NEW YORK, June 29 (UPI) -- Architect, urban planner and past president of the American Institute of Architects' New York chapter, Margaret Helfand, died in New York at age 59.
Helfand, who died June 20 of complications of colon cancer, helped create the Center for Architecture, a hub for exhibits and the home of the New York chapter of the institute, over which she presided in 2001, The New York Times reported Friday.
She was also a co-chair of New York New Visions, a civic group that advised government agencies on urban design and planning guidelines for redeveloping Lower Manhattan after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. She spoke out frequently on the challenges of rebuilding at Ground Zero.
While she worked with large firms and smaller partnerships, Helfand spent the majority of her career practicing at her own firm founded in 1981.
Her designs stressed clean elemental forms, incorporating natural materials and surrounding landscapes. Her Swarthmore Science Center, for example, was built from local stone and included a sunken garden that opened toward the woods near the Pennsylvania college.
She is survived by her husband, Jon Turner, and a sister.
