Archinect - News

Here's your chance to haunt the Beetlejuice house

2024-10-24T10:44:00-04:00

The latest addition to Airbnb’s icon series is now offering guests the unique chance to sleep in a replica of the Maitland home from Tim Burton's recent update to the 1988 classic Beetlejuice. The fictional future stay isn’t too far away from the real-life literary haunt of West Cornwall, Connecticut, that was imitated for the movies (though fans will know they were both filmed in Vermont). Delia Deetz is listed as its host.

She says: "Although shrouded in black to mourn Charles’ passing, the interior is unparalleled, curated by none other than yours truly, rescued from the pedestrian eye of its previous owners. And, in return for your undying support, I will teach you to Create with a capital C in the first-ever art class from beyond the grave." (Please note: their rules require a six-guest maximum)

Image courtesy Airbnb

Centre Pompidou revamps plans for Jersey City satellite

2024-10-01T18:53:00-04:00

The split between the Centre Pompidou and State of New Jersey may soon be repaired after a new satellite venue was announced for Jersey City following the original plan’s mid-summer cancellation. The museum will be realized at 100,000 square feet. Jersey City's Mayor Steven Fulop says it will be a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Courtesy of Jersey City

ARTnews reports: "Crucially, the new plan does not include support from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, which previously said that the Centre Pompidou’s Jersey City outpost was 'no longer viable', leading the project to be indefinitely postponed. Instead, a tax abatement will help make the project possible."

The abatement covers 30 years. Some critics had derided the original OMA-designed project as a tool of gentrification since it was first announced in 2021.

SOM, Weiss/Manfredi, and Future Green's $336 million NJPAC redevelopment breaks ground in Newark

2024-09-20T11:05:00-04:00

Skidmore, Owings & Merril (SOM) have broken ground on a new $336 million campus redevelopment at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in downtown Newark. The state’s largest city will receive a new 350-unit SOM-designed ArtSide apartment complex through the plan. Other key elements include new headquarters for legendary WBGO radio, Future Green Studio’s reimagined Chambers Plaza park area, and the 58,000-square-foot Cooperman Family Arts Education and Community Center from Weiss/Manfredi.

ArtSide. Image: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, courtesy of NJPAC.

SOM had created the NJPAC’s original master plan in 1988. Newark’s Mayor Ras Baraka commented: "The streets of Newark have always been steeped in the arts. This is a city where jazz and hip hop are in the breeze, and every wall without a mural is just a canvas no one’s yet claimed. The new neighborhood around NJPAC will fully embrace that dynamic spirit, bringing more housing, stores and gathering places to our already lively do...

New Jersey defunds OMA's planned Centre Pompidou x Jersey City project over high costs

2024-07-31T12:18:00-04:00

The unlikely pairing of the Centre Pompidou and the state of New Jersey that would have seen OMA remake the historic Pathside Building in Jersey City into its first American satellite appears to be over after officials determined the project to be "no longer viable" financially.

"Due to the ongoing impact of COVID and multiple global conflicts on the supply chain, rising costs, an irreconcilable operating gap, and the corresponding financial burdens it will create for New Jersey’s taxpayers, the Legislature has rescinded financial support, leaving us to determine that this project is unfortunately no longer feasible," the letter from NJ Economic Development Authority chief Tim Sullivan to Centre Pompidou president Laurent Le Bon reads. Artnet has more on the unfolding funding debacle, which centers around a question about the satellite's operational costs.

The Centre Pompidou in Paris is currently undergoing a $280.5 million overhaul led by Moreau Kusunoki with associate designer F...

Architectural historian Gabrielle Esperdy named as next dean of NJIT's Hillier College of Architecture and Design

2024-06-27T17:18:00-04:00

New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) has named architectural historian Gabrielle Esperdy to lead its Hillier College of Architecture and Design as the new dean following a national search. Esperdy, who had already been serving in an interim capacity since 2022, will take office effective July 1st and lead the college's strategic plan in unison with NJIT stated goals to become a new "nexus of innovation" just a few miles away from New York City.

"Sometimes a search affirms what you already have, in this case, a thoughtful and passionate leader who connects well with students, faculty, administrators and staff members alike," NJIT's President Teik C. Lim said of her retention. "Also, we gain continuity and someone who already understands Hillier and its long-term priorities. This is a win-win."

"The dean should promote the incredible work that our faculty and students ...

COOKFOX to design Bruce Springsteen archive at Monmouth University

2023-10-19T15:47:00-04:00

COOKFOX has announced plans for a new musical archive and education center dedicated to preserving Bruce Springsteen’s legacy on the campus of Monmouth University in New Jersey.

The new Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music (BSACAM) will be realized as a 29,000-square-foot repository of The Boss’s five-decade catalog and includes a space for a 230-seat theater, exhibition galleries, and study center dedicated as a showcase of musical traditions in the country he has so influenced through song.

The project is said to be located not far from where Springsteen penned the lyrics to his breakthrough 1974 album, Born to Run.

Image courtesy COOKFOX/Monmouth University

An homage to Springsteen’s post-industrial ethos is represented by the architect’s material choices for the building, which is comprised of weathering steel, concrete, and timber elements. Visitors will enter the rectangular two-story single volume through a central access path built to resemble the iconic J...

New Jersey sues to block NYC congestion pricing plan

2023-07-25T11:35:00-04:00

New Jersey took a significant step Friday as it seeks to block New York’s congestion pricing plan with a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Gov. Phil Murphy, standing behind a podium that read “FIGHTING AN UNFAIR CONGESTION TAX,” said at a morning press conference that he hopes the lawsuit triggers an environmental impact statement delaying the program.

New York City's new congestion pricing plan was finally approved on a federal level last month following years of debate that began under then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy told CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday that he wants to prevent pollution from the anticipated backlog of commuters, who are also out of alternatives still years ahead of the $11 billion Gateway Tunnel’s expected completion. The MTA is contesting his ability to challenge the congestion pricing plan in the first place.

Previously on Archinect: New York City's congestion pricing program receives federal approval

The friction between the city and its outlying communities, amplified by the pandemic, has taken a role in the discussions over office downturn, public transit, crime, and other issues. Several reports this week indicated Staten Island will also join New Jersey in suing the Department of Transportation. The MTA's capital projects and depleted ridership are the primary beneficiary of t...

Port Authority of NY & NJ reaches milestone with new low-carbon concrete standards

2023-06-29T14:09:00-04:00

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced earlier this month that it has reached a major milestone in one of the most ambitious low-carbon concrete programs of its kind among U.S. transportation agencies.

Originally introduced in September 2020, the Clean Construction Program aims to reduce embodied carbon, promote the circular economy, and reduce air pollution from construction across all of the Authority’s projects through a range of initiatives. They include the incorporation of LEED and Envision-equivalent standards, utilizing low-carbon concrete, collecting environmental data from contractors, facilitating pilot projects, waste matching for concrete, asphalt, and soil, and requiring low-emissions vehicles on site.

The agency took a major step forward by significantly strengthening its requirements to use sustainable concrete mixes in all future construction projects as part of its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Related on Archinect: UN Secr...

New York City's congestion pricing program receives federal approval

2023-06-27T13:58:00-04:00

Congestion pricing in New York City has cleared its final federal hurdle, officials said on Monday, all but ensuring that the first such program in the nation will begin next year with the aim of reducing traffic and pollution in Manhattan and funding improvements to mass transit.

Following the Federal Highway Administration’s approval of the program, a local panel appointed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will now work to determine final toll rates, including any discounts or exemptions.

A report released by the MTA last August revealed one proposal that would charge $23 for a trip during rush hour into Midtown Manhattan and $17 during off-peak hours. Initially approved by the New York State legislature in 2019, the program is expected to generate $1 billion per year for the MTA. This revenue will be directed toward improving New York City’s public transit network. The Authority says the program could potentially start in spring 2024.

Previously on Archinect: Congestion pricing in New York City set to become a reality by the end of 2023

As reported by The New York Times, opponents of the plan include the likes of taxi drivers and ride-share companies who believe the new tolls will cut demand for their services. In addition, some New Jersey...

Robert Geddes, former Princeton Architecture Dean and Philadelphia Roundhouse designer, passes away aged 99

2023-02-14T12:47:00-05:00

Former Princeton University School of Architecture Dean Robert Geddes has passed away at 99.

Born in Philadelphia in 1923, Geddes served in the United States Army Air Force during World War II before finishing his studies at Yale and then earning an M.Arch from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. From there, Geddes went on to practice briefly under Hugh Stubbins in Cambridge, designing what would be the runner-up in the Sydney Opera House competition before returning to Philadelphia to form Geddes Qualls Brecher Cunningham Architects (or GQCA) in 1960.

Their most significant building, the 125,000-square-foot Brutalist Philadelphia Police Headquarters has turned into one of the city’s most fraught and essentially iconic landmarks. After initially being intended as a progressive example of then-Mayor Richardson Dilworth’s “de-politicized” police force, the structure would later take on a more sinister connotation as a symbol of violent authoritarianism and abuse thanks to (un-autho...

Arup and SOM selected to lead modernization and expansion of Newark Liberty Airport

2022-10-25T17:17:00-04:00

Arup has been selected for a multibillion-dollar expansion project for Newark Liberty International Airport following an announcement from the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey on Monday. SOM will also provide its expertise on the project.

The two will oversee the development of the Port Authority’s Vision Plan, which aims to “future-proof” the over 2,000-acre airport via a comprehensive framework that will take shape through the year 2065.

According to a press release, “the plan will accommodate future growth and demand, improve the travel experience, and identify opportunities for enhancing the sustainability and resiliency of the facility.”

Newark’s airport is one of the oldest in the United States and currently faces an 81.6% increase in travelers as it looks to upgrade its facilities with three ongoing projects that total $5.3 billion — including the delayed 33-gate new Terminal A from Grimshaw and $2 billion AirTrain upgrade, which has been called “critical component of ...

Take a look inside HWKN’s new 351 Marin tower in New Jersey

2022-08-10T18:36:00-04:00

HWKN has shared photos of its latest addition to the skyline of Jersey City, New Jersey, called 351 Marin. The building, designed in partnership with executive architect HLW, topped out last fall and has recently achieved full tenancy, something developers KRE Group shares is a bellwether for increased demands for an “elevated lifestyle experience” in the city’s luxury real estate market post-Covid.

Image: Here and Now Agency

Located in the burgeoning Powerhouse Arts District and featuring an angled base with a reinforced concrete superstructure, the 38-story residential tower begins as an anchor to a disused plot of land by extending its lobby into the 4,500-square-foot plaza area now redefined as a “sociable space” by its designers.

Image: Here and Now Agency

This creates a geometrically-dynamic public area that features a cafe, stepped concrete seating, and vertical sightlines framed by the darkness of the protruding rhombus-shap...

Ten featured architecture jobs in New Jersey

2022-07-21T13:23:00-04:00

It's the third quarter of 2022, and architecture firms continue to seek skilled design professionals to join their teams. Continuing with our spotlight on employment opportunities in cities and regions across the nation, we focus on nine New Jersey-based firms looking to hire architects and project managers.

As the industry's leading architecture job board, Archinect Jobs provides architects and design professionals from various backgrounds and experience levels with the best career matches. Explore ten featured employment opportunities below.

Ocean Township Public Schools Athletic Center Addition. Image courtesy of Solutions Architecture Corp.

Solutions Architecture Corp seeks an Architectural Project Manager and Mid-Level Project Architect Position
Location: Verona, NJ

Architectural Project Manager Details: "At the Project Manager position, we’re looking for a utility player capable of wearing many hats." Examples of responsibilities include: "Coordinate surveying of sites and bui...

Arup will lead Penn Station’s new $73 million expansion project

2022-06-30T09:00:00-04:00

Arup has been placed in the lead for MTA/NJ Transit and Amtrak’s planned redevelopment and expansion of Penn Station in New York City. The tender was announced recently by the rail service and is part of a larger Gateway Program aimed at improving a critical infrastructure clog situated in a ten-mile stretch along Amtrak’s overworked Northeast Corridor.

The multinational engineering concern is now tasked with designing the first new tracks, platforms, and concourses at the 117-year-old station in over a century. The project will relieve an ugly bottleneck at the western end of Penn Station, doubling its capacity in a process that also generates a much-improved customer experience for commuters to the country’s busiest transportation hub.

Previously on Archinect: Gov. Cuomo's renovation plan for NYC’S Penn Station takes shape

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker said: “This announcement represents significant progress in the much-needed expansion of Penn Station and the modernization of our...

Mayhem in New York City and across the Northeast as Ida causes major infrastructure damage

2021-09-02T12:41:00-04:00

The transit situation on Thursday in New York City remained paralyzed, with service on more than half of the city’s subway lines disrupted, commuter rail lines running limited trains, and Amtrak canceling service on a major corridor.

Wednesday night’s flooding caused New York City to issue a travel ban usually reserved for major winter storm events. The storm also inundated large sections of major highways in Philadelphia and impacted operations at Newark Liberty International Airport.

The New York subway hasn’t seen a test of this magnitude since Hurricane Sandy caused $4.5 billion in damages that were meted out on the system for years.

Watch: The New York area was under a state of emergency on Thursday after the remnants of Hurricane Ida led to at least 14 deaths and disrupted subway service. Across the city, New Yorkers documented the scene as flood waters overwhelmed buses and subways. https://t.co/spVsdgF0XX pic.twitter.com/r2vg2aDRVg
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 2, 2021

A lot of the upgrades the MTA made after Sandy involved improving signal switches and flood-proofing the subway’s electrical grid.

The LIRR, NJ Transit, and Metro-North systems have all temporarily shut down. I-95 was also af...

This New Jersey architect is bringing divine inspiration to homes in the COVID-era

2021-08-11T18:43:00-04:00

Before the pandemic, Rachel Grochowski was busy designing yoga studios, movie theaters, upscale bistros and other kinds of crowded gathering spaces tailored to the lifestyle and wellness needs of communities that we all took blissfully for granted in a world without COVID.

Flash forward to the present, and our toned down but still chaotic, pandemic-induced stasis, where the architect is adapting to the growing demand for revitalized interior sanctums with her Montclair, New Jersey-based firm.

As the founder and principal of RHG Architecture+Design, the UW-Milwaukee graduate has been hard at work applying her knowledge of chapels and other religious spaces into remodels of area homes in need of some serious spiritually sprucing up.

Sustainable Home in Montclair, NJ by RHG Architecture+Design

“Design is spiritual. It just depends on how you see it,” Grochowski told Forbes’ Valentina Di Donata.

The spaces are a change of pace for the 18-year-old firm, which had focused on commercial an...

OMA Releases Images for the New Pompidou x Jersey City

2021-06-07T13:41:00-04:00

The Pompidou Centre is opening a new venue in New Jersey. Known for its high-tech Paris building with an eye-catching exoskeleton, exterior pipes, and externalized stairs, the museum is planning a new location to be housed in a renovated brick building. Just across the Hudson River from Manhattan, the new site is in the Journal Square neighborhood of Jersey City.

While the Pompidou already has multiple locations in cities across Europe—and as far away as Shanghai—this will be the center’s first American venture, one which it has apparently been planning for years.

OMA released a rendering, which was published in the New York Times on Friday, June 5. According to a Jersey City Redevelopment Agency and OMA/AMO request for proposal, the 58,000-square-foot, historic Pathside Building is one of the city’s “most distinguished.” Constructed in 1912 to service public trolleys, it was later refurbished to house a community college. The city purchased it in 2018.

The Times reports that the r...

A pavilion of facemasks and soda cans opens in Philadelphia, designed by SLO Architecture

2021-05-11T11:29:00-04:00

An installation by SLO Architecture has been unveiled in Camden, New Jersey, which repurposes 3600 facemasks into a dynamic façade and pavilion. “Turntable” will sit as a 6-month-long installation in Coopers Poynt Waterfront Park, facing the Delaware River and downtown Philadelphia, infusing reflections on history, waste, and public space in a post-pandemic world.

Image: SLO Architecture

The installation occupies a site which, during the 18th century, served as a critical infrastructure node for land and water-based transport along the Delaware River and the now-buried Windmill Island. From the 1980s until 2010, the site also served as a prison, thus separating the public from the waterfront. The design team’s vision was for an installation which invited activity back to the site, while also reflecting on the thematic history of unearthing, rediscovering, and reconsidering.

Image: SLO Architecture

SLO Architecture’s design features a dome made from thousands of the familiar blue f...

Third-biggest mall in North America makes its New Jersey debut

2019-10-28T13:30:00-04:00

Visitors finally took their first steps inside the American Dream mall on Friday. The mall, located by MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, was once called “the ugliest damn building in New Jersey and maybe America,” by former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Construction has been on and off for several years, after hitting several road blocks in everything from funding to lawsuits from the NFL.

The American Dream complex is located at the Meadowlands in Bergen County, New Jersey. The mall is designed by GH+A Design and Adamson Associates Architects and will ultimately dedicate 55-percent of its floor area to entertainment uses and 45-percent to retail.

Eventually, the mall will contain a LEGOLAND theme park, a water park, an aquarium, a massive observation wheel, and a kosher food hall, among many other components.

Photo of the American Dream mall. Image courtesy of Wikimedia user Brad Miller.

The 3 million-square-foot complex is set to become the third largest mall in North America, falling behind the Jon Jerde-designed Mall of America, the largest mall in the United States, and the West Edmonton Mall in Canada, the largest on the continent, designed by Canadian architect Maurice Sunderland.

70-story residential tower headed to Jersey City

2019-10-11T13:00:00-04:00

Renderings have been unveiled for Avalon Tower, a proposed 70-story residential skyscraper slated for Jersey City. The 722-foot tower will contain 950 residences, including 505 studio apartments, 265 one-bedroom units, 160 two-bedroom units, and 20 three-bedroom units.

The tower complex is designed by Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel Architects, New York YIMBY reports. Sculpted as an L-shaped tower, the design for the skyscraper features a lower section that rises 575-feet high. This portion of the tower is topped with an outdoor terrace and swimming pool. The entire complex will sit beside a new six-story parking structure containing 382 parking stalls and 17,192 square feet of retail spaces. A pair of mid-rise residential towers currently occupying an adjacent site owned by the same developer, Tower Cove Jersey City Urban Renewal, will remain.

The towers feature gridded glass, steel, and aluminum facades.

The tower is set to become one of the tallest skyscrapers in Jersey City, falli...

Tallest skyscraper in New Jersey nears completion

2019-08-30T15:30:00-04:00

99 Hudson Street, a 900-foot tower residential tower designed by architects Perkins Eastman for developers China Overseas America in Jersey City, New Jersey, is nearing completion.

The tower topped out as New Jersey's tallest skyscraper in late 2018. In recent weeks, according to New York YIMBY, Plaza Construction, the builders for the project, and Vidaris, exterior envelope consultants, have made extensive progress installing the tower's glass and Jura limestone facades.

Rendering of 99 Hudson Street and the surrounding towers. Image courtesy of Perkins Eastman.

The 79-story tower's facades are marked by alternating vertical bands of stone and glass panels, while the extruded tower's sheer exposures culminate in a stepped glass and stone crown.

The hexagonal tower is set to include 781-apartments and 16,000 square feet of commercial spaces. The tower-and-podium-style complex is marked by a series of plazas and an eight-story base containing 609 parking stalls. According to a pro...

New Jersey's long-delayed American Dream mega-mall set to open

2019-08-22T19:45:00-04:00

The megamall, built by Canadian developer Triple Five, will include a Nickelodeon Universe theme park, DreamWorks water park, professional-size skating rink, indoor ski slopes and, of course, shopping. Participating retailers include Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany & Co., H&M , Zara and Uniqlo. Some stores won’t be open until next year. The mall is expected to bring 17,000 jobs in total to the area, an American Dream spokesman said.

The project was first proposed in 2003, fittingly, under the name "Xanadu," according to The Wall Street Journal.

According to an American Dream spokesperson, the mall is expected to bring 17,000 jobs to New Jersey's Meadowlands area.

Dr. Branko Kolarevic appointed as dean of NJIT's College of Architecture and Design

2019-03-07T14:29:00-05:00

The New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) has appointed Branko Kolarevic as their new dean of the College of Architecture and Design, effective July 1st, 2019.

Dr. Kolareivc, who is regarded as an expert on the use of digital technologies in design and production, received a Diploma Engineer of Architecture degree from the University of Belgrade and a Master of Design Studies and Doctor of Design from Harvard University.

He is one of the founding directors of the Laboratory for Integrative Design at the University of Calgary, where he held a Chair in Integrated Design from 2007 to 2016 as well as other positions such as associate dean and co-director of the Computational Design Media Program.

Kolareivic also brings additional academic experience having taught at the University of Pennsylvania (where he founded the Digital Design Research Lab in 2001), as well as the University of Hong Kong, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Northeastern, Harvard University and mo...

10 great architecture job opportunities in the Northeast, outside of NYC

2019-02-07T10:06:00-05:00

The past few weeks have been quite "stormy" for the Northeast, no pun intended. However, with tumultuous weather seeming to make its final round and the recent win of a certain sports team, the Northeast can focus on other news worthy topics like architectural job opportunities.

For this week's weekly job round up we're featuring firms from Philadelphia, New Jersey, Maine, and more who are currently hiring architects, designers, PMs, and entry level architects.

Image © SMRT

SMRT seeks an Architect in Portland, ME
SMRT specializes in the design of high-performing, programmatically complex environments for clients nationwide and across market sectors. The idea candidate will have a minimum of 5 years of architectural experience in technical design and detailing of commercial construction projects, with a developed ability in coordinating design documents for construction. A 5 Year Professional Degree or Master's Degree in Architecture preferred. NCARB registration a plus and LEED Prof...

RPA report envisions New Jersey’s Meadowlands as the first "Climate Change National Park"

2018-02-14T19:30:00-05:00

Released last fall, the Regional Plan Association’s (RPA) Fourth Plan includes 61 recommendations focused on improving and expanding the area’s deteriorating infrastructure, transportation, and affordability, much of which revolves around climate change and its transformation of the region

Released last fall, the Regional Plan Association's (RPA) Fourth Plan includes 61 recommendations focused on improving and expanding the area’s deteriorating infrastructure, transportation, and affordability, much of which revolves around climate change and its transformation of the region. According to the report, more than one million people and 650,000 jobs are at risk of flooding due to rising sea levels. In the plan, the RPA ambitiously recommends that the New Jersey Meadowlands, 21,000 acres of low-lying wetlands, becomes a national park as a way to mitigate impacts of climate change. Designating the region’s largest wetland as a national park would restore the natural habits, protect nearby communities, and create a recreational space, becoming, the report says, a “Climate Change National Park.” The Meadowlands National Park would adapt and grow with climate change by drawing and redrawing the boundaries of the park as coastlines change.

By the end of this century, flooding a...

Get Lectured: Princeton, Fall '17

2017-09-15T17:20:00-04:00

Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Fall 2017

Ready or not, it's the start of a new school year. Back for Fall 2017 is Archinect's Get Lectured, an ongoing series where we feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current term. Check back regularly to keep track of any upcoming lectures you don't want to miss.

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

The Princeton University School of Architecture just started their Fall '17 lecture series. Check it out below.

Sept 14 — 6pm
“Drawing Things Together”
V. Mitch McEwen / Assistant Professor at Princeton University School of Architecture; Principal, McEwen Studio / A(n) Office

Sept 28 — 6pm
“Loud Lines BairBalliet”
Kelly Bair / Partner at BairBalliet; Assistant Professor of Architecture, University of Illinois at Chicago
Kristy Balliet / Partner at BairBalliet; Associate Professor of Architecture, Ohio State University;...

How Jared Kushner — and other developers — get money meant for low-income areas to build luxury developments

2017-06-01T12:11:00-04:00

Jared Kushner and his real estate partners wanted to take advantage of a federal program in 2015 that would save them millions of dollars as they built an opulent, 50-story residential tower in this city’s booming waterfront district, just across the Hudson River from Lower Manhattan. There was just one problem: The program was designed to benefit projects in poor, job-starved areas. So the project’s consultants got creative, records show.

Basically, the tactic is gerrymandering for real estate. Kushner and co. worked with state officials to demarcate the area around the site, 65 Bay Street in Jersey City, as including some of the city's poorest neighborhoods rather than the wealthy neighborhoods just blocks away. So the project looked like it was being built in an area of "extraordinarily high unemployment", reports the Washington Post, in order to get some $50M in low-cost financing via the EB-5 visa program.

The article notes that the move is perfectly legal and has been used by other developers. "But it illustrates how Kushner, who ran his family’s real estate company before he became a senior adviser to President Trump, and his partners exploited a loophole in a federal program that prominent members of both parties say has been plagued by fraud and abuse."

New Jersey’s Oldest and Largest Frank Lloyd Wright House Listed for $2.2M

2016-07-07T12:36:00-04:00

Of the four houses Frank Lloyd Wright built in New Jersey, the first and largest was the 2,000-square-foot James B. Christie House, which dates to 1940. Wright built the home on seven acres of secluded woodland and employed his Usonian principles of simplicity and practically that connect to nature. After selling in 2014 to a private buyer for $1.7 million, the Christie House is now on the market for $2.2 million after receiving a new roof and heating system.

Table-flipping 'Real Housewife' Teresa Giudice and the world of architectural billing

2016-01-05T18:45:00-05:00

An architect who is owed $13,000 by Teresa and Joe Giudice has spoken of his anger at the lavish display of wealth that welcomed the criminal Real Housewife of New Jersey home on the day she got out of prison [...] 'I did plans for modifications to that house and to an addition. I didn't do the final drawings that make it look like a miniature castle. I wouldn't want to put my name to that [...] 'I think our billing was about $13,000 and we've never received a penny of it.'

Get Lectured: Princeton University, Fall '15

2015-10-09T13:20:00-04:00

Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Fall 2015

Archinect's Get Lectured is ready for another school year. 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.

Our next featured poster comes from the Princeton University School of Architecture.

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

Unless noted, lectures take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays in Betts Auditorium, School of Architecture.

Oct 14
Jinhee Park / Principal, SsD - New York, Seoul
"Micro-Urbanism"

Oct 21
Dr. Lukasz Stanek / University of Manchester
"Team 10 East"

Oct 28
Jan De Vylder / Architect-Manager, Architecten de Vylder Vinck Taillieu, BVBA - Gent, Belgium
"About this. And that."

Nov 9
Monica Ponce de Leon / MPdL Studio; Dean, Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Univers...