Archinect - News

Considering the next Trump administration’s impact on housing in California

2024-11-22T11:56:00-05:00

As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to reenter the White House, California housing advocates are bracing for how a second term could impact the state’s notoriously high home prices, rents and rates of homelessness. This time around, that’s changed, and Trump has recognized housing affordability is a problem, said Matthew Schwartz, executive director of the policy organization the California Housing Partnership.

Democrats were also pushing a housing-heavy agenda during the campaign. Trump's return to the White House comes as the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies reports many cities across the Golden State are missing their marks where it comes to planning an adequate housing supply that matches the expanding crisis.

Trump has vocally supported the call for massive tent cities for unhoused citizens, vowing at the same time to issue tariffs, deport undocumented immigrants, open federal land to housing development, cut government assistance programs, and relax zoning restrictions, among several other countervailing ideas that could cancel out progress on what became one of the 2024 election's most significant issues.

New LA housing permits fall while planners look north

2024-11-13T09:22:00-05:00

A new report from Hilgard Analytics and Zenith Economics has the numbers behind the turndown complicating LA’s multi-pronged housing crunch. According to the available Los Angeles City Council data, the number of new permits this year has fallen 30.7% on pace toward a new five-year low.

Permits are on the rise this year only in the eastern precincts of the San Fernando Valley after a 2022 high in all other City Council districts recorded. This follows news of a flatly less resourceful Planning Department decision on single-family zoning’s future. The city has to build at least 2.5 million homes to meet demands by the end of the decade. (h/t Urbanize LA.)

Editor's Picks #564

2024-11-05T12:29:00-05:00

As part of the Archinect In-Depth: Licensure series, Niall Patrick Walsh gathered perspectives from Mike Armstrong, CEO of NCARB, Pascale Sablan, President of NOMA, architect and author Melvin L. Mitchell, writer and editor John Parman, architect and Professor Emeritus at George B. Johnston and Peggy Deamer author and Professor Emerita at Yale University.

Later, Kate Wingert-Playdon, Senior Associate Dean and Director of Architecture at Temple University, made the case for "always working in collaboration. That is a strong theme here at Tyler...so many good results in the built environment rely on good relationships, including well-conceived contracts…Respect is a big piece of collaboration. This is not to say that all design comes down to a contract; it is still about creative thinking. But a good contract isn’t just about business and law".

News

The_Crow felt the Snøhetta-led expansion for The Joslyn Art Museum was "pretty corporate tbh". What’s your take?

Photo © Nic Lehoux, cou...

RIBA will explore gender disparities in architecture in major new study

2024-11-01T17:17:00-04:00

This week, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) announced its participation with the nonprofit Fawcett Society in a new study of women architects who are either currently practicing or have left the profession. The study, which is due out next year, aims to establish a clearer picture of the scale and complexity of gender equity in the design field. It will inquire as to the reasons for a stalled rate of progress on the topic given the known barriers that exist and produce an assessment of "what works" and what further actions can be taken by different actors.

RIBA's Chief Executive Dr Valerie Vaughan-Dick states: "Following decades of research, the pace of change remains far too slow compared to other professions, and significant action is still needed. Understanding the barriers to making more rapid progress is critical."

The organization is asking those interested in receiving updates from the study to sign up by visiting this link.

Weakened North Carolina building codes jeopardized property after Hurricane Helene

2024-10-31T18:27:00-04:00

The long road back for residents of the western North Carolina counties that were heavily impacted due to flooding from Hurricane Helene is still being mapped out, but now the New York Times and other local outlets are reporting on critics who say reforms to the state’s building codes could have exacerbated the scale of property losses.

SB 166, which was passed into law last July, removed a requirement for professional architects to sit on the State Building Code Council. Both it and the related House Bill 488 were supported by the North Carolina Home Builders Association, echoing issues that came to the fore in Kentucky after a string of devastating tornadoes there three years ago.

Compounding the recovery process for homeowners is the fact that most did not own flood insurance policies. The data analytics company CoreLogic has estimated property damage in the area to be worth upwards of $47.5 billion.

Documentary exposes harsh labor conditions and deaths at NEOM’s The Line

2024-10-30T11:13:00-04:00

Documentary filmmakers have discovered abusive working conditions for laborers of NEOM’s The Line megacity development in Saudi Arabia. Per new reporting on the website Middle East Eye: "Labourers are forced to work grueling hours far beyond legal limits to construct the flagship project of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s Neom megacity, according to a new ITV documentary."

That film, Kingdom Uncovered: Inside Saudi Arabia, is set to air this Sunday for UK audiences. Labor conditions in the Gulf region are considered to have faltered at improving despite several recent regulatory changes in the view of many Western human rights watch groups.

(Another shock claim that 21,000 workers from three countries — India, Bangladesh, and Nepal — have died since the Saudi Vision 2030 plan was enacted in 2016 is reported in the documentary.)

German far-right politicians want to declare Bauhaus led modernism in the 'wrong direction'

2024-10-26T08:00:00-04:00

The German far-right AfD party has attacked the original Bauhaus as a pernicious example of design, saying it led the project of modernism in the "wrong direction." Their statement, which echoes the disdain put forth by Hitler and the Nazi party, comes from an official motion in front of the country’s parliament asking for an official reappraisal of its legacy in advance of the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus Dessau in 2025/26.

They say: "The emphasis on sobriety and minimalism often led to impersonal architecture that is perceived as cold, unwelcoming and unattractive." (h/t ARTnews)

The episode brings to mind the outrage of the architecture community in response to then-President Donald Trump's planned executive order in favor of classical architecture, the tenor of which (e.g., that it restores America's grandeur) is akin to the views advanced by Viktor Orban and many other modern adherents to a more discreet form of fascism.

Blair Kamin: ‘Writer underwriting writer’

2024-10-24T17:59:00-04:00

The [Chicago] Tribune, which had been reducing staff and budgets for years before Alden Global Capital accelerated the process with its May 2021 purchase of Tribune Publishing, did not replace Kamin, just as it did not replace several other culture writers who left the paper. So the retired critic took matters into his own hands.

We covered the debut of the Windy City’s newest critic Edward Keegan back in August along with the restart of work on 400 Lake Shore Drive. His position is being funded by Blair Kamin after Kamin stepped aside in January 2021. He explains the situation to Northwestern's vaunted J-school's Local News Initiative blog.

"I decided that if initially they weren’t going to make a grant, that I would make a grant myself to do this," he tells of his personal philanthropy. "But it’s complicated, because when you have a so-called donor-advised fund, you can’t give money legally to a for-profit enterprise. So you need to find a nonprofit to give the money to, and they, in turn, will give the money to the for-profit. So it took forever going through a variety of possibilities."

ACSA releases 'Where Are My People?' survey results focused on Queer identities in the architectural field

2024-10-21T11:06:00-04:00

In the interest of elevating the voices of different marginalized groups in every corner of the design field, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), in partnership with Emergent Grounds for Design Education (EGDE), has announced the next edition of their groundbreaking research series Where Are My People? dedicated to exploring the LGBTQIA+ community’s impact on architecture.

The newly announced Where Are My People? Queer in Architecture is organized into two sections. Part I looks at the intersectionality of queer identities while unpacking data findings both quantitative and qualitative to reach a "comprehensive understanding" of the significance of representation. After that, Part II centers on contemporary theory on gender and sexuality to encourage a critical dialogue about the ways in which architecture can establish more inclusive spaces apart from the binary.

EDGE's Michelle Barrett says they will combine to help "recontextualize how and why we need a...

NEOM's The Line is getting its own $186M concrete factory

2024-10-14T10:00:00-04:00

Multiple outlets in the Gulf region report on a new $186 million series of ready-mix concrete plants that will augment construction efforts for NEOM and The Line. According to Gulf News, the facility is capable of producing more than 700,000 cubic feet per day.

The $500 billion linear city effort had taken a hit recently after officials admitted their intentions to drastically limit its first phase to just 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles). The Line's superstructure and sub-grade support system will receive most of the output from the plants. A separate source reported that work on its foundation pilings has already begun, with "nearly 1,000 out of over 30,000 piles placed so far."

Archinect's (completely anonymous) 2024 Mental Health Survey

2024-10-10T18:41:00-04:00

This World Mental Health Day, Archinect is once again inviting the architecture community to share their experiences, thoughts, and challenges. Our new Mental Health Survey is an important opportunity for us to check in and hear directly from you — the architects, designers, students, and educators shaping our industry.

In last year's survey, your responses provided invaluable insights that fueled meaningful conversations about mental health in the architectural field. As we navigate the final months of 2024, we’re seeking to understand how things have changed, what challenges still persist, and how we can better address the mental health needs of our community.

Previously: Archinect's 2023 Mental Health Survey Results

Our survey aims to capture your experiences with the stressors of architectural practice and education — whether you’re grappling with tight deadlines, coping with economic pressures, balancing work-life boundaries, or reflecting on workplace culture. With your input, ...

Archinectors Articulate: ChatGPT for architectural codes, When to hire more staff, Residential inquiries slowdown, OXMAN, AIA layoffs

2024-10-08T19:59:00-04:00

Happy beginning of fall, Archinectors! With October officially kicked off, the Fed cutting interest rates, and workload for the architecture industry expected to pick up again (fingers crossed), let's take a look at what the Archinect community is talking about at the moment.

When to hire more employees?

Over in our Discussion Forum, readers engaged in this timely employment and professional practice thread, When to hire more employees. "I am wondering if there is an industry metric or KPI that indicates when to hire more staff, backed by data?," user ellerystudio asked.

I am wondering if there is an industry metric or KPI that indicates when to hire more staff, backed by data? — Discussion Forum question

The discussion emphasizes that to grow revenue, businesses must invest in hiring and building capacity ahead of securing projects, with many participants sharing strategies for timing new hires to meet future demand.

"You can't grow revenue if you don't grow capacity first," one r...

Editor's Picks #563

2024-10-07T21:02:00-04:00

ICYMI Niall Patrick Walsh started the State of AEC intended to "guide you through the latest analyses, indexes, and trends on how the architecture and construction industries are performing economically."

In reporting on the September U.S. Federal Reserve rate cut he pointed out "the Fed’s interest rate today sits at almost exactly the same level as it was in 2007, before a series of rapid cuts in response to the 2008 economic crash. Back then, the AIA’s Architecture Billings Index began a decline in January 2008 that lasted every month for two and a half years until July 2010."

Later, Niall also explored the impact of post-pandemic changes driving "what architecture studios are, and increasingly are not, commissioned to design". Will Galloway weighed in from Japan

"Interesting findings. I wonder if this is the new normal or still a period of settling into something new…Not sure where we will come down on this topic in the end, but I can imagine a quite different office set up in t...

Construction tech start-up sends AI-powered "micro-factories" to the US to build affordable housing

2024-10-04T17:57:00-04:00

British construction tech start-up Automated Architecture (AUAR) is sending two of its pop-up, robotic micro-factories to the U.S. for the first time in a move to bring automated and affordable house building to North America.

Founded in 2019, AUAR functions by licensing its technology to builders and contractors to build low-energy homes at the price of normal homes, at scale.

Related on Archinect: Where Are All The Affordable Housing Startups?. Image credit: Katerra

The micro-factories will be deployed by real estate development and construction firm Rival Holdings, which aims to address the ongoing housing crisis by building thousands of sustainable, affordable, and high-quality homes across the Midwest. The partnership between Rival Holdings and AUAR was announced in March.

“We are really excited to partner with Rival Holdings to bring our cutting-edge Robotic Micro-factories to the United States,” said Co-Founder and CEO of AUAR, Mollie Claypool. “This partnership is our first ...

AIA Board of Directors files ethics complaint against misconduct accusers

2024-09-26T12:57:00-04:00

The Board of Directors of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has filed an ethics complaint in response to the now-closed investigation over alleged misconduct on the part of CEO Lakisha Ann Woods and other executive staff in the AIA National office.

The complaint, which is addressed to be answered by the AIA National Ethics Council (NEC), comes against the unnamed letter signers and other "stakeholders" accused of taking part in a "coordinated campaign" to discredit the reputation of Woods and other members of the Board.

"Once the NEC responds with recommendations for the Board, we will act with expediency to prevent future similar destructive behavior that has the potential to negatively impact the health of our organization," the announcement of the action reads.

Previously on Archinect: AIA members decry nepotism and other misconduct claims

No wrongdoing was found after the law firm Miller & Chevalier concluded its outside investigation into the allegations, which includ...

MIT team creates 3D-printed glass bricks for reusable construction

2024-09-21T12:31:00-04:00

MIT engineers have created 3D-printed glass bricks that could offer a new approach to construction with sustainable and reusable materials. These interlocking bricks, which offer similar strength to concrete, are designed for circular construction, allowing buildings to be disassembled and reassembled at the end of their life cycle.

The team, led by Assistant Professor Kaitlyn Becker and former MIT researcher Michael Stern, developed the glass bricks using a custom 3D printing technology from MIT spinoff Evenline. Made from recycled glass, the bricks are shaped like figure eights and interlock like LEGO pieces, offering flexibility in assembly and disassembly.

Each manufacturing method is shown from left to right: FH (Fully Hollow), PC (Print-Cast), and FP (Fully Printed). Credits:Image: Ethan Townsend

In mechanical testing, the glass bricks demonstrated strength comparable to concrete blocks, proving their potential for real-world architectural applications. The team experimented wi...

AIA lays off 16% of workforce

2024-09-20T18:36:00-04:00

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has laid off 16% of its national staff, as reported by Architectural Record, amounting to 28 staff members. This follows months of internal controversy, including misconduct claims against CEO Lakisha Woods, which outside investigators cleared, as previously covered by Archinect:

AIA members decry nepotism and other misconduct claims, from Jun 10, '24

AIA Board of Trustees issues statement in response to controversy, from Jun 13, '24

Outside investigators clear AIA leadership of any wrongdoing after misconduct claims, from Aug 28, '24

Modular design revolution behind Crystal Palace construction revealed

2024-09-19T14:43:00-04:00

The Crystal Palace was not only a marvel of Victorian ingenuity but also a symbol of Britain’s embrace of industrial progress and modernity, reflecting the nation’s aspirations on the world stage

The Guardian reports that the mystery of how the Crystal Palace was built in just 190 days has been solved, crediting the success to a highly innovative building process. Joseph Paxton, the architect, employed a modular design using prefabricated iron and glass components, which were mass-produced in factories. The building's structure relied on standardized parts, such as cast-iron columns and girders, which were quickly assembled on-site. This efficient, industrial approach reduced construction time significantly. Additionally, the design’s use of lightweight materials and the repetition of simple units allowed for fast and precise assembly, revolutionizing construction techniques and setting a precedent for future large-scale architectural projects.

Overdevelopment, conflict, and climate change pose biggest threats to global cultural sites, World Monuments Fund warns

2024-09-13T17:25:00-04:00

Ahead of its January 2025 release of the World Monuments Watch list, the World Monuments Fund has announced the greatest factors threatening heritage sites globally are conflict, climate change, "overtourism," a lack of financial support and community engagement, and an extenuating state of overdevelopment.

The organization says they are doing so now in the interest of “sounding the alarm" and raising awareness while the final site included in its next watch list is still being deliberated. The WMF has not produced such documentation since 2022, when it found 25 sites as being under threat. The tenor of threats varies by region, with a majority (58%) of those surveyed in North America & Europe under threat due to "insufficient funding and resources." A total of 200 sites were nominated worldwide.

AIA releases seven-point advocacy agenda for 2024 U.S. elections

2024-09-13T12:45:00-04:00

The American Institute of Architects has released a statement urging action on a number of key priorities related to architecture and the built environment for the 2024 presidential elections following Tuesday’s debate between candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

"Architects across the country are keen to see greater progress toward key goals related to the built environment and our businesses," 2024 AIA President Kimberly Dowdell says in a preface to the seven-point agenda. "Our top election priorities highlight critical issues including the need for increased investment in affordable housing, aggressive climate action measures, enhanced resiliency against natural disasters and sound tax policies."

"[The] AIA calls on the candidates as well as the incoming new Congress to listen to architects as experts on the forefront of designing a more sustainable future," her statement continues. "Through these priorities, AIA’s members will continue to move the built environment forwar...

Architect Shigeru Ban named 2024 Praemium Imperiale laureate

2024-09-10T15:35:00-04:00

Shigeru Ban has been named the 35th Laureate of the prestigious Praemium Imperiale Award. The 67-year-old architect, originally from Tokyo, follows in the footsteps of Francis Kéré as the latest recipient in the Architecture category, after an eventful two years that have seen multiple installations of his innovative emergency shelters through the Voluntary Architects’ Network (VAN), along with completed projects for Tiffany & Co. and the Toyota City Museum, among other notable achievements. Ban's humanitarian work began in the 1990s, with notable efforts like his paper tube shelters in Rwanda and his involvement with disaster relief after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in Japan, which inspired him to establish VAN in 1995.

The Yoyogi Fukamachi Mini Park by Shigeru Ban. Photo: Satoshi Nagare.

Ban, who established his own namesake firm in Japan back in 1985, is highly regarded not only for his humanitarian efforts but also for key projects such as the Centre Pompidou-Metz (2010), ...

NOMA summer programs saw 43 young professionals connected with architecture firms, fellowships, and grants

2024-09-10T08:00:00-04:00

National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) has concluded the sixth edition of its NOMA Future Faces initiative, which sees young professionals connected with industry summer internships. The 2024 edition saw 25 students and recent graduates take part in a two-month summer fellowship, undertaking design research, project work, and firm mentorship.

The fellowship was open to all members of the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS) with the purpose to “develop and propel forward the next generation of Black and minority architects who will be designing for the future.” Alongside the practice placement, each fellow also received a $2,450 relocation reimbursement and is eligible to receive a $1,000 licensure stipend once they become a licensed architect.

Meanwhile, the organization also recently oversaw the latest edition of the Historically Black College & University (HBCU) Professional Development Program (PDP), which seeks to support architecture stu...

High Line founders release op-ed opposing final Hudson Yards development phase

2024-09-06T18:28:00-04:00

Related and Wynn’s new proposal would sweep away the years of civic engagement that led to a 2009 rezoning of the proposed development site. We have just one chance to get this right. Related and Wynn’s new plan fails the test of sensible and authentic urban design and must be fought with the same spirit that brought the High Line to life 25 years ago.

Leading with the claim that Related "wants to undo the agreement and rezone the site again", two founders of The High Line (Joshua David and Robert Hammond) say they are opposing the next phase of Hudson Yards’ redevelopment. The $12 billion plan, the details for which became a bit clearer on August 30th, would establish a hotel, casino, and office components with a 5.6-acre park over what is now the undeveloped Western Rail Yards at Eleventh Avenue and 33rd Street.

The agreement they're referring to pertains to the aesthetic agreement of any new developments with the existing character of the High Line. To that score, the authors say, "principal changes include much taller and wider buildings at an overwhelming scale, less accessible green space, more office space (in a city that has a glut), and less housing in a city that has a desperate shortage."

Message In a Bottle In Sainsbury

2024-08-29T21:36:00-04:00

The false columns in the foyer were part of the intended spatial sequence, conceived as a procession from shadow to light, inspired by the entry to an ancient church. Visitors would enter this crypt-like lower level, proceed up a grand staircase, and arrive in the airy galleries above.

Call it a reactionary's revenge if you want, but "a message in a bottle" was found inside one of the Sainsbury Wing's pilasters during the demolishment activity. It is said to have been written as a time capsule by one of the major donors of the Museum, Lord John Sainsbury.

While the message's author goes as far as to say, “I believe that the false columns are a mistake of the architect (VSBA) and that we would live to regret our accepting this detail of his design. Let it be known that one of the donors of this building is absolutely delighted that your generation has decided to dispense with the unnecessary columns.”

The Guardian's architecture critic Oliver Wainwright has the last piercing words for the client and their architect doing away with the old design; "More than 30 years later, Sainsbury’s view is shared by the National Gallery’s current administration. Director Gabriele Finaldi has said it is the “heavy grey architecture” and “forest” of thick pillars on the ground floo...

Editor's Picks #562

2024-08-29T20:31:00-04:00

Earlier this summer, Archinect invited the community to share insights and feedback on the economic outlook of their firm and sector. Analysis of these results has been released in two parts. Part I and Part II

The "survey showed a significant divergence between the sentiments of owners and workers" in a couple of key areas, which made sense to Donna Sink "overall employees are more anxious than owners. Possibly because they're younger and more pessimistic about the future in general?...It's bleak out here."

Plus, Joseph Choma, Director of Florida Atlantic University's School of Architecture, explained the thinking behind FAU’s five-year BArch and their approach to AI, demystifying the digital, teaching "computation even though they are not using a computer" and how "One of the roles of the architect will be to create a web or network to connect the AIs together".

News

The United States Department of Defense finalized a revision to the fee limitations for federal design projects aft...

Outside investigators clear AIA leadership of any wrongdoing after misconduct claims

2024-08-28T13:11:00-04:00

The conclusion of an independent investigation into executive misconduct at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has yielded no evidence of wrongdoing, according to a statement published by the organization’s Board of Directors on Monday, August 26th.

The report from law firm Miller & Chevalier also ruled out any "regular conduct" on the part of any national office staffers or members of the AIA Leadership team.

“The Board has reviewed the law firm’s proposed recommendations for improvement in the areas of policy and process, and we are assessing how best to implement those recommendations. We anticipate sharing additional details regarding these recommendations with our members.” their statement reads.

Accusations stemming from an early April letter circulated through the membership ranks and signed by twenty former AIA presidents include nepotism, unlawful firing and retaliation, the abus...

White House ACHP debuts draft alternatives for National Historic Preservation Act compliance

2024-08-27T18:52:00-04:00

The White House’s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) has proposed its first Draft Program Comment aimed at providing federal agencies with alternatives to complying with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

If fully approved and adopted, the recommendations will take precedence over a number of key areas that impact the architecture industry, namely housing, transportation, and the acceleration of decarbonization efforts in the building sector.

Architect and ACHP Chair Sara C. Bronin, who spoke to Archinect on the topic of housing desegregation in 2021, said: "Today’s action aims to position our historic places at the center of affordable, accessible, climate-resilient, equitable, and interconnected communities and to ensure new investment reaches people who live in, use, and enjoy our historic places. I am looking forward to engaging Indian Tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, and the public on the best ways to ensure historic preservation strateg...

Barack Obama calls for a housing revolution at the 2024 Democratic National Convention

2024-08-21T15:54:00-04:00

Calling on lawmakers to do away with the "outdated laws and regulations that made it harder to build homes for working people," former U.S. President Barack Obama thrilled audience members with an impassioned plea for mass-scale housing production at the 2024 Democratic National Convention last night in Chicago. One comment ("Right now, we are building housing this big. But we need to start building housing this big") has earned him a new viral reputation as a "YIMBY."

The rallying cry echoes remarks made two years ago at the 2022 AIA Conference on Architecture, namely about the intersection between housing justice, social inequality, and government policy that architects inhabit being intractable. Both the embattled single-family and expanding multi-family markets shrank by 6% and 14.4%, respectively, last year, according to Census Bureau data.

Presidential candidate Kamala Harris' plan to build three million new homes in four years faces a considerable amount of obstacles related...

Archtober, NYC’s Architecture and Design Festival, Launches 14th Year

2024-08-21T13:48:00-04:00

Archinect has been a proud sponsor of Archtober since 2011

Archtober, a New York City-based platform that promotes the discovery of architecture and design through experiences and content, will celebrate the next installment of its annual festival from October 1–31, 2024. In collaboration with over 100 partners and sponsors across the city, the 2024 festival will gather events, exhibitions, resources, and activities across the five boroughs to raise awareness of the importance of architecture and design in New York City.

In recent years, Archtober has continued to grow and deepen its impact with the addition of an annual festival theme, which we launched in 2023. Our first theme, Bridging Divides, reflected a profound commitment to fostering inclusivity, innovation, and a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness between individuals, communities, and the spaces they inhabit. This year’s theme, Tracing the Future, delves into the evolving landscape of NYC through affordable hous...

Design Agendas: Modern Architecture in St. Louis, 1930s–1970s

2024-08-16T16:13:00-04:00

The story of modern architecture in St. Louis is complex and often contradictory.

Beginning in the 1930s, internationally known architects such as Eric Mendelsohn, Eero Saarinen and Minoru Yamasaki — alongside important regional and national figures like Harris Armstrong, Charles Fleming, Joseph Murphy and Gyo Obata — created iconic structures that embodied new ideas about form and, in many cases, democratic social organization. Yet the period also was marked by racial segregation and by large-scale demolitions throughout the urban core.

This fall, the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis will present “Design Agendas: Modern Architecture in St. Louis, 1930s–1970s.” With nearly 300 architectural drawings, models, photographs, films, digital maps and artworks, “Design Agendas” is the first major exhibition to examine how interlocking civic, cultural and racial histories, as well as conflicting ideological aims, reshaped the city.

“I lived in Pruitt-Ig...