Studio Gang is an architecture and urban design practice founded in 1997 by Jeanne Gang and based in Chicago, with additional offices in New York, San Francisco, and Paris. Comprised of over 100 professionals, including architects, designers, and planners, the studio is known for its research-driven approach to design. On Friday, July 11, the Aedes Architecture Forum in Berlin will inaugurate an exhibition on Studio Gang's work, organized in collaboration with AW Architektur & Wohnen magazine. Titled Studio Gang: The Art of Architectural Grafting, the exhibition explores the studio's design methodology through six recent projects.
The exhibition follows Jeanne Gang's recognition as AW Architect of the Year 2025 and her newly released book of the same name, The Art of Architectural Grafting. The concept draws from the horticultural practice of grafting, revitalizing existing structures through strategic additions that expand their capacity while minimizing their carbon footprint. Gang's approach applies the principles and sensibility of this centuries-old technique across scales, advocating for transformation and reuse rather than demolition and reconstruction. It emphasizes the preservation of historic fabric and materials, aligning architectural innovation with ecological responsibility.
With her innovative, nature-inspired designs, Jeanne Gang redefines the boundaries between architecture, environment, and society. She combines organic, biomorphic forms with sustainable construction methods and develops bespoke solutions for each project. Her interdisciplinary approach links design, architecture and natural sciences with social responsibility and ecological sensitivity - Karen Hartwig, Editor-in-Chief of AW Architektur & Wohnen.
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Architectural Grafting: A Strategy for Sustainable DesignSince 2012, the German magazine AW Architektur & Wohnen has annually presented the AW Architect of the Year award to architects whose work brings new energy to architecture and urbanism. Jeanne Gang's nature-inspired designs, which combine organic forms with social and environmental awareness, earned her the 2025 distinction. Past recipients include renowned studios such as MVRDV, BIG, Snøhetta, Tatiana Bilbao Estudio, and Kéré Architecture, many of whose works have also been exhibited at Aedes.
The Berlin exhibition features six recent projects that exemplify Gang's concept of architectural grafting: the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts in Little Rock; the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History in New York; the University of Chicago's John W. Boyer Center in Paris; the Kresge College Expansion at the University of California, Santa Cruz; the Gray Design Building at the University of Kentucky in Lexington; and the New York Institute of Technology's Biomedical Research & Innovation Center in Long Island.
The projects are displayed through custom elements designed by Studio Gang that integrate into the gallery's columns and walls. These include models, drawings, photographs, videos, and artifacts that illustrate each project's unique grafting strategy. Living plants and botanical imagery underscore the horticultural inspiration behind the concept. Alongside built work, the architectural practice also engages in research, publishing, and exhibitions that promote what it terms "actionable idealism," design as a tool for civic awareness and impact. The exhibition will remain open to the public until August 27, 2025.
Other notable architecture exhibitions in 2025 include the 17th Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism (BEAU), opening in December in Ponferrada, which addresses the challenges of hyperconnectivity. In Paris, Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto's exhibition Nosso Barco Tambor Terra is on view at the recently renovated Grand Palais through July 25. The 19th edition of the Venice Architecture Biennale runs through November 23, and Expo Osaka continues until October 13 on the artificial island of Yumeshima.
