BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/New_York X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York BEGIN:VEVENT UID:733@ssa.ccny.cuny.edu DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251016T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251016T190000 DTSTAMP:20251009T132152Z URL:https://ssa.ccny.cuny.edu/events/fall-2025-sciame-lecture-series-nancy -ruddy-john-cetra/ SUMMARY:Fall 2025 Sciame Lecture Series: Nancy Ruddy + John Cetra B Arch ’76 DESCRIPTION:Please RSVP here to attend.\n\nThis in-person lecture is part o f the Fall 2025 Sciame Lecture Series\, "rePURPOSE."\n\nJohn Cetra\, FAIA\ , B Arch  '76 (he/him) and Nancy J. Ruddy (she/her) co-founded the New Yo rk-based Architecture\, Interior Design\, and Planning firm CetraRuddy in 1987 on the principle that architecture should engage the urban fabric whi le enriching the human spirit. Regardless of typology\, CetraRuddy’s wor k is about “home” – a commitment which was born and encouraged durin g their time as students at CCNY.\n\nThrough his practice\, John Cetra (ri ght) has experienced the interrelationship of architecture\, urban design\ , and planning. He is a recognized industry leader in tall building techno logies\, historic building and analytic site development. John holds a Mas ter’s degree in Architecture and Urban Design from Harvard University an d a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Spitzer School of Architectur e of the City College of New York.\n\nNancy J. Ruddy’s (left) career is defined by analytic problem solving\, contextual sensitivity and the integ ration of crafted details and innovative use of materials. Her work reflec ts an underlying commitment to the human experience at all scales\, and a deep belief in the importance of community and a sense of home in all buil ding typologies. Nancy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Architectural History f rom New York University and has studied architecture at City College of Ne w York.\n\n"Creating Home and Community at 25 Water Street: The Nation’s Largest Residential Conversion": As cities worldwide grapple with climate imperatives\, housing shortages\, and a lower demand for commercial build ing stock\, adaptive reuse has emerged as a transformative design and poli cy tool. In this lecture\, John Cetra\, FAIA\, and Nancy J. Ruddy\, foundi ng principals of CetraRuddy and long-time leaders in the field of adaptive reuse\, will present the ambitious office-to-residential conversion of 25 Water Street. Drawing from nearly four decades of experience navigating N ew York’s unique regulatory landscape\, they will explore how the projec t serves not only as a model for future large-scale conversions but as a f ramework for rethinking urban reuse at scale. The lecture will examine how reimagining this underutilized commercial structure challenged prevailing zoning\, structural\, and mechanical systems\, and ultimately introduced new architectural typologies to support community\, livability\, and susta inability. Through this case study\, Cetra and Ruddy will interrogate the intersection of technical innovation\, policy reform\, and the human exper ience of home—asking what it takes to build community through reuse in t he heart of the contemporary city.\n\n"rePURPOSE" centers on the practice of adaptive reuse in the built environment. Repurposing\, embedded in hist orical patterns of city building and for the most part discarded in the mo dern movement\, is undergoing a remarkable renaissance. The lecture series invites architects\, planners\, developers\, advocates\, and engineers to present the technologies\, designs\, economic incentives\, and policy cha nges that are needed to advance a substantively renewed and at-scale progr am of repurposing in New York and other global cities. The reuse of old st ructures is not a new idea. After the fall of the Roman Empire\, for examp le\, the Colosseum was repurposed for housing and workshops during the med ieval period. Although reuse is understood as a convention that both requi res and imposes minimal impact\, rePURPOSE shines light on how the methodo logy might not be entirely benign\, how it might in fact have real impact\ , and the ways in which it challenges and would necessarily disrupt the ve ry conventions with which we typically assume it is aligned.\n\nOf special \, although not exclusive\, interest is unpacking the relationship of repu rposing to the climate crisis. Might historic preservation sit at the cent er of technical innovation? Are all older buildings valuable as climate mi tigation assets\, or will new uses\, such as data storage in old buildings \, undermine the LCA embodied carbon savings achieved? What rules\, laws\, and incentives are needed to sustain innovative approaches to meaningful reuse\, and to what extent will a complete reform of preservation regulati ons and zoning frameworks be required?\n\nThe Fall 2025 Sciame lecture ser ies will address the profound potential inherent in giving new life to old structures\; employing adaptive reuse methodologies to impact environment al\, economic\, and cultural conditions by reducing waste and carbon emiss ions\, lowering costs and raising property values\, maintaining historical character\, and preserving local identity.\n\nAll lectures are free\, ope n to the public\, and held in the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Archi tecture Sciame Auditorium. For live captioning\, ASL interpretation\, or a ccess requests\, please contact ssadean@ccny.cuny.edu.\n\nThis lecture ser ies is made possible by the Spitzer Architecture Fund and the generous sup port of Frank Sciame ’74\, CEO of Sciame Construction.\n\n(Photograph © Paul Raphaelson) CATEGORIES:Events,Lectures,Sciame Lectures LOCATION:Sciame Auditorium (Room 107)\, 141 Convent Avenue\, New York\, NY\ , 10031\, United States GEO:40.8177595;-73.95047339999996 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=141 Convent Avenue\, New Yo rk\, NY\, 10031\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Sciame Auditori um (Room 107):geo:40.8177595,-73.95047339999996 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York X-LIC-LOCATION:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20250309T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR