The Emilio Ambasz Institute for the Joint Study of the Built and the Natural Environment is a platform for fostering dialogue, promoting conversation, and facilitating research about the relationship between the built and natural environment, with the aim of making the interaction between architecture and ecology visible and accessible to the wider public while highlighting the urgent need for an ecological recalibration. The establishment of the Institute was inspired by Emilio Ambasz’s visionary role in the emergence of architecture’s ecological consciousness.

The mission of the Ambasz Institute is to promote the exploration and study of creative approaches to design at all scales of the built environment—buildings, cities, landscapes, and objects—with an emphasis on understanding their joint relationship to the natural environment. Through research and a variety of programs, including public lectures, conferences and symposia, and their digital equivalents, the Institute aims to be a globally influential think tank dedicated to furthering our understanding of the interactions between design and ecology. The Institute’s mission is interdisciplinary, bringing together architects, designers, policy makers, social thinkers, historians, and the general public. Acknowledging how the Anthropocene has undermined any semblance of balance between human endeavor and ecological stability, the work of the Institute will synthesize research and programmatic initiatives with current sociopolitical issues to help solidify cultural and art institutions’ relevance for today’s diverse audiences.

Inclusivity Statement

The social responsibility of the museum goes beyond public education through exhibitions, publications, and programming. MoMA recognizes its role as a thought leader in discussions about the values and actions that define us as a cultural community. At the Ambasz Institute, we strive to provide a safe and inclusive space and to find ways forward together in order to build sustainable and environmentally just futures. We aim to raise awareness about the ways our habits have impacted the environment, and to help people understand that to truly tackle the climate crisis we need to adopt a collaborative approach that includes perspectives and knowledge from all communities, particularly those that have been historically marginalized.