The World Around’s second Annual Dinner returned to the Park Avenue Armory for a celebratory night of fundraising towards our mission to make architecture accessible to all. The evening began with a conversation between some of the most influential practitioners building the world around us today: Bjarke Ingels, Frida Escobedo, and Walter Hood. Moderated by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Paul Goldberger, their wide-ranging discussion explored the future of housing, the evolving role of cultural institutions in New York, and the ways architecture can address pressing social and environmental challenges while inspiring the public realm. We were also joined by Young Climate Prize Cycle 02 cohort member McKenna Dunbar, who addressed guests to introduce her work delivering green skills training to incarcerated individuals in Virginia, and to expand on the valuable impact that her participation in the prize was having on her work.

For the occasion, London heritage brand Liberty designed a bespoke textile print by combining its archive designs with The World Around logo. The print was used to dress the tables for dinner, and applied to handkerchiefs that were presented to guests as souvenirs of the evening. An exhibition documenting the Liberty team’s creative process was also installed at the Armory for all to enjoy. Design brand Flos kindly provided lighting, and food and catering was coordinated by Comparti.