Victor Body-Lawson, principal of Body Lawson Associates in New York City, N.Y., will be featured as the ENR New York Legacy Award winner in the publication’s January 2023 print issue. 

The Legacy Award is given annually to an individual in the region who has established a solid “legacy” of lifetime service to the construction industry, their colleagues and to their community. ENR New York includes New York and New Jersey.

Since founding Body Lawson Associates almost 30 years ago in the Harlem section of Manhattan, the Nigerian-born architect has provided architectural planning, urban design, historic preservation and interior design services in his own backyard and around the nation and world. But the certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) is best known for projects designed and built for marginalized communities. 

Body-Lawson’s Erbograph affordable housing design is seen by many as one of the first aesthetically pleasing affordable housing developments in New York City. Currently, the firm is working with WXY on a 100% affordable mixed-use complex spanning 4.75 acres—La Peninsula in the Bronx—which includes a central plaza, walkways, community facilities, retail and light industrial uses.

Highlighted by New York City planning and economic development agencies, and its public design commission, the project is seen as a new proof of concept for affordable housing.

The AIA New York chapter recognized Body-Lawson as the 2021 Leader in Housing. The national AIA also elected him to its College of Fellows for his efforts to “advance the science and art of planning and building by advancing the standards of architectural education, training, and practice.” 

Body-Lawson, who is also an associate professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, won AIA's Henry Adams Medal in 1984.

In addition to being an active member of AIA New York, Body-Lawson is an active member of the National Organization of Minority Architects.

To learn more about Body-Lawson and his work, check out the January issue of ENR New York when it goes on line.