
EMERGENT
(adjective) emer•gent | i-ˈmər-jənt
+ arising as an effect of complex causes, as a sum of their parts
+ in the process of coming into being, becoming newly formed or
prominent
+ calling for immediate action, requiring urgent action
EMERGENT is a design & research studio working at architecture's intersection with urbanism, landscape, and infrastructure. Fascinated with how emergent patterns, paradigms, and phenomena impact our constructed environments in an era of rapid urbanization, we investigate these spatial conditions by engaging in interdisciplinary work that cuts across multiple scales and forms of representation that are able to speak to a diverse set of audiences & stakeholders.
Based in New York but operating sensitively in multi-regional contexts around the globe, we believe that it is imperative to carefully ask the right questions before providing solutions. Accordingly, each of our catalogued investigations seeks to examine emerging questions facing our rapidly evolving built environments—believing that design holds vast potential for critiquing and intervening in the cultural, social, ecological, environmental, and infrastructural issues facing our contemporary cities and their landscapes. Armed with both design and the research that frames it, our investigations act as a cog in addressing solutions to these emerging questions.
Our versatile work ranges from design proposals & competitions, to cartographic research mappings & curated exhibitions, to authored books & architectural graphic novels aimed at impacting a wide audience. Collectively, they act as a toolkit of ideas for tackling emergent questions in a rapidly urbanizing world.
Director, Founding Principal
Evan is an architect, urbanist, researcher and educator who is the director of Emergent Studio. He founded the studio following a decade of professional working experience in the architecture & urban design fields, in both the private & public sectors.
In addition to directing Emergent, Evan was appointed to the full-time faculty at New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) where he teaches as an Assistant Professor of Architecture. Throughout his career, he has...
JULY 2026
+ Evan Shieh curates the exhibition From Mono- to Multi-:
Adaptive Post-Industrial Futures for Mono-functional Infrastructures at FXC Gallery in Brooklyn
+ Evan Shieh co-leads NYIT's Atelier "Sacred Equilibria: The
Architecture of New Cosmogonies" at the international 2026 WAVe Workshop hosted by the Università Iuav di Venezia in Venice, Italy
+ Evan Shieh's essay "Architecture Beyond Stasis: Designing
Balance across Evolving Systems, Technological Disruption, & Landscapes of Uncertainty" published in Balance: Different Types of Equilibrium by IUAV
+ Evan Shieh serves as a blind peer reviewer for conference
abstract submissions to the 2026 ACSA Intersection Research Conference: Urban Design Matters
+ Evan Shieh attends final reviews as an external guest critic
at Cornell University AAP and Tamkang University's traveling "Nomad Workshop" hosted by Columbia GSAPP
JUNE 2026
+ Autonomous Urbanism (AR+D Publishing) featured &
published in the book How to Visualize Architecture: The Complete Guide to Architectural Storytelling by Architizer
+ Evan Shieh serves as a blind peer reviewer for research
paper submissions to the Urban Planning Journal published by Cogitatio
For more recent news, press, and highlights...
Have a design or research project in mind? Looking to collaborate on a joint venture together? Interested in joining our studio?
We would love to hear from you!
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