In order for the planet to accommodate the expected population growth in the following years, a city the size of New York needs to be built every month for the next 10 years! Today's cities and architecture are overly influenced by norms, ordinances and the need to adapt to environmental phenomena. This is causing cities to lose their iconic elements from other continents and cultures. The world's metropolises are gradually merging into uniform cities defined by roads and high-rise buildings. How can we strive for architectural uniqueness, but at the same time come up with global solutions that can be replicated to achieve a quality and sustainable urban environment? The New York studio PAU (Practice of Architecture and Urbanism) came up with a design for an apartment building that could be built around the world using local materials. Its ecological footprint would be lower and it would also be able to be energy self-sufficient. The studio's approach can be found not only in the design of apartment buildings, but also in the proposals for the redevelopment of Penn Station in Manhattan or their most recently completed project to convert the Domino sugar cane factory into an office building in Brooklyn. The studio's founder Vishaan Chakrabarti will present each design and the studio's philosophy.