A new exhibition at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is set to provide a fascinating spotlight on the extraordinary architecture that makes New York such a vibrant city today.

This heritage dates from its earliest days as a colonial 17th Century settlement, through phenomenal growth to its pre-eminence as the 'capital of the 20th and century', where architects such as Marcel Breuer, Raymond Hood, Philip Johnson, Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies van de Rohe and Eero Saarinen realised some of their signature projects.

The exhibition, which opens on 5 September at Gallery 1 in Portland Place, spotlights some of the most significant and unusual buildings in New York through a dramatic installation of 81 black and white photographs, suspended on a grid-structure. The curator of the exhibition is Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, prize-winning writer, television interviewer/producer and Chair of the Historic Landmarks Preservation Centre in New York. It was designed to an original concept by internationally renowned designer Massimo Vignelli, celebrated for his iconic designs of the American Airlines logo in 1966, the signage of New York's subway system in the early 1970s and noteworthy product, furniture and fashion design.

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The exhibition presents a panorama of styles and building types, ranging from small colonial farmhouses to the mansions of the Gilded Age and from the iconic skyscrapers that New York is celebrated for, to lesser known jewels of its architectural heritage.

Accompanying texts address the cultural, historical and architectural significance of each site, all of which are amongst the over 22,000 protected properties and structures in the city.

(CL/SP)