Institute for Public Architecture (IPA) welcomes applications for the 2026 Independent Project Residency at the Block House

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.

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

Applications will be accepted until January 15 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

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)

Apply Here

All Fellows are required to pay both a program fee and room 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. Please visit the IPA Guide to Funding Opportunities here.

More information about the fellowship can be found here.