Architecture For The People

New York City Housing Authority's architect David J. Burney works to prove that public housing need not be "banal" or poorly designed.

1 minute read

May 21, 2003, 8:00 AM PDT

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech

"To be responsible for the design of the 2,702 buildings of the New York City Housing Authority is a little like putting bow ties on a flock of ugly chickens. But that is David J. Burney's job. As the agency's director of design and capital improvement, he spends about $500 million a year to maintain and improve the city's public housing stock.Mr. Burney has the radical idea that public housing needn't look grim and may even be pleasing. This notion springs from his conviction that people want more from their housing than functionality. They want interesting shapes, good materials, artful details."

Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan

FULL STORY: The People's Architect

Sunday, May 18, 2003 in The New York Times

Housing New York

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