Archinect - News

Sasaki will design new comprehensive master plan for Taliesin West

2024-03-26T16:54:00-04:00

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation has announced its selection of Sasaki Associates to create a new comprehensive master plan for Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Plans for a new campus will guide the development of any new projects on the 620-acre campus (a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site) in line with the Foundation’s Taliesin West Preservation Plan from 2015. Their aim is to re-establish the site as a cultural destination for "future generations."

The site, which Wright settled with his third wife Olgivanna in the 1930s, had included a school that almost shuttered due to financial difficulties before reversing its decision and relocating to two sites in Paradise Valley at the start of the pandemic.

Photo credit: Andrew Pielage

The firm says: "The comprehensive plan for Taliesin West represents a significant step in ensuring the long-term preservation and vitality of this architectural masterpiece. By engaging with the site’s history and ecology, Sasaki’s plan will guid...

Largest clean energy infrastructure project in U.S. history begins construction

2024-01-02T15:55:00-05:00

Construction has begun on the largest clean energy infrastructure in U.S. history. The joint SunZia Transmission and SunZia Wind projects will span New Mexico and Arizona, bringing power to 3 million people.

The project is being delivered by Pattern Energy, which has secured $11 billion in financing to begin construction on the project. SunZia Transmission will comprise a 550-mile transmission line between central New Mexico and south-central Arizona, with the capacity to transport 3,000 MW of electricity. The SunZia Wind facility, meanwhile, will be the largest wind project in the Western Hemisphere, spanning Torrance, Lincoln, and San Miguel Counties in New Mexico.

“Our hope is this successful financing of the largest clean energy infrastructure project in American history serves as an example for other ambitious renewable infrastructure initiatives that are needed to accelerate our trans...

Arizona's state water supply loophole is causing a gold rush for multifamily construction

2023-11-14T12:31:00-05:00

Local leaders near Phoenix are placing limits on where new homes can be built, with the goal of protecting long-term access to water. But there's a significant loophole. [...] Policymakers may try again, and the governor has set up a task force on the issue. Ferris says the strength of Arizona's water law is that it links building decisions with water decisions. No other Western state requires cities to look a hundred years into the future.

Permitting of new subdivision construction has been curtailed in the Phoenix area over water scarcity, though a loophole over multifamily construction has led to a recent boom there as developers are still free to open state taps when needed in search of a requisite 100-year groundwater supply.

Small cities like Casa Grande and Buckeye are making the news as prolific cases, with around 3,000 and 6,500 new units permitted in each in the last two years alone. The official statewide need stands at 200,000 overall. Lawmakers are now trying to put a halt to the build-to-rent exemption in the face of a population influx and despite developer’s lobbying.

James Turrell's Roden Crater is hiring a construction manager for the iconic artwork

2023-08-16T10:45:00-04:00

Following last week’s look at an opening for a Project Manager at the Center for Zero Waste Design, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an opportunity on Archinect Jobs for a Construction Manager at the Skystone Foundation.

The role, based in Flagstaff, AZ, will see the successful candidate “work closely with the artist on all phases of the construction of the Roden Crater project, an unprecedented large-scale artwork created within a volcanic cinder cone by light and space artist James Turrell.” Qualifications held by the ideal candidate include a degree in Architecture with the ability to obtain a license in Arizona, and a proficiency in AutoCAD, Revit, Rhino, SketchUp, Navisworks, and Adobe Creative Suite.

James Turrell. Image courtesy: Skystone Foundation

Why the role interests us

Roden Crater is one of the most famous pieces of landscape art in the United States. The site was acquired by Turrell in 1979, who has spent over four decades design...

Arizona to limit construction in the Phoenix area as groundwater supply shrinks

2023-06-03T09:17:00-04:00

Arizona has determined that there is not enough groundwater for all of the housing construction that has already been approved in the Phoenix area, and will stop developers from building some new subdivisions, a sign of looming trouble in the West and other places where overuse, drought and climate change are straining water supplies.

This decision, announced last Thursday, means that Arizona will no longer provide developers in some areas of the Phoenix region new permits to construct homes that rely on groundwater. Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, sources half of its water supply from groundwater. The announcement will not impact developments that have already been approved. However, the state will be looking towards new water conservation measures and alternative sources to provide the water needed for these projects. The decision will likely have a significant effect on Arizona’s real estate market, especially in Phoenix, which has become the fastest growing metropolitan region in the country, due to the impact on housing affordability.

Now, developers looking to build will have to prove that they can ensure water supply for 100 years using water from a source that is not local groundwater. This move is another example of how the impacts of climate change continue to grow in prominence. In addition t...

Five campus projects by sustainability champions Studio Ma: Your Next Employer?

2023-03-27T14:01:00-04:00

Following last week’s visit to Los Angeles-based Relativity Architects, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to Phoenix, Arizona this week where we meet Studio Ma.

Founded by Christiana Moss, Christopher Alt, and Dan Hoffman in 2003, the studio has developed a portfolio driven by principles of bioclimatic regenerative design, social equity, and public engagement. The firm’s attention to bioclimatic design has previously been seen in our editorial through their sustainable townhouse complex in Arizona and their receipt of a 2021 AIA Small Project Award for their Xero Studio.

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for several positions across their Phoenix office. For candidates interested in applying for a position, or anybody interested in learning more about the studio’s work, we have rounded up five educational campus projects by Studio Ma that demonstrate their design ethos.

Princeton University Lakeside Graduate Housing

Opened in 2015, the Lakeside Grad...

Featured architecture projects from female-led firms based in the American West

2023-03-01T15:20:00-05:00

As we enter Women's History Month today we begin to highlight some of the work produced by female-led firms, to complement our existing stories and profiles.

Pioneering women in the profession continue to make their mark and shift our industry into a more inclusive direction. When you look at a realized design project, however, it's not always clear who the team of leaders and designers are behind that work. To kick off a celebration of women, Archinect launches a new series featuring built projects led by female-owned and operated firms.

For our first installment, we've started with 13 architecture firms based in the American West that have posted projects to their Archinect Firm Profile. Feeling inspired? Check out the job opportunities at female-lead firms in Archinect Jobs.

B+B House by Design, Bitches
The firm is led by Catherine Johnson and Rebecca Rudolph in Los Angeles, CA

B+B House. Image © Yoshihiro Makino. Learn more about the project here.

Armstrong Ave Residence by Robi...

New featured job opportunities for architects & designers in Phoenix

2023-02-16T09:00:00-05:00

This week's curated employment highlight from Archinect Jobs features a number of attractive architectural openings for job seekers in Arizona's state capital. Firms in Phoenix and Scottsdale are currently looking for Project Architects, BIM Specialists, Interior Designers, and Graphic Designers, among other roles.

To study up on specific job titles from the architectural profession, consult Archinect's Guide to Job Titles series. Also, follow our Archinect Tips series to improve your portfolio, resume, interviewing skills, and increase your overall chances of getting that next job.

Richärd Kennedy Architects seeks a Project Architect, BIM Coordinator, Proposal Graphic Designer, and Interior Designer - Architecture
"Richärd Kennedy Architects is an award-winning studio-based firm that focuses on positively impacting people's lives through the craft of architecture. [...] Skills and Qualifications: 5+ years of experience; Professionally accredited degree in Architecture or equivalent ...

Frank Lloyd Wright’s final residential design lists for $9 million in Arizona

2023-02-08T19:16:00-05:00

The private home considered to be Frank Lloyd Wright’s final residential design has hit the market in Arizona for $8.95 million, according to the Robb Report and several local real estate listings.

The 3,095-square-foot Norman Lykes House, also known as the "Circular Sun House," was first designed by Wright shortly prior to his death in April 1959 and eventually completed by Taliesin architect John Rattenbury nine years later.

Image courtesy Deanna Peters/HomeSmart

It stands on a 1.3-acre plot overlooking the Phoenix Mountain Preserve in Palm Canyon and had previously been sold at an auction for $1.7 million in 2019 before being re-listed in September of 2020 for just under $8 million.

Image courtesy Deanna Peters/HomeSmart

Rattenbury’s 1994 renovation reduced the home’s capacity to three bedrooms from the original five. Its circular design was credited by Wright to the surrounding landscape.

Image courtesy Deanna Peters/HomeSmart

The home includes original furnishings made by Wright...

Texas continues with plans to use shipping containers as 'makeshift' border wall

2023-01-10T11:57:00-05:00

Gov. Greg Abbott announced in November that the state was moving large shipping containers to the banks of the Rio Grande near downtown El Paso — between official ports of entry — to keep out migrants [...] The Texas containers are on land managed by the International Boundary and Water Commission, the Journal noted. The binational agency enforces treaties between the nations, and evaluates various projects that could affect the Rio Grande.

Abbott’s double-down comes after an announcement from Arizona’s new Governor, Katie Hobbs, that they will dismantle their $80 million wall of shipping containers that were installed in the Colorado National Forest last year.

The plan also encroaches on lands managed by the International Boundary and Water Commission without a permit. This could potentially trigger a change in the flow of water in the Rio Grande floodplain that could cause catastrophic loss of life and other environmental damage, according to the agency.

Texas is adding shipping containers to the US-Mexico border in El Paso.

This is in addition to the razor wire and National Guard.

Together, the strategies are causing illegal immigration at that location to plummet.https://t.co/YPTJlkca5m
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) December 29, 2022

El Paso's homeless shelter system is currently overwhelmed by the influx, despite the makeshift barriers. The state's spokesperson for emergency management nevertheless told reporters ...

12 featured architecture & design jobs in Phoenix

2022-05-06T15:06:00-04:00

Looking for the latest architectural career opportunities in Phoenix? Design services are in high demand in Arizona's state capital, now the fifth-most populous city in the United States, as the number of listings in the region on Archinect Jobs shows. For this week's curated job picks, we have selected some exciting architectural and design positions at firms in the greater Phoenix area, including Scottsdale.

To look up specific job titles from the architectural profession, consult Archinect's Guide to Job Titles series. Also, follow our Archinect Tips series to improve your portfolio, resume, interviewing skills, and increase your overall chances of getting that next job.

Richärd Kennedy Architects seeks an Architect, Designer, and Construction Administrator
"What makes working at Richärd Kennedy Architects so special? We believe that architecture impacts communities where we live and across the world. [...] Our designs are notable because they reflect client aspirations and embody...

This recently sold home in Arizona beats the desert heat by being entirely underground

2022-03-28T18:31:00-04:00

This house on the real estate market in Scottsdale, Arizona, for $2.1 million is throwing some serious shade — in the coolest way possible. How? The “one-of-a-kind” property is basically all underground, but not in “bunker” fashion.

The 3,300-square-foot, five-bedroom, four-bathroom home is described as an “earth-sheltered subterranean home” designed “to create highly efficient living.” According to its listing on real-estate marketplace Zillow, the residence was built in the 1970s, designed in response to high costs and the energy crises at the time.

The home's interior courtyard. Image: Zillow

It features a central courtyard that provides natural light and air to almost every room, a four-foot corridor along its perimeter that creates storage space, 10-foot ceilings, and solar panels. (The home is also fitted with HVAC.)

Image: Zillow

According to its listing, the property sold earlier this month, closing at a little over $2.3 million. More images of this unique underground dwelling can be seen on Zillow, here.

Studio Ma completes work on Arizona townhome complex guided by "bioclimatic design"

2020-08-27T13:10:00-04:00

Studio Ma has completed work on The Hollyhock, a collection of 11 townhouses located in Arizona that strive to offer ecologically-minded design amid the region's suburban context.

The project offers a collection of single and dual-story units arranged around a series of xeriscaped "neighborly courtyards," walkways, and private gardens.

According to the architects, the homes are built with "exceptional insulation, energy efficiency and low water use," efforts that include daylighting and passive ventilation as well as high-performanc low-emissivity glass, "insulated faux stucco," galvanized metal, sustainably harvested wood, and exposed concrete floors. These approaches, the designers explain, make up the project's "long-lifespan palette" of materials that "reduce carbon emissions associated with typical construction."

In addition, the project was brought to life through a close working relationship with the general contractor, The Construction Zone. “Together, the team pledged to ...

Leaders of the School of Architecture at Taliesin and Cosanti share their vision for the future of “organic architecture”

2020-06-15T15:37:00-04:00

In recent weeks the leaders of the School of architecture at Taliesin have begun to make plans for moving the school to Cosanti, some eight miles to the west of the school's current site.

Last week, Archinect spoke with Dan Schweiker, Chair of Governing Board for Taliesin, Chris Lasch, Interim President of Taliesin and former Dean of the school, and Patrick McWhortor, President and CEO of Cosanti, to learn more about the planned transition.

Previously on Archinect: "Frank Lloyd Wright's School of Architecture at Taliesin shutters its doors after 88 years." Photo of Taliesin West, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Image courtesy of Wikimedia user Maarten Nijman.

Describing the process at hand, Schweiker explains that the school had moved on after unsuccessfully negotiating with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation for approval to continue using the Taliesin West facilities moving forward. In January of this year, the school and foundation announced that the school would shut down at the e...

Border wall planning unfazed by coronavirus threat

2020-03-30T13:51:00-04:00

The United States Army Corps of Engineers this week issued Southwest Valley Constructors a contract modification worth $524 million for design-build services on a barrier wall replacement project in Tucson, Arizona, at the border between the U.S. and Mexico. The change brings Southwest's contract amount for the project to almost $1.2 billion when combined with the May 2019 initial contract's award of $646 million for the same project.

While construction of all non-essential projects in several US states has been ordered to stop to contain the spread of COVID-19, planning of fortification elements along the US-Mexican border near Tucson, Arizona is going ahead with full steam, as Construction Dive reports.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Norman Lykes House, his last residential design, finally sells for $1.7m

2019-10-17T13:58:00-04:00

An Arizona house that was the last home designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright before his death sold on Wednesday for nearly $1.7m. Out of nearly 20 bids at a public auction for the Norman Lykes House, the winning bid came from a man who lives out of state, Heritage Auctions told the Associated Press.

Commissioned by Norman and Aimee Lykes, this Phoenix home known as the "Circular Sun House," was Frank Lloyd Wright's last residential design before his death in April 1959. The structure was completed nearly ten years later by Taliesin architect John Rattenbury.

Image: Heritage Auctions

In case you missed out on the chance to purchase the Lykes House, another Wright-designed property in Phoenix, the 1952 David and Gladys Wright House, is still on the market. Current listing price, according to The Guardian: nearly $10 million.

Charles Schiffner’s House of the Future predicted Smart Home technology more than 40 years ago

2019-06-13T17:18:00-04:00

Over the past several years, home automation and smart home technology have become exceedingly popular and are now more commonplace than ever before. In the not so distant past, these concepts were hard to grasp, and felt out of reach for the average homeowner. The House of the Future in Ahwatukee, Arizona, designed by former Taliesin Associated Architect Charles Schiffner, embraced these innovative concepts as early as 1978.

Frank Lloyd Wright was a visionary, but he likely couldn't have predicted the next big to have spun out of Taliesin West, the architect's winter home and school in the Arizona desert. When he passed in 1959, many of his apprentices formed an architecture firm named Taliesin Associated Architects, and in the late 1970s met with real estate developer Randall Presley to plan and build an experimental living laboratory in Ahwatukee, Arizona.

The interior of the House of the Future. Image taken from Mesa Magazine.

The project was spearheaded by Charles Schiffner, one of the firm's architects, as a home outfitted with technology never before used in a domestic setting. “I started thinking about how to practically use a computer in a home structure and I took the approach of looking at the computer as a utility, and exploring what that utility can do,” Schiffner said. “With the integration of technology and architecture, the House of the Future itself became bionic.” Five microcomputers we...

The University of Arizona's School of Architecture hosts the 2019 Architecture Film Festival Tucson

2019-01-18T15:24:00-05:00

The post is brought to you by the University of Arizona College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Archtiecture

Film has the power to bring people together – or tear them apart, spur conversation, and transform ideas. It is in anticipation of this that the School of Architecture of the University of Arizona College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture presents “Architecture Film Festival Tucson 2019” in conjunction with invited festival Arquitectura Film Festival SANTIAGO / ArqFilmFest 2018. The Chilean festival was founded in 2012 as the first of its kind in Latin America. Its Director, Miguel Contreras, will travel to Tucson for the two-day 2019 festival which will celebrate architecture and urbanism around the world and present an opportunity for discussion of issues in contemporary design.

Held at the Center for Creative Photography at the UA’s main campus, a festival of selected award-winning films shown in previous festivals held in Santiago, London, Ven...

Are you a senior level architect looking for a fresh start? Begin the new year with these 9 senior architect job opportunities

2019-01-03T13:43:00-05:00

The new year is upon us! There are plenty of things the architecture community can learn from 2018. With trends rising and falling out of style, to practices learning how to embody an ethical and inclusive model, industry leaders are looking to start the new year on the right foot.

This week's job round-up features 9 firms who are looking for the right candidates to tackle the new year with them. From female-led firms to studios whose work addresses fresh approaches to design, 2019 never looked brighter. Be bold this year and apply!

SO Reneovation Image © Inscape Studio

Inscape Studio seeks a Senior Associate Architect in Washington, DC
A senior associate will manage the associates and interns on projects that they are the lead architect. A senior associate will provide quality control on small scale projects led by an associate. The ideal candidate will have 6-10 years experience in commercial and/or residential architecture, strong design and graphic skills, and an ability to work ...

Searching for some sun? Check out these architecture job opportunities in warmer climates

2018-12-06T10:00:00-05:00

Not everyone loves cold weather. If you're a skilled architect looking for a warmer place to relocate to check out these architecture firms hiring in sunnier climates. Scroll down and be warmed by our list of future job prospects.

Hainan Tongguling Hotel Resort Image © LOD | Laliving & OPR Design

LOD | Laliving & OPR Design seeks a Project Architect/Senior Designer in Shenzen, CN
Qualified candidates would work not only in our Shenzhen/Beijing office on projects in China, but also with our Barcelona office on international projects and research prototype. LOD specialises in mixed-use development, residential and commercial complexes, hotels, offices, institutional buildings and design integration of sustainable technology.

Four Seasons Oahu at Ko Olina Image © de Reus Architects

de Reus Architects is seeking for a Junior Architectural Designer, Intermediate Architect/Designer, and a Bilingual (Japanese/English) Architect in Waimea, HI
The Waimea, Hawaii Island office of de Reus Architec...

Water woes are creeping up on Phoenix, America's fifth-largest city

2018-03-22T16:01:00-04:00

Phoenix and its surrounding area is known as the Valley of the Sun, and downtown Phoenix – which in 2017 overtook Philadelphia as America’s fifth-largest city – is easily walkable, with restaurants, bars and an evening buzz. But it is a modern shrine to towering concrete, and gives way to endless sprawl that stretches up to 35 miles away to places like Anthem. The area is still growing – and is dangerously overstretched, experts warn.

With cities in the Desert West, like Las Vegas and Phoenix, rapidly growing in size and population, water is becoming an evermore hot commodity; all while the source of that water, primarily the Colorado River, is becoming increasingly unreliable due to climate change.

"And yet despite the federal Bureau of Reclamation reporting in 2012 that droughts of five or more years would happen every decade over the next 50 years," writes Joanna Walters for The Guardian's Overstretched Cities series, "greater Phoenix has not declared any water restrictions. Nor has the state government decided its official drought contingency proposal."

AIA components in border states with Mexico mobilize opposition to the Border Wall

2018-03-01T09:32:00-05:00

The proposed $25 billion wall along the US/Mexico border raises questions that have proven divisive to society. [...] In 2017 and 2018, AIA state components and chapters in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas wrote resolutions and letters with the support of their boards of directors opposing a border wall and questioning its cost-benefit relative to infrastructure projects all over the country that they deem higher-priority.

AIA state components and chapters in each of the four states bordering Mexico—Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas—are organizing their opposition to Trump's border wall proposal and have passed formal resolutions.

"Robert Miller, AIA, 2018 president of AIA Arizona, led the charge in drafting a template articulating his component’s concerns, which he shared with AIA chapters in Arizona and, ultimately, components in Texas, California, and New Mexico," writes Katherine Flynn for the AIA. "Keeping the AIA Code of Ethics at the forefront, Miller says, helped him conceptualize the statement as something that members could support outside the context of their own partisan views."

Below are the AIA State Components’ statements regarding the proposed border wall:

AIA New Mexico

Texas Society of Architects

AIA California Council

AIA Arizona

Here are four AIA Local Chapters’ statements regarding the proposed border wall:

Bill Gates buys 25,000 acres in Arizona to build a smart city

2017-11-13T13:53:00-05:00

Belmont Partners, an investment firm run by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, has bought 25,000 acres in Arizona to create a planned community reports KPNX. The large plot of land was bought for $80 million and is 45 minutes from Phoenix, within Maricopa County, in an area called the West Valley.

Plans for the new city, which will be appropriately named Belmont, include 80,000 residential units, 3,800 acres for office, commercial and retail space and 470 acres for public schools. According to a press release put out by the firm, they plan to build "a forward-thinking community with a communication and infrastructure spine that embraces cutting-edge technology, designed around high-speed digital networks, data centers, new manufacturing technologies and distribution models, autonomous vehicles and autonomous logistics hubs."

A Spiralling Frank Lloyd Wright house in Phoenix has been donated to the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture

2017-06-12T12:21:00-04:00

Last week marked what would have been Frank Lloyd Wright’s 150th birthday. Celebrating the occasion, Zach Rawling and his family donated his Wright-designed home in Phoenix to a foundation under the auspices of the Arizona Community Foundation to benefit the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.

The house, designed for the architect’s son, was saved from demolition by Rawling and, with its distinctive spiraling ramp, is seen as a precursor to the Guggenheim Museum in New York, according to Aaron Betsky, dean of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.

The donation “will allow us to use that great legacy to be a living laboratory in which we will figure out how to use what Frank Lloyd Wright taught us about living in the desert Southwest, to make the life in this desert and in this community even better in the future,” said Betsky.

Rawling bought the property back in 2012 for $2.4M in order to save it from demolition. While he wanted to restore the building and turn it into ...

Maricopa County in Arizona, home to Phoenix, experienced the largest population growth in 2016

2017-03-24T17:44:00-04:00

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Maricopa County in Arizona had the highest annual population growth in 2016. Home to the city of Phoenix, the county gained 81,360 people, or 222 people per day. More than half were people who moved to the county from another area, while 25,428 were from natural increase (births over deaths). 10,188 people came from abroad.

Meanwhile, on the other side of things, Cook County, where Chicago is located, saw the largest decrease in population with a net loss of 21,324 people. Wayne County, home to Detroit, saw 7,696 people leave, while Baltimore had a decrease of 6,738 people.

Check out more demographic data here.

Studio Ma's "masterful texture" wins AIA Arizona's "Firm of the Year" Award

2017-03-16T13:21:00-04:00

Studio Ma may be small, but their work is mighty, at least according to the Arizona chapter of the AIA. The woman-owned firm, which has completed projects for Princeton University as well as a series of museums, public libraries and mixed-use housing developments, won the AIA's "Firm of the Year" award for the wide variety and complexity of their work, which the institute described as being "both smart and palpable, with a masterful use of texture."

This is yet another in a series of accolades for the firm, including being placed in the "Design Vanguard" by Architectural Record. “In our work, we strive to create building solutions that resonate with the surrounding context both large and small, in harmony with their greater environment,” said owner Christiana Moss. “This is essential to our client promise, to deliver innovative, sustainable and unique designs to forward-thinking institutions and individuals.” Congratulations, all!

Get Lectured: Taliesin, Spring '17

2017-01-23T14:05:00-05:00

Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Winter & Spring 2017

Archinect's Get Lectured is back in session for Winter and Spring 2017. Get Lectured is an ongoing series where we feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current term. Check back frequently to keep track of any upcoming lectures you don't want to miss. Mark those calendars!

Want to share your school's lecture series? Send us your school's lecture series poster and details to connect@archinect.com.

Have a look at which notable architects will be lecturing at the Taliesin: The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture for Spring '17. Unless noted, lectures begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Pavilion at Taliesin West: 12621 N. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ.

Jan 26
Craig Hodgetts and Ming Fung / Hodgetts + Fung

March 2
5:00 p.m.
Eric Owen Moss / Eric Owen Moss Architects

March 16
Francine Houben / Mecanoo

March 29
Tatiana Bilbao / Tatiana Bilbao Estudio

April 3
Michiel Riedijk / Neutelings Riedijk Arch...

Phoenix may become a lot more green

2016-08-02T13:31:00-04:00

According to the Los Angeles Times, the sunny city of Phoenix, Arizona might become a little cooler, as the city develops a plan to give 25% of the city a tree canopy by 2030. Currently, the city has about half as much shade.

The city plans to use a mix of steel 'trees', native plants like mesquite and palo brea, and non-natives that have proved tough enough to weather the grueling heat. Already known for its high temperatures, Phoenix is trying to prepare for even hotter temperatures as global warming heats the planet up.

The plan is intended to do more than just make for more pleasant strolls. "Aesthetically, it’s quite pleasing," notes forestry supervisor, Richard Atkins. "It can bring commerce to any business that had it out front because, you know, people are drawn to nice vegetation and shade."

For more news from the hot and dry American Southwest, check out these links:

To pour concrete in mid-summer Phoenix, wait until the moon comes out

2016-06-29T12:59:00-04:00

A team of construction workers is pouring concrete onto the frame of a structure that will eventually become a wastewater treatment plant. It's 1 a.m. on a clear night in the suburbs of Phoenix. The temperature is still in the high 80s. But that's way down from the area's recent record high temperatures, up to 118 degrees. [...] "We try to pour and place and finish concrete when it's below 90 degrees," says Daniel Ward, the construction company's project director.

David and Gladys Wright house pursues landmark status

2015-09-21T17:43:00-04:00

The organization seeking to turn the David and Gladys Wright House in Phoenix into an educational and cultural center filed for historic landmark protection last week, seeking official status for a 6.1-acre site before following through with plans to open it to the public. [...] The designation would provide preservationists with a nice ending to the long saga of this spiral residence, which at one point in 2012 was slated for demolition.

Archinect - News

Sasaki will design new comprehensive master plan for Taliesin West​

Largest clean energy infrastructure project in U.S. history begins construction

Arizona's state water supply loophole is causing a gold rush for multifamily construction

James Turrell's Roden Crater is hiring a construction manager for the iconic artwork

Arizona to limit construction in the Phoenix area as groundwater supply shrinks

Five campus projects by sustainability champions Studio Ma: Your Next Employer?

Featured architecture projects from female-led firms based in the American West

New featured job opportunities for architects & designers in Phoenix

Frank Lloyd Wright’s final residential design lists for $9 million in Arizona

Texas continues with plans to use shipping containers as 'makeshift' border wall

12 featured architecture & design jobs in Phoenix

This recently sold home in Arizona beats the desert heat by being entirely underground

Studio Ma completes work on Arizona townhome complex guided by "bioclimatic design"

Leaders of the School of Architecture at Taliesin and Cosanti share their vision for the future of “organic architecture”

Border wall planning unfazed by coronavirus threat

Frank Lloyd Wright's Norman Lykes House, his last residential design, finally sells for $1.7m

Charles Schiffner’s House of the Future predicted Smart Home technology more than 40 years ago

The University of Arizona's School of Architecture hosts the 2019 Architecture Film Festival Tucson

Are you a senior level architect looking for a fresh start? Begin the new year with these 9 senior architect job opportunities

Searching for some sun? Check out these architecture job opportunities in warmer climates

Water woes are creeping up on Phoenix, America's fifth-largest city

AIA components in border states with Mexico mobilize opposition to the Border Wall

Bill Gates buys 25,000 acres in Arizona to build a smart city

A Spiralling Frank Lloyd Wright house in Phoenix has been donated to the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture

Maricopa County in Arizona, home to Phoenix, experienced the largest population growth in 2016

Studio Ma's "masterful texture" wins AIA Arizona's "Firm of the Year" Award

Get Lectured: Taliesin, Spring '17

Phoenix may become a lot more green

To pour concrete in mid-summer Phoenix, wait until the moon comes out

David and Gladys Wright house pursues landmark status

Sasaki will design new comprehensive master plan for Taliesin West