Book Launch: Alvar Aalto and Urban Design
Join the School of Architecture and Design at this book launch event celebrating a new book, Alvar Aalto and Urban Design, by Robert Cody and Angela Amoia, published by Routledge. This new volume examines the urban and civic dimension of Alvar Aalto's work, revealing how his plans for Helsinki, Rovaniemi, Sunila, and other projects redefined the relationship between landscape, infrastructure, and democratic public space. The book situates Aalto within broader debates on modernism, ecological urbanism, and the evolving role of civic form in shaping collective life. Introduction and Moderation Nader Vossoughian Professor, School of Architecture and DesignNew York Institute of TechnologyView Bio (https://www.nyit.edu/bio/nader-vossoughian/) Speaker Robert Cody Associate Professor and Director, Master of Architecture, New York Institute of Technology and Partner, Amoia Cody Architecture Robert Cody is a registered architect, LEED-accredited, and a member of the AIA and NCARB. He is a partner at Amoia Cody Architecture in Brooklyn, N.Y. Since 2005, he has taught at the New York Institute of Technology School of Architecture and Design, where he has served as associate professor of practice since 2019 and is currently director of the Master of Architecture program. His teaching includes comprehensive and community design studios, building technology, and architectural theory, and he has led study-abroad programs in Italy, Germany, and Scandinavia. His academic leadership roles include department chair (2011–2017) and interim associate dean (2017–18). With over 30 years of professional experience, Cody has worked on a wide range of projects, including housing, office buildings, towers, healthcare and educational facilities, community projects, and the renovation of the Museum of Modern Art's garden façades. His practice emphasizes clear project parameters and continuity from concept through construction, enabling a seamless transition from drawings to on-site execution. Cody and his partner, Angela Amoia, co-authored the NYC Green Density Zoning Handbook (2018), Alvar Aalto and the Future of Architecture (2022), and Alvar Aalto and Urban Design (2025), reflecting their integrated approach to design, sustainability, and technology. Angela Amoia Adjunct Associate Professor, New York Institute of Technology, and Partner, Amoia Cody Architecture Angela Amoia is a partner at Amoia Cody Architecture and an adjunct associate professor of architecture at the New York Institute of Technology School of Architecture and Design. She has balanced professional practice and teaching since earning her Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, where she initiated her research on Alvar Aalto. Amoia has taught architectural history, theory, and design studios—including comprehensive design studios—and has participated in study-abroad programs in Italy, Germany, and Scandinavia as an intellectual historian with a focus on architecture and urban culture. In professional practice, she has served as an architectural project manager on a wide range of projects, including skyscrapers, large-scale academic facilities, landmark mixed-use developments, and adaptive-reuse residential work at both internationally and locally recognized New York City firms. Amoia and her partner, Robert Cody, co-authored the NYC Green Density Zoning Handbook (2018), Alvar Aalto and the Future of Architecture (2022), and Alvar Aalto and Urban Design (2025), reflecting their integrated approach to design, sustainability, and technology. George Michelin Qualified Architect, United Kingdom George Michelin (b. 1990) is a graduate of the Oxford Brookes School of Architecture and the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture. He is a British/Finnish designer and architect with an interest in understanding the interplay between creative theory and practice, as explored by his master's thesis, Towards a Culturally Durable Ultraviolet Architecture, which investigated the notion of cultural sustainability in architecture. Register In-Person (https://site.nyit.edu/aux/event_rsvp?e=tseZFDMApTELSzCQNjRTl19tKS9a%2FPw%2BEcdE4OHQA%2FxIRJGsRi3L8oH0IdpZBzQU70RYKiWohd%2Fahe%2BwAOr7%2Fya2pGsBQH9TQK1mIptV23eKsk%2B8%2BwChEWJUkYWOdp2ccK%2FmmmYSYxw8fFwNNigAB5Q0djI2qdgVF3HIAML27jCbPma2A4lTURY%2FW9BLhxg%2BCXstS%2BrzTTlKuPGQlm9timFa20PeK8IULtjow7zNAPrcO9%2B2xhxXAb9ONd9twCHnpJPQSYR6q9VBRgeicCaKMBFbGCxS0zuZ4%2FfY%2FoNix%2Fizc9hWkcr8k%2BuTGj9QU5NnNs8Om1r6KLBEXmX5Up5h%2FQ%3D%3D)Register via Zoom (https://nyit.zoom.us/meeting/register/I5s-Quu4S52jc3g0rcqrpA)