Author: Aleksandr Mergold
Aleksandr Mergold, AIA, is an associate professor of architecture at NJIT and a co-founder of Austin+Mergold (A+M), an architecture, landscape and design collaborative in New York, Pennsylvania and California. His work and research focus the reimagining and repurposing of common and disposable materials, systems and elements of the 20th century built environment in the US and beyond. His monumental Oculi installation, created with collaborators at Cornell University, was recomposed from 40-year-old metal grain bins from a farm in Ohio and the Unistrut system patented in the 1920s. First displayed on Governor’s Island in NYC and now at ArtOmi, the public artwork won the City of Dreams international design competition. Aleksandr’s book Toward an American Spolia is due to be published in 2024 with Applied Research and Design Publishing.