Archinect - News

Cemex, Turner, Microsoft and others sign on to White House pledge to use clean construction materials

2024-10-21T12:32:00-04:00

The White House recently announced an update in its efforts to bolster clean construction in the United States. The update lists various public and private entities that have now committed to its three-year-old Federal Buy Clean Initiative. Some companies mentioned in the press release as signing on include Cemex, the Turner Construction Company, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft. The City of Los Angeles, New York State, Washington State, and Michigan are among the five new participants in the Federal-State Buy Clean Partnership.

New York City is also expected to begin requiring environmental product declarations for concrete and steel products, according to the website POLITICO E&E News. The White House says to date, the federal government has deployed some $4.5 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act to support the Initiative.

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...

White House releases recommendations to modernize federal environmental reviews

2024-07-22T20:18:00-04:00

The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has shared its updated recommendations for modernizing the process of environmental reviews using new digital technologies. The 78-page report issued last week includes recommended steps and other guidances to complement projects pursued through the $1 billion Inflation Reduction Act and a slate of comprehensive federal permitting reforms that have occurred under the Biden Administration.

Recommended steps include:

Creating a data standard and taxonomy for NEPA [National Environmental Policy Act];
Developing a common architecture for interoperable agency systems;
Supporting agency adoption of shared NEPA tools through iterative development of new and existing software applications; and
Automating the exchange of data among agency systems to provide a unified experience.

Brenda Mallory, Chair of the CEQ, commented: "This report outlines how agencies can create better, more efficient digital tools so we can better allocate federal ...

Iconic American interior designer, businesswoman, and fashion icon Iris Apfel dies at 102

2024-03-06T11:18:00-05:00

Iris Apfel, an iconoclast interior designer who drew praise for her style and fashion collection, passed away last week at the age of 102. The New York Times is reporting on her influence in the design world this week following her death on March 1st.

Through the work of her label Old World Weavers, the Queens native became a commercial success designing the White House's interiors and remained an influence in that realm for many subsequent generations. Apfel picked up her famous eye from her father, who designed and installed mirrors during New York City’s first skyscraper boom. Throughout her lucky turn at celebrity, she remained a vocal advocate for quality. She also taught a textile design course at the University of Texas at Austin in 2011.

“There’s very little creativity left. Everybody copies everybody else,” she said to AnOther magazine in 2018. “I don’t know whether everybody wants the same or the designers give it to them – I have no idea, I’ve been out of it for too long ...

White House announces initiatives to boost manufactured housing

2024-03-01T11:03:00-05:00

The White House has announced a series of moves to increase the production of manufactured housing in the United States. The initiatives are intended to both preserve and rehabilitate existing manufactured home communities and ease barriers to the construction of new units.

The moves include a $225 million funding opportunity for existing communities, overseen by HUD. The Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE) will support the preservation and revitalization of manufactured housing communities, including the replacement of dilapidated homes, assistance for repairs and upgrades, and improvement of infrastructure such as stormwater systems.

In response to the growing trend of corporate investors buying manufactured housing at the expense of longtime residents, the White House has also announced the ongoing creation of a Mortgagee Letter that, once finalized, will...

U.S. General Services Administration will spend $2 billion on low embodied carbon construction projects nationwide

2023-11-10T16:26:00-05:00

The Biden Administration has announced a new investment of $2 billion into 150 different federal building projects meant to minimize carbon emissions in 39 states.

The funding will be dispersed through the U.S. General Services Administration and used to purchase low embodied carbon materials in furtherance recommendations produced by the previously-established Buy Clean task force agenda. It is sourced from the Inflation Reduction Act and supports the reduction of 41,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions while creating over 6,000 jobs annually, according to a press release.

"The U.S. government has a huge share of the market -particularly of concrete and asphalt- and that I think helps drive the industry towards meeting an ever-increasing level of innovation when it comes to decarbonizing," White House Senior Advisor for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation John Podesta told Reuters.

According to the GSA on November 6, the breakdown of procurements is: $384 million f...

Biden announces $90 million commitment to upgrade building codes nationwide

2023-07-24T14:36:00-04:00

The Biden Administration has recently announced a new $90 million commitment in the form of competitive awards meant to help states and cities in their myriad attempts at mustering updated building codes into the country's patchwork response to climate change.

The funds are being taken from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and supports 27 projects that are all aimed at increasing the energy efficiency, resiliency, and overall performance of buildings in different parts of the country.

In a statement, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said: “Cutting emissions from buildings across America and ensuring they’re more energy efficient are critical components of President Biden’s plan to tackle the climate crisis and create cleaner and healthier communities. With unprecedented support from the President’s Investing in America agenda, the Department is providing new funding to help cities and states modernize their building codes — lowering energy costs for American famil...

White House seeks public help on AI risks to labor conditions

2023-05-16T11:48:00-04:00

The White House has announced that it is seeking the public’s help in understanding the risks posed by artificial intelligence to labor conditions. The public request for information (RFI), led by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, is centered on how AI tools are “used by employers to surveil, monitor, evaluate, and manage workers.”

“Employers are increasingly investing in technologies that monitor and track workers, and making workplace decisions based on that information,” the White House said in a statement announcing the RFI. “While these technologies can benefit both workers and employers in some cases, they can also create serious risks to workers.”

Among labor concerns cited by the White House were nurses being required to wear RFID badges to track their location and proximity to other hospital workers or patients, rideshare and delivery drivers having their speed, location, and acceleration monitored, office workers having software on their computers re...

White House announces All In initiative on homelessness nationwide

2022-12-23T15:15:00-05:00

In an effort to combat the crisis of homelessness nationwide, the Biden-Harris Administration has announced its new All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and Homelessness aimed at the "bold but achievable goal" of reducing the country’s unhoused population by 25% by the year 2025.

The plan expands on a slate of "proven" evidence-based strategies (including, most especially, the so-called "Housing First" model) and will allow states to set their own goals within the timeframe and use the White House’s blueprint as a guideline.

"My plan offers a roadmap for not only getting people into housing but also ensuring that they have access to the support, services, and income that allow them to thrive," President Biden said at the announcement. "It is a plan that is grounded in the best evidence and aims to improve equity and strengthen collaboration at all levels."

According to the White House and the D...

AIA welcomes introduction of first-ever Federal Building Performance Standard

2022-12-12T10:59:00-05:00

The American Institute of Architects has welcomed a move by the Biden Administration to introduce the first-ever Federal Building Performance Standard. Under the plans, buildings owned by the Federal government will cut energy use and electrify equipment across 30% of their building space by 2030. The plan is part of a broader mission to achieve net-zero emissions in all Federal buildings by 2045.

To implement the standards announced by the White House last week, Federal agencies will invest in heat pumps, electric water heaters, and other building system technology with an emphasis on American-made products.

“Upgrading the Federal building portfolio to meet the new standard will reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels from volatile parts of the world and cut millions of tons of GHG emissions,” the White House said in a statement. “To further reduce costs and maximize efficiencies, agencies will apply electrification strategies in conjunction with deep energy retrofits, energy use ...

Federal Buy Clean task force issues first recommendations for low-carbon construction materials

2022-09-21T12:29:00-04:00

The Biden Administration has unveiled the first set of recommendations under its Federal Buy Clean Initiative, an undertaking that aims to drive the development of American-made, low-carbon construction materials, while also supporting job growth.

During a visit to the Cleveland-Cliffs Direct Reduction steel plant in Toledo, Ohio, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, U.S. General Services Administration Administrator Robin Carnahan, and Deputy National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi announced that the federal government will prioritize the purchase of green construction materials, which will encompass 98% of materials purchased by the government.

The Federal Buy Clean Initiative is a part of President Biden’s economic plan, which includes the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Law, the $485 billion Inflation Reduction Act, and the $52 billion CHIPS and Science Act. As detailed by the White House, the federal government is the largest direct purchaser of construction materials in the world...

White House seeks to promote sustainable construction materials with new task force

2022-02-21T10:53:00-05:00

The White House has announced the establishment of a task force to enhance the sustainability credentials of federally-funded buildings. The Buy Clean Task Force will promote the use of construction materials with lower embodied carbon emissions and pollutants across their lifecycle, including at each stage of their manufacturing process.

The task force will develop recommendations on certain material types to prioritize in federally funded projects, as well as increase the transparency of embodied emissions through supplier reporting. This will include incentives and support to domestic material manufacturers seeking to report and reduce embodied emissions.

The task force is comprised of representatives from the Council on Environmental Quality, the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the White house...

Donald Trump wants to renovate the West Wing

2020-07-30T20:24:00-04:00

President Donald Trump is pushing for congressional funding that would allow the General Services Administration (GSA) to undertake a long-delayed renovation and modernization plan for the White House West Wing.

Included in a recent legislative framework floated by Republican senators aimed at addressing the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 crisis is a request from the presidential administration for $377 million in funding for the project, AP News reports. The renovation, according to the report, has been in the works since at least the Obama administration and would represent the first modernization effort for the executive wing of the White House since 1933.

President Donald Trump in the Oval office. Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian.

The West Wing administrative suite was built as an extension to the existing White House complex in 1904 by Charles McKim of McKim, Mead & White during the administration of Theodore Roosevelt. Over the years, major additions and reno...

Melania Trump to renovate White House Rose Garden

2020-07-27T10:54:00-04:00

First Lady Melania Trump has announced plans to spruce up the grounds of the White House Rose Garden.

According to a report from The New York Times, the project will bring electrical upgrades, a new walkway, and new flowers and shrubs to the garden, which is situated between the West Wing and White House residential areas.

Previously on Archinect: Melania Trump is building a classically inspired tennis pavilion on the White House lawn. Image courtesy of the National Capital Planning Commission.

The work is being led by Southampton, New York-based landscape architect Perry Guillot, a recipient of the 2009 Arthur Ross Award for Landscape Architecture from the Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America.

In remarks made by Trump covered by The New York Times, the First Lady stated that the renovations are an “act of expressing hope and optimism for the future,” adding, “Our country has seen difficult times before, but the White House and the Rose Garden have always stood...

White House wants to use empty commercial space for affordable housing

2020-07-02T12:23:00-04:00

President Donald Trump’s administration is looking at ways to convert a glut of commercial real estate resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing lockdowns, into affordable housing, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said Wednesday.

HUD Secretary Ben Carson gave remarks on the unlikeliness of things going back to how they were before the pandemic, citing the greater number of people that will work from home in the future. As a result of that new reality, Carson said, according to Bloomberg, "That's going to free up a lot of commercial space, which can be converted to affordable housing to take some of the pressure off."

The HUD Secretary encouraged city officials and local councils to begin pursuing projects in this area, stating that the federal government would provide support to help make moves in this direction occur.

Melania Trump is building a classically inspired tennis pavilion on the White House lawn

2020-03-05T20:42:00-05:00

First Lady Melania Trump has shared an update on the construction progress for a new 1,200-square-foot tennis pavilion that is currently taking shape on the South Lawn of the White House.

In a social media post published today, Trump writes, "I am excited to share the progress of the Tennis Pavillion at @WhiteHouse. Thank you to the talented team for their hard work and dedication."

Site Plan for the project. Image courtesy of the National Capital Planning Commission.

The pavilion, CNN reports, is being created by the First Lady to create a new recreation space for the First Family. In a follow-up statement published, Trump writes, "It is my hope that this private space will function as a place to gather and spend leisure time for First Families."

I am excited to share the progress of the Tennis Pavillion at @WhiteHouse. Thank you to the talented team for their hard work and dedication. pic.twitter.com/Wzown2ho26
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) March 5, 2020

According to a 2019 proposal sub...

How early architects leveraged the preservation of public buildings to assert their professional expertise

2020-01-29T17:45:00-05:00

Although there might sometimes appear to be a gulf between architects and preservationists, the two fields have a shared history and have often worked in tandem to the mutual benefit of one another. A case in point can be found during the second half of the 19th century, as both the historic preservation movement and the professionalization of architectural practice were both gaining ground nationally in the United States.

During this time, an ascendant professional architectural class—via the newly minted American Institute of Architects (AIA)—took up the cause of historic preservation in an effort to more fully assert the professional capacities of its members while helping to simultaneously preserve and expand a series of iconic buildings in the nation's capital, including the White House.

View of the White House as it looked after it was burned by invading British troops during the War of 1812. Image courtesy of The White House Historical Association.

White House History

This ...

The Competition to Build the President's House, Judged by George Washington

2019-02-20T01:01:00-05:00

Washington oversaw construction of the house while serving his two terms as president in New York and Philadelphia. He insisted that the President’s House be built of stone and embellished with extensive stone ornamentation...Washington requested alterations to the original design, adding the distinctive rose and acorn carved stone embellishments and cutting the building’s height.

The gutted interior of the White House, May 1950Abbie Rowe - U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

Noel Grove, William B. Bushong and Joel D. Treese take us back to 1792, when James Hoban (born in Ireland) became the architect of the President's House. They also explore how the original design changed over the years, shaped first by feedback from the original client, later by Jefferson appointed architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe. More famous and comprehensive (if only for the B&W photos of a gutted interior) was of course the Truman Reconstruction.

A sinkhole has appeared on the White House lawn (and so have swamp jokes)

2018-05-23T14:15:00-04:00

A sinkhole has formed on the North Lawn of the White House, and predictably, the temptation was too great for many on social media, who filled the void with all the “drain the swamp” jokes and metaphors one could imagine. But forget the obvious political jabs and the fact that President Trump uses that phrase as a rallying cry about eliminating corruption in Washington: The saying has some geological merit.

"The White House sits at the intersection of a Quaternary colluvium (base of steep slope) deposit & a Pleistocene fluvial (river) & estuarine deposit," Jess Phoenix, a volcanologist, geologist, and currently a congressional candidate for the Democratic Party in California, commented on the natural occurrence that some have given prophetic meaning. "It’s built on poorly consolidated sediments, not bedrock. Sinkholes happen."

Gold and eagles, Trump's makeover of the White House

2017-08-24T14:40:00-04:00

A real dump,” is how Donald Trump is said to have described the White House he inherited from the Obama administration. For a man used to inhabiting a penthouse fantasy land of golden columns, heaving chandeliers and cherubs tumbling from the ceilings, the decor at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue must have seemed a bit drab. So he took the opportunity of his summer vacation to call in the decorators for a $3.4m (£2.6m) overhaul, the results of which have been unveiled this week.

Perhaps because the president and his family don’t spend much time living in the White House, the interior changes, at least so far, have been few. Nevertheless, Trumps' recent redecorations include noticeable features like a change in wallpaper— from Obama's yellow candy-stripe to, handpicked by Trump, creamy grey damask affair, and gold drapes with gold-hued upholstery. In "bringing back the lustre and the glory” to the place, replacement of the plain Obama-era carpet was also initiated— the 6,000 meters of the new carpet feature “a floral medallion inspired by the White House architecture and the Rose Garden”.

As Oliver Wainwright writes, "The outside of the White House has been spruced up and stripped back too, given the same liberal dousing of bleach as the interior." In place of the timeworn stone steps of the South Portico staircase, are now brand new treads, "giving them the look of one of the many Chinese McMansions modeled on the White House, rather than the real thing its...

Northeastern professor discusses the architectural history of the White House

2017-08-09T15:13:00-04:00

While some presidents have had their personal opinions about the White House, it remains, nonetheless, a central piece of America’s identity. And it remains, in the most literal sense of the word, for three major reasons, said David Fannon, assistant professor of architecture and civil and environmental engineering at Northeastern.

While President Trump is on vacation, the White House is undergoing a $3.4 million West Wing renovation. Just over two centuries old, the home of the President has gone through as many changes as it has residents, maybe even more. David Fannon, an assistant professor of architecture at Northeastern University, explains how the White House remains because:

It is built of durable materials
Continues to be used by people
Has major social significance

Watch David Adjaye and James Turrell discuss light, space, and architecture

2016-10-14T18:40:00-04:00

Last week, the White House held its very own arts and culture festival in D.C., South by South Lawn (SXSL). Organizers arranged a list of panel discussions and programs that brought together a diverse troupe of creatives for a "festival of ideas, art, and action.” SXSL kicked off with a conversation between illustrious light artist James Turrell and award-winning architect David Adjaye, which was streamed live on The Creators Project’s Facebook Page.

"Over the course of their chat, which was moderated by LACMA director Michael Govan, the two artists unpacked their general philosophies on art, light, space, and culture, and discussed some of the influences that have driven their processes and works."

Video via The Creators Project.

Looking into the White House's “much longer history” of slave labor

2016-07-28T15:17:00-04:00

I think it was a wonderful moment in American history. I thought what Michelle Obama was attempting to do was to draw that link to show that it isn't just what's going on in the White House now and isn't it great that there's a black family there, but there's a much longer history that needs to be appreciated... [It was] just grueling, grueling kind of work. And nobody was really willing ... to do it. So slave labor played a massive role in getting this city built.

During her speech at the DNC on Monday, First Lady Michelle Obama alluded to the White House's history of slave labor during the 1790s. NPR interviews Clarence Lusane, chairperson of Howard University's political science department and author of “The Black History of the White House”, who gives his two cents on the historically significant topic.

The Secret Service wants to build a fake White House

2015-03-18T18:19:00-04:00

In testimony before the House Appropriations Committee, Joseph P. Clancy, the director of the Secret Service, on Tuesday urged lawmakers to give him money to build a detailed replica of the White House to aid in training officers and agents to protect the real thing. Beltsville, about 20 miles from the real White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, is the location of a 500-acre Secret Service training site in the verdant terrain of southern Maryland.

File this one under duplitecture (noun: an intentional, functioning copy of a pre-existing, and often familiar, piece of architecture).

After garnering criticism following a series of – erm – security lapses (here's a timeline), the Secret Service has requested $8 million to construct a duplicate White House in order to train their agents to better protect the real one (and its rather important occupants). According to Mr. Clancy, “It’s important to have a true replica of what the White House is so we can do a better job of this integrated training between our uniform division officers, our agents and our tactical teams."

No word on if the fake White House will offer DUI classes...

Incidentally, this isn't the first duplitecture White House. In their Fake for Real series, NextNature posted about a replica version of the famous residence built by the Chinese entrepreneur Huang Qiaoling. Apparently, he wanted to be able meet business associates in the "Oval Office."

...

New whitehouse.gov petition urges to utilize open architectural competitions for the design of Federal buildings

2014-02-26T13:13:00-05:00

43 signatures down, only 99,957 more to go — Archinect senior contributor John Jourden brought to our attention a new online petition at whitehouse.gov, which urges the administration to award the design of new Federal building projects utilizing open architectural competitions.

The initiative has now until March 26 to reach its goal of 100,000 signatures to be considered for an earnest review.

Here's the petition text in full:

"The United States offers the best architectural education available in the world but has not engaged its young designer base in creating the vision for the future of America's built environment. American architecture programs as a leader in design education, technological innovation, and sustainability attracts students from all over the world yet the United States does not invite any input from its young designer base as is commonly done in many European countries. Young American designers truly represent an untapped resource for a new vision of the United Sta...

What the White House Looks Like Completely Gutted

2013-02-27T03:12:00-05:00

Harry S Truman inherited a White House that was in horrendous shape. After the British nearly burnt it to the ground in 1814, the construction of 20th-century innovations—indoor plumbing, electricity, and heating ducts—had also taken its toll on the structure. The building was nearly 150 years old, and it showed its age. In November 1948, the building was in a near-condemnable state... So it had to be gutted. Completely.

A winning, post-9/11 design for President's Park South

2011-07-20T12:02:33-04:00

The winning design, by the New York architecture firm Rogers Marvel, aided by the landscape architects Quennell Rothschild & Partners, is a nimble combination of boldness and restraint. It was clearly the strongest and among the least traditional in the competition, which also featured teams led by landscape architects Van Valkenburgh and Walter Hood.

Related: Rogers Marvel is currently hiring.