James Garrison teaches at Pratt Institute as well as running Garrison Architects, which is breaking ground on New York’s first zero-energy building when we speak. He tells a story about one of his colleagues, who recently set a class project on post-Zombie War housing (after the Max Brooks novel World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War). “There are all these post-apocalyptic dreams out there now,” he says. Living in this city, and being an architect, it would be impossible not to wonder: what next?”

“The culture of New York evolves quickly,” he continues. “But the creative culture of Manhattan has more or less exhausted itself.” He puts it down to simple economics. When the artists fled to Brooklyn, his practice wasn’t far behind. “There’s a certain vibe to its character – it’s a hotbed of ideas and risk taking, which all worked to bring us over.”

The recession means, he says, there are virtually no houses being built now. Garrison’s other projects are mostly in the public sector, and include a plaza in the oldest commercial centre of the Bronx, “where all the grids collide”, combining sustainability, transport, urban design and construction.

A progressive new transport commissioner, the city’s ongoing attempt to create more green space, and the chance to make a difference has given Garrison a lot of optimism about the future. He eventually plans to produce buildings that not only support their own heating and cooling, but also produce enough energy to pay for their construction over their lifetime. “The issues that affect us affect everyone – they just affect us, perhaps, more strongly. Every project these days has too little money, too little time and disrupts too many neighbours. And there are multiple interested groups with something to say about it. That makes it a very complex stew.”

garrisonarchitects.com