Disclaimer: Listings reflect client inquiries verbatim for accuracy and clarity.
INTRODUCTION
The Institute for Public Architecture (IPA) welcomes applications for the 2026 Independent Project Residency based at the historic Block House on Governors Island.
The IPA Independent Project Residency program invites emerging and mid-career practitioners – whose work focuses on the public realm – to live and work during an eleven week live-in Residency at the IPA Block House on Governors Island. The Residency seeks to create new interdisciplinary opportunities for collective thinking by providing communal space for architects, urbanists, landscape architects, designers, artists, and researchers to live, work, and develop independent projects within the community of the residency.
Applicants will bring their own interests to the program and will have opportunities to engage with the public, interact with the context of Governors Island, and develop an activation to be displayed during a final culminating public event at the Block House.
IPA Fellows are among the first civilian residents to live on the Island since the Coast Guard’s exit in 1996. Fellows will enjoy unparalleled historic, natural, and urban resources with direct access to downtown Manhattan and waterfront Brooklyn neighborhoods via ferry. The IPA, a long-term tenant on Governors Island together with Billion Oyster Project, the Harbor School, Earth Matter, Beam Center and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, is one of more than twenty arts, cultural, educational, and environmental nonprofit organizations operating on the Island, forming a unique community that connects with a diverse and growing audience of nearly one million annual visitors.
WHO SHOULD APPLY
The Residency program is open to local and global applicants from diverse backgrounds, educations, experiences, and aspirations at any stage of their career. Applicants may be practitioners working across disciplines, with an emphasis on the public realm. The program is especially well-suited for those on sabbatical or with funded projects. The program is not open to current students.
The Independent Project Residency program is intended for applicants with a clearly developed focus and/or approach who need time and space to work independently within the context of a unique and supportive communal environment. During the Summer and Fall seasons, public programming and visitor traffic is high and fluctuates according to weather. As temperatures drop towards the later Fall months, public traffic will give way to a quieter and slower period.
Fellows will have the opportunity for public engagement while also enjoying a degree of solitude and productive separation from the fast pace of NYC, with access via ferry after public hours. The IPA Block House provides comfortable living accomodations alongside ample space to conduct research within the communal Studio and Library. Fellows are encouraged to skill-share and engage with their cohort through both planned and spontaneous activities throughout the Residency.
Although collaborators may apply, each applicant must complete an individual application and will be evaluated separately, with no guarantee that both collaborators will be selected.
PROGRAM GOALS
This program is designed for applicants with research and design projects at any stage of development who would benefit from sharing their work in the collective, interdisciplinary context of the Residency. To that end, time will be set aside throughout the Residency for Fellows to present and discuss their work with the cohort, IPA staff, guests, and the public.
During the Residency, Fellows’ work can be presented in any format: academic papers, articles, and/or book chapters, film, sound, installations, drawings, models, and other media. The program will culminate in an exhibition at the Block House, and Fellows’ work will be published on the IPA’s digital channels and website.
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
The Independent Project Residency offers applicants the opportunity to bring their own interests and projects to New York City, with its vast network of expertise and leadership in the fields of architecture, art, technology, and design. Fellows will present the progress of their work to the public at Open [Block] House events throughout the Residency. Each Fellow will also have the opportunity to engage directly with local community and social practices within the IPA’s network, further building on the IPA’s mission of using design to address social, physical and environmental inequities in New York City.
Programming includes:
- Open [Block] House: a series of public events at the Block House that welcome visitors and invited guests to engage in conversation and review project progress with Fellows.
- Open Library: The Block House library is open to the public during Open [Block] House Saturdays. Fellows may organize to run specific workshops, or additional programming during the residency. Programming proposals should be discussed with the Residency Director.
- IPA TEST KITCHEN: In 2025 the Institute for Public Architecture (IPA) launched the TEST KITCHEN Dinner Series Program at the Block House as part of the Independent Project Residency. TEST KITCHEN, a food-focused event series, creates informal structures for exploring communal food experience, experimental cooking techniques, sustainable farming, and more.
- Public Programs at the Block House: A series of public events are held throughout the year at the Block House. Fellows are encouraged to attend and take part in a diverse line-up of events.
- Culminating Activation at the Block House: Fellows participate in a culminating exhibition event that is open to the public.
SELECTION
An Independent Selection Committee composed of experts within the fields of architecture and design will review applications. Applicants should make clear how they and their proposed project will benefit from being based at the Block House on Governors Island and its larger connections to New York City; preference will be given to project proposals that do so. Selection of Fellows will also be based on the applicant’s experience, intent, and relevance of their project to the IPA’s mission of addressing social, physical and environmental inequities in the city. The Selection Committee will be announced soon.
FELLOW RESPONSIBILITIES
The Independent Project Residency centers on the values of communal living and shared creative development. The residency is self-led and oriented towards practitioners seeking to develop a specific project or trajectory that will benefit from the cross-disciplinary dialogue of engaging with the Fellow cohort.
Life at the Block House is a shared experience and living with others is core part of the Residency structure.
Fellows will be expected to:
- Live and work collectively with other Fellows, regularly engaging in communal cohort activities.
- Purchase their own groceries and any other personal items throughout the Residency (with the exception of occasional catered events).
- Keep private and communal areas tidy. This program requires communal caretaking of the Block House.
- Participate in public presentations of work.
- Submit work completed during the Residency to the IPA before the conclusion of the program.
PRACTICAL INFO
DURATION
Each Independent Project Residency runs for 11 weeks:
Spring
March 1 – May 17, 2026
Summer
June 1 – August 17, 2026
Fall
September 1 – November 16, 2026
HOW TO APPLY
Applicants should submit the following documentation through the online form. Links to outside websites or files are not accepted and will not be considered in the review process.
- Statement of interest: Describe (1) how you would use your time at the Residency, (2) the relevance of the Block House and New York City to your proposed project, and (3) how living/working on Governors Island may benefit your work. (maximum 500 words)
- Research/Design proposal: Summary of the research or design work to be developed during the Residency program. Work can be ongoing or a new endeavor. (maximum 500 words)
- References: Two references with full name and current email addresses. Recommendation letters are not required.
- Curriculum vitae. (PDF format, maximum 5MB)
- Work samples: Relevant research or work samples and/or portfolio. (PDF format, maximum 10MB)
RESIDENCY FEE
The 2026 Residency Fee consists of two parts; the Program Fee and the Room Fee.
Spring fixed program fee:
$3350
Summer fixed program fee:
$3850
Fall fixed program fee:
$3600
The Room Fee ranges from $2,700–$3,000.
All Fellows are required to pay both fees to attend the Residency, although the Room Fee varies depending on the room selected by the Fellow. In total, the cost of attending the 2026 Residency will range from $6,050 to $6,850.
Once applicants are invited to join the program, a non-refundable deposit of $1,000 is required to secure a spot in the Residency. The remaining balance is due in advance prior to the beginning of the program. Room selection occurs at the time of the payment of deposit first-come, first-serve. The $1,000 deposit is applied towards the Room Fee.
Fellows are encouraged to seek partial or full financial support from their institutions or other funding sources to offset the Program and Room Fees. The IPA has assembled a preliminary list of funding sources for applicants here.
PROGRAM FEE BREAKDOWN
The Program Fee covers:
- Registration and administrative overhead
- Cohort activities, including a curated Dinner series, public events, and a final exhibition at the Block House
- Occasional communal meals and get togethers
- In-house program and facilities staff
The Room Fee covers:
- A private bedroom with individual climate control, supplied with a full (double) bed, pillows, sheets, towel and closet
- A personal desk and chair in the communal studio area with a lockable cabinet
- Shared bathrooms and in-house laundry with washer and dryer
- A fully-equipped shared kitchen and dining room
- Common workspaces and living areas
- Outdoor areas adjacent to the house with tables, chairs and open space
- High-speed internet within the Block House
- 24-hour Island security
- Unlimited ferry rides between Governors Island and Manhattan (ferries from Brooklyn are not included)
PROGRAM FEE WAIVERS
We understand that the cost of the Residency might be a barrier to entry for some applicants. The IPA offers a very limited number of need-based partial Program Fee Waivers (PFW). The aim of the PFW is to address systemic barriers that some applicants may face. Applicants may apply for a PFW for any reason. Any information submitted will remain confidential for the use of the IPA in determining an applicant’s need for financial support. Successful applicants will be informed if they have been awarded a partial PFW when they are notified of their acceptance to the Residency.
PFWs are evaluated separately from the rest of the application and submitting a request will not negatively affect an application. Please note we are currently unable to waive the Room Fee due to high facility costs.
If you are interested in applying for a PFW, please include a 500–750 word letter that describes your need and outlines how a PFW would support your project throughout the Residency. Requests must be submitted through the application and will not be considered after the general Open Call deadline.