU’s JFK towers at Schuylkill Yards for The Architect’s Newspaper.


Scratching The Surface Interviews Vishaan Chakrabarti

Jarrett and Vishaan talk about his circuitous path to architecture, the intersection of practice and teaching, and how he plans to approach his new deanship.


The Philadelphia Inquirer Glows About PAU’s Proposed Skyscrapers at Schuylkill Yards

Read the Philadelphia Inquirer article about PAU’s skyline-changing towers at Schuylkill Yards.


Metropolis Interviews Chakrabarti on Deanship of UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design

Vishaan Chakrabarti was interviewed by Metropolis about the deanship position at UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design he will assume in 2020.


Design Exchange on PAU’s Radical Mixed-Use Project in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Read the Design Exchange article about PAU’s 17-acre, 500,000 square foot project in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.


The Architect’s Newspaper on PAU’s Domino Sugar Factory Conversion

AN looks at PAU’s approach to the conversion of a Landmarked sugar factory into a contemporary office building.


Crain’s New York on the New Urban Design Advocate as UC Berkeley Dean

Read the Crain’s New York article on Vishaan Chakrabarti, who will lead the UC Berkeley architecture school as it is “poised to take on the three pressing challenges of our era—climate change, social inequity and technological dislocation—through the lens of design excellence,” as he put it in the school’s announcement.


San Francisco Chronicle on the New Dean at UC Berkeley’s Architecture College

San Francisco Chronicle reports on Vishaan Chakrabarti, who will lead UC Berkeley’s architecture college.


Vishaan Chakrabarti Appointed Dean of the College of Environmental Design at the University of California, Berkeley

PAU is proud to announce that our founder, Vishaan Chakrabarti, has been appointed the dean of the College of Environmental Design (CED) at the University of California, Berkeley, effective July 2020. Vishaan will continue to lead our firm, including opening a west coast office after he assumes the deanship, as well as providing creative direction for both offices.

Ruchika Modi, Studio Director and Associate Partner, will continue to run our New York office supported by Mark Faulkner, Associate Partner.

PAU and the CED are both committed to the twin pillars of design excellence and social impact, and as such we are confident in the reciprocity and rewards of this exciting new relationship. More information can be found here.


Vishaan Chakrabarti at TED2018

Watch Vishaan Chakrabarti’s main-stage Ted Talk on how we can design timeless cities for our collective future.


Vishaan Chakrabarti Named Honorary Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada

“This year’s Honorary Fellows have been rightfully recognized as leaders. . . . We are honoured to . . . welcome a provocative thinker like Chakrabarti who is challenging our ideas about cities and urban life.” –Diarmuid Nash, FRAIC, Chancellor of the RAIC College of Fellows


Metrofocus on the Impact of Losing Out on Amazon HQ2

Vishaan Chakrabarti analyzes the impact of New York City losing out on Amazon HQ2.


The Architect’s Newspaper on a Green New Deal

AN looks at what architects want from a Green New Deal, with Vishaan Chakrabarti arguing for greater density and improved mass transit.


Designing Cities of Difference

Vishaan Chakrabarti speaks at BoF’s VOICES, advocating for well-designed urban environments, which result in greater prosperity, sustainability, equity, and joy.


Oculus Magazine on Brave New Approaches to Preservation

Sam Lubell surveys adaptive reuse in New York City, including PAU’s Domino Sugar Refinery, reimagined.


The Architect’s Newspaper on PAU’s Innovative Urban Community Development in East NY

Read the Architect’s Newspaper article on PAU’s innovative urban community development in East New York.


NY1 Announces PAU’s Innovative Urban Community Development in East NY

Watch NY1 interview the team behind the Innovative Urban Community Development on an 11-acre site in East New York.


Vishaan Chakrabarti at VOICES 2018

The Business of Fashion covers Vishaan Chakrabarti’s presentation at VOICES 2018 in Oxfordshire, UK.


New York Times Op-Ed by Vishaan Chakrabarti

Read Vishaan Chakrabarti’s op-ed about Amazon’s HQ2.


NY Mag on Newark’s Impending Revival

“On a 12-acre site next to Broad Street Station PAU has mapped a new pocket of urban intensity and lively architecture . . . a long, snaking apartment bloc jacked up above a supermarket and a hall for taco stands and brisket trucks.”


New York Times on Sunnyside Yards as the next Mega-Development

Leading the charge for Sunnyside Yard — 180 acres of potential in western Queens.


Vishaan Chakrabarti Featured on AIA New York

Read Vishaan Chakrabarti’s interview, part of a series celebrating the 28 members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York Chapter elected to the AIA College of Fellows in 2018.


PAU Wins the High Line Hat Contest

The Architects Newspaper takes us to the over-the-top hat party at the High Line, where the night was won by Vinayak Portonovo for PAU.


Architectural Digest Interviews Vishaan Chakrabarti

In its series on immigrants who have made important contributions to the fields of architecture and design, Architectural Digest speaks with Vishaan Chakrabarti.


PAU Selected to Lead the Masterplan for Sunnyside Yard

The Architects Newspaper looks at the future of Sunnyside Yard.


Fast Company Covers Vishaan Chakrabarti’s Ted Talk

Read the Fast Company article on Vishaan’s Ted Talk about the importance of building “cities of difference.”


The Daily News on Rethinking Penn Station

Read the op-ed in the Daily News calling for a sense of urgency to put into action a real, cost-effective plan to fix Penn Station.


Design Observer Interviews Vishaan Chakrabarti

Listen to Vishaan Chakrabarti talk about architecture as a form of writing in the world.


Push to Save Penn

MetroFocus interviews Vishaan Chakrabarti on PAU’s proposal to save Penn Station.


NY Mag on Plans for the Domino Sugar Refinery

Read about PAU’s new plans for Brooklyn’s Domino Sugar Refinery.


Yale Paprika Interviews Vishaan Chakrabarti

The highs and woes of running a “die-hard architecture practice.”


The Architects Newspaper on Newark’s Bears Stadium Development

Spurring a revival of Newark’s downtown.


Archinect Interviews Vishaan Chakrabarti

Vishaan Chakrabarti talks about PAU’s upcoming projects with Archinect’s Julia Ingalls.


New York Times Op-Ed

Read the New York Times op-ed hailing PAU’s proposal for a new Penn Station as “the arrival of another renewal plan, so vastly better than anything that came before it that it’s a shame Mr. Cuomo hasn’t embraced it.”


Architect on What PAU (Will and) Won’t Do

Read Ned Cramer’s article on what architects won’t build, referencing PAU’s list, “What We Won’t Do.”


AIA New York 2017 Design Awards

PAU receives a Project Honor Award in the 2017 AIA New York Design Awards for our proposal for a new Penn Station.


Vishaan Chakrabarti Keynote Speaker at Cities as Solution

Join Vishaan Chakrabarti at the Downtown Seattle Association’s 2017 State of Downtown breakfast for a morning of thought-provoking speeches offering an insight into past and future economic trends shaping the center city.


Public Space for Free Expression

PAU joins 12 New York City organizations to call Mayor Bill de Blasio’s attention to the importance of ensuring and expanding safe spaces for demonstration.


Penn Station Reborn

Read the New York Times article on PAU’s proposal for a new Penn Station.


Vishaan Chakrabarti Speaks at Design Matters

Attend Vishaan Chakrabarti’s lecture at Design Matters, a thought-provoking series presented by the Faculty of Environmental Design at the University of Calgary.


Curbed Interview with Vishaan Chakrabarti

“How Architecture and City Planning Can Combat Social Inequality”: Vishaan Chakrabarti talks with Curbed Appeal host Asad Syrket and guest host Zoe Rosenberg.


A Firm to Watch

Architizer names PAU one of the 10 Firms to Watch in 2016.


Q + A with Vishaan Chakrabarti

Read Vishaan Chakrabarti’s Q+A session on PAU with Architect magazine’s Edward Keegan.


New York Magazine on PAU

Read Justin Davidson’s article about the launch of the PAU.


Crain’s New York article

Crain’s New York Business covers Vishaan Chakrabarti’s new firm, PAU.


Architect’s Newspaper on the Launch of PAU

“Architect and planner Vishaan Chakrabarti has had some crazy ideas over the years…”


New Yorker article

Read Jay Caspian Kang’s piece in the New Yorker magazine, “The de Blasio Housing Debate: A Conversation with Vishaan Chakrabarti.”


“About America’s Urban Future”

Read Vishaan Chakrabarti’s op-ed in New York Times.


Financial Times Interview with Vishaan Chakrabarti

Read Anjili Raval’s “At Home” interview, “Vishaan Chakrabarti, Architect and Urbanist.”


Charlie Rose Talks with Vishaan Chakrabarti

Watch the Charlie Rose interview with Vishaan Chakrabarti upon the publication of “A Country of Cities: A Manifesto for an Urban America.”


Places Journal

Read Vishaan Chakrabarti’s article, “Hyperdensity and Civic Delight.”


A Country of Cities: A Manifesto for an Urban America

Vishaan Chakrabarti’s first book, “A Country of Cities: A Manifesto for an Urban America,” is out! Pick up a copy from the publisher.


Vanity Fair on the Waterfront

Read Paul Goldberger’s article, “A Skyline for Williamsburg? The Brooklyn Waterfront Gets a Radical—and Terrific—Redesign.” The Domino Sugar plan was completed in collaboration with SHoP Architects, PC.


New York Magazine

Justin Davidson writes, “The Domino Sugar Plan Signals a Whole New Attitude Toward Development.” The Domino Sugar plan was completed in collaboration with SHoP Architects, PC.


Architectural Record Interview with Vishaan Chakrabati

Record speaks with “Newsmaker: Vishaan Chakrabati.”


The Brian Lehrer Show

Listen to Brian Lehrer’s interview with Vishaan Chakrabarti, “LoLo: Imagining New New York.” The plan was completed in collaboration with Professor Laurie Hawkinson and students from Columbia University’s GSAPP, Luke Wilson and Muchan Park.


Urban Omnibus Posts by Vishaan Chakrabarti

Read Vishaan Chakrabarti’s posts on the Architectural League’s Urban Omnibus website, discussing urban density, global warming, transportation, citymaking, social change, and more.