Archinect - News

Architects for Gaza launches Gaza Global University for afflicted Palestinian students

2024-03-18T18:07:00-04:00

The UK-based group Architects for Gaza, appealing to the educational needs of displaced Palestinian architecture students in the occupied territory, has just announced the creation of a new learning platform called Gaza Global University.

The announcement was made earlier this month via Instagram. The group says: "We know that to rebuild Gaza requires rebuilding its institutions, its culture, its life — and importantly for those of us not situated in Gaza — it requires a rebuilding of all our worlds. We see Gaza Global University as a radical pedagogical project rooted in hope and shared humanity."

According to the group's website, the objectives for developing the initiative include:

Establishing links with academic institutions internationally to offer online tutorials and lectures free of charge Gazan students in any part of the world, who are students of architecture, and related courses, such as design and urbanism.
Offering technological assistance for remote communication at...

Are you an architecture student prepping for finals? Archinect Tips will help get you through!

2023-12-05T19:22:00-05:00

Final reviews for this semester are right around the corner. Are you a first-year undergraduate student embarking on your first presentation as an architecture student? Or are you a seasoned graduate student balancing school work, internships, and everything else in between? Regardless of where you are in your academic journey, don't let the stressors of finals overtake you.

Explore these seven Archinect Tips articles to help you find clarity and confidence as you prepare.

Facing a Jury and Presenting Your Work

You know your project better than anyone else, but is speaking in public holding you back from feeling confident in your project? Are you worried if your pinned-up work or model is missing something? Whether you're stressed about presenting your work, having a cohesive project to present, or facing a design jury, Archinect has you covered.

Architectural Foundations studio review. Image courtesy of Yale Architecture via @yalearchitecture.

Archinect's tips for students preparing...

Students from NOMA's 2022 Foundation Fellowship cohort gain mentorship and work experience from 18 architecture firms

2022-08-04T14:10:00-04:00

The National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) celebrates its fourth class of architecture students chosen as this year's 2022 NOMA Foundation Fellowship (NFF) cohort. An initiative that provides mentorship and design research experience for young emerging professionals, the NFF has become an impactful program offered to underrepresented architecture students across the nation.

This year 20 architecture students were selected to be a part of the 2022 summer cohort. During the two-month summer fellowship, each student is hosted at a leading architecture firm nationwide. During the summer, student fellows "engage in design research and benefit from firm mentorship." NOMA shares, "NFF provides professional experience to underrepresented students to connect them to the profession and provide a pipeline to eventual employment, supporting the 2030 Diversity Challenge, which aims to increase the number of licensed Black architects."

Tiffany Brown, NOMA Executive Director shared,...

Archinect's tips for students preparing for thesis reviews and studio critiques

2022-04-22T17:59:00-04:00

What comes to mind when thinking about studio crits, guest juries, thesis reviews, and final presentations? For some, it's a blend of adrenaline, panic, fatigue, and perhaps a hint of excitement. Of course, everyone prepares differently and has their own "method to their madness," but it's important to realize that crafting a strong presentation is a mental and physical balancing act.

Academic coverage is an essential aspect of Archinect's editorial lineup. Beyond our exclusive interviews with education leaders and showcases of student work, our special Archinect Tips section consists of an array of handy guides that can help you feel prepared for your presentation.

Previously featured on Archinect: Archinect's Guide to Presentations

So, students, whether this is your first presentation as an undergrad or a seasoned fifth-year moving on autopilot, it's easy to forget a few things. Below, we have gathered a list of tips and references to get you through the next few weeks.

Before we ...

Architects Foundation awards 2021 scholarships to promote diversity and sustainability

2021-07-14T12:49:00-04:00

The Architects Foundation has announced the recipients for four of its scholarship programs aimed at supporting future leaders in equity, diversity, and sustainability in the architecture profession. A philanthropic partner of the American Institute of Architects, the Architects Foundation has awarded the scholarships to 15 individuals during their architectural education to support their college tuition.

The 2021 Payette Sho-Ping Chin Memorial Academic Scholarship has been awarded to Brittney Sooksengdao, a student at Virginia Tech. Sooksengdao will receive a $10,000 scholarship intended to support the education of women in architecture and will also be mentored by an architect at Payette for the scholarship year.

The 2021 a/e ProNet David W. Lakamp AIA Scholarship has been awarded to Alexandra Gottlin from the University of Oregon and Schola Eburuoh from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Each will receive $5,000 to be used towards tuition for demonstrating a strong intere...

AIAS publishes digital resources guide for architecture students

2021-04-20T12:21:00-04:00

The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) has published a 65-page document containing a wealth of tools, tips, and resources aimed at architecture students. The “Digital Resources” tool was compiled by the AIAS Design and Technology Task Force, and is described as “a tool for optimizing your design workflow and software knowledge.”

The toolkit is divided into five sections: competitions, entourage, website resources, remote learning, and tutorials. The Competitions section gives descriptions, links, entry fees, and prize information for 16 competitions or competitions platforms accessible to students, with topics ranging from materiality to film. The Entourage section offers links to 13 resources for scale figures for use in collages, montages, and renderings, while the Website Resources section offers 12 online resources where students can access apps, objects, blocks, icons, and textures for a variety of popular programs including Revit, AutoCAD, Photoshop, and Illust...

Perkins&Will and Harvard GSD launch pilot program to support and mentor young Black designers

2021-02-22T13:27:00-05:00

Firms and architecture institutions continue to join forces as they build more robust pipelines for Black designers and designers of color. With organizational giants like NOMA and design equity leaders continuously expanding on this initiative to elevate and mentor students and future designers, firms like Perkins&Will and institutions like Harvard GSD have developed a pilot program of their own.

On February 18, 2021, an announcement was made launching the "Black in Design Mentorship Program." The idea for this pilot program was initially developed during the 2019 Black in Design Conference alongside Perkins&Will professionals. According to the firm, "the mentorship program will fill a critical educational and career gap in the design profession by fostering meaningful and lasting relationships starting as early as high school."

To learn more about the program, Harvard GSD grad and Perkins&Will principle Brooke Trivas shares in a statement, "Design firms have a responsibility to be...

Architecture students — these three essays address the stresses of studio

2020-10-15T11:58:00-04:00

Architecture school holds its own array of challenges. Studio is arguably the most rigorous part of design education, and comes with a list of unique stresses that often weigh on students. How do you balance studio with other classes? How does one best present a project? And how do you face the dreaded jury on review day? These three short essays address each of these questions.

Harvard GSD. Photo by Alonso Obregon

Balancing Studio With Other Classes

This piece explores the misplaced idea that studio should come before every other class. What are the hidden benefits of planning a well balanced approach to your architectural education? Click here to dive deeper.

Students presenting their work at SCI-Arc's 2018 theses reviews

The Architecture Student's Presentation Roadmap

Most architecture students tend to wait to the last minute to figure out how they will present their work. They spend 99 percent of their time on the work, but then leave little room to build a coherent strategy to ...

3 Tips for Architecture Students Preparing for a Virtual Fall 2020

2020-08-03T13:31:00-04:00

The start of the Fall semester is just around the corner and many students are gearing up for an entirely virtual schooling experience, something most have never embarked on before. How can students best prepare for an online-based semester? What are some ways to leverage optimal mental performance and lasting productivity throughout the entire Fall term? Here are 3 tips to consider as you commence the new school year.

Previously on Archinect: In school, sometimes more research is just more procrastination

Be intentionally mobile

When on campus, you can walk around studio to talk with colleagues, go to the fabrication facilities, walk to get food, travel to your various classes throughout the day, and overall, almost every item on your daily to-do list requires you to change locations. But when all of those activities can be done in one location, namely, your computer, all of that mobility is arrested and you find yourself inactively stagnant.

I decided to audit my physical activity...

Check Out Archinect's Must Follow Academic Instagrams of 2020!

2019-12-31T20:57:00-05:00

Let's face it; almost everyone is on Instagram these days, so it's no surprise that academic institutions have invested in this social media platform as well. Not only has it changed the way architecture is being viewed and experienced, but it's also changing the way prospective students are exploring their academic decision making possibilities.

From highlighting the best student work to showing off exciting exhibitions, and providing snapshots into daily studio culture images, the following academic Instagram profiles know how to keep their audience engaged and curious about what will be posted next! Whether you're a prospective student, a current student, or a fellow architecture professional looking for inspiration and design eye candy, here are Archinect's 9 Instagram profile picks you shouldn't miss!

*Profiles are listed in no particular order.

The Ohio State University’s Knowlton School of Architecture
Instagram Handle: @knowltonarchitecture
Profile at-a-glance: Colors, Model...

Carleton University announces the new Hobin Prize in Architecture and City Building

2019-12-23T16:03:00-05:00

The Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism at Carleton University has announced a new student architecture prize fund that will go toward supporting the work of fourth-year undergraduate students enrolled in the school's housing and community building-focused studio.

The Hobin Prize, which will consist of several monetary prizes set to be awarded to students from the design, urbanism, and conservation focuses offered at the school, is endowed by Barry Hobin, founder of Ottawa, Canadia-based Hobin Architecture. Hobin, who graduated from Carleton University's school of architecture in 1974, explains his inspiration for the prize via press release: "Architecture has a more complex role than it ever has in the past. It’s not just about buildings. It’s about building places and trying to respond to things like the LRT (light-rail transit) and how we plan to live around it.”

The studio projects the prizes will support typically delve into topics that include housing affordability, n...

The Architects Foundation offers five architecture student scholarships

2019-11-18T15:44:00-05:00

The Architects Foundation, a philanthropic partner of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), has announced that it is now accepting applications for five scholarship programs targeted toward students pursuing architectural degrees.

The five scholarships aim to bring a variety of funding opportunities for architecture students and include two diversity-focused initiatives.

The Diversity Advancement Scholarship, for example, offers up to $20,000 for "high school and undergraduate minority students who are entering, enrolled in, or transferring into an undergraduate architecture program recognized by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB)," according to an AIA website.

The Payette Sho-Ping Chin Memorial Academic Scholarship, on the other hand, awards $10,000 "toward tuition and fees supporting a woman studying architecture within a NAAB-accredited bachelor or master’s degree program." The scholarship winner will also receive mentorship from a senior member of the P...

A closer look at the state of LA's student-led architecture school publications

2019-10-09T12:33:00-04:00

Please join us for a panel discussion on the role of student publications in architecture school.

What is the role of student-led publications?

In an era when digital rules, what’s the value of continuing the tradition of print?

How do student-led publications function, from concept, to editorial-production, to distribution?

We hope to answer these questions, and more, with a panel of representatives from UCLA, SCI-Arc, USC, and Cal Poly Metro...

UCLA: Rayne Laborde & David Vasquez (POOL)

SCI-Arc: Marcelyn Gow (Offramp); Richard Mapes, Corie Yaguchi, Irvin Shaifa (Underscore)

USC: Alvin Huang (Supertall)

Cal Poly L.A. Metro Program: Stephen Phillips (L.A. [TEN])

The panel will be moderated by Archinect’s Paul Petrunia and will take place at the A+D Museum on Saturday, October 19th, at 5pm. The event is part of Archinect’s event programming during The Los Angeles Schools exhibition, running at the A+D until November 24th.

Workers' rights for graduate students take a step backward under proposed rules

2019-09-23T15:15:00-04:00

Graduate teaching assistants and other student workers at private universities and colleges wouldn’t qualify for federal protections that grant most private-sector workers the right to form or join a union under a new regulatory proposal. Students who receive compensation for teaching or conducting research “in connection with their studies” wouldn’t be considered employees, who have the right to unionize and are protected from various unfair labor practices

The move, supported by three of President Donald Trump's appointees to the National Labor Relations Board, would deal a setback to graduate teaching assistant unionization efforts, though, according to Bloomberg Law, existing contracts between universities and student employee unions would not be impacted.

PSU architecture students create new Pickathon Treeline Stage from 160 wooden apple bins

2019-08-02T18:31:00-04:00

For the sixth year in a row, the Pickathon Music Festival, which opens Friday, August 2 at Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Ore., will feature a brand-new, temporary performance venue designed and built by Portland State University School of Architecture students from reused materials. This year’s rendition of the Treeline Stage utilizes 160 wooden apple-harvesting bins to create an immersive environment suggesting an orchard of towering trees—reaching 40 feet high at the tallest point.

Faculty members Travis Bell and Clive Knights have led a group of Portland State University Architecture students in the design and construction of an original, temporary Treeline Stage at Pickathon Music Festival.

Do New Graduates Want More Money or More Time?

2019-07-26T15:48:00-04:00

Every summer, a new cohort of graduates enter the workforce. Eager to learn and grow, many will get their first taste of professional life. It is an exciting new chapter for many of them. But what are these emerging practitioners looking for in their new careers? As firms struggle with retention and talent acquisition, an understanding of what new graduates look for in an office can be a valuable investigation. What is it that they value most? Money over time? Or vice versa? And does one have to be had at the expense of the other?

Professor Ashley Whillans has a take. Her research shows a mix of values amongst students, some valued money more so than time and others time more so than money. This comes from many factors, such as the upbringing of the individual. "People who grew up in households that fought about money also are more likely to focus on money (versus time) as adults, even if they have a lot of money in the present," Whillans writes.

The professor discovered that over ...

Architecture students collaborate with European Space Agency to develop a sustainable moon base

2019-02-08T20:00:00-05:00

The ESA's astronaut center in Cologne, Germany, partners with universities and research institutions to study moon-related concepts in preparation for future missions. Angelus Chrysovalantis Alfatzis is one of the researchers who has contributed to the development of a promising concept for a moon base, according to a statement from ESA.

Space may be the final frontier, but over the years technological advances has brought the idea of humans inhabiting space a lot closer. The European Space Agency (ESA) has partnered with universities and research institutions to investigate and study concepts related to the moon and future space missions. One student in particular has presented a promising lunar base concept that not only focuses on supporting human life, but also protecting inhabitants from the moon's harsh environmental conditions. Architectural engineering student, Angelus Chrysovalantis Alfatzis is in his final year the the National Technical University of Athens. After much research Alfatzis has developed a design concept that factors in extreme conditions such as radiation exposure, terrain, gravity, and drastic changes in temperature.

Architectural engineering student Angelus Chrysovalantis Alfatzis working on moon base model, Image courtesy of ESA

Alfatzis' concept for a lunar base was developed in conjunct...

Six architecture students selected for MAD 2018 Travel Fellowship

2018-06-13T14:54:00-04:00

MAD Architects has announced the winners of their 2018 Travel Fellowship! For this year's edition, Ma Yansong only selected six architecture students from around the globe to travel abroad so they can conduct further research for their architectural topic of choice. Some of the travel destinations this time around include Mexico, Switzerland, Uzbekistan, North Korea, and Japan, to name a few.

Here's a first glimpse at the winning proposals:

Khao Vu, Harvard University, graduate student
Research Topic: Space Organism – A search for a new invention in contemporary culture
Travel Destinations: England, Japan, Switzerland

Khao Vu, “Space Organism – A search for a new invention in contemporary culture”

Tatiana Southey-Bassols, Bartlett School of Architecture, graduate student Research Topic: How the built environment is a key mediator of remembrance and a tool to preserve repressed cultural identity
Travel Destinations: China, Kazhakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan

Tatiana Southey-Bassols, “H...

UK Architecture students install giant, red picket fence in support of USSstrike

2018-02-28T14:13:00-05:00

Since last Thursday, thousands of educators and students across the UK have been protesting changes made to the pensions of university workers—a 40% cut to their USS pension scheme that the University and College Union says could cost staff up to half of their retirement income. The downgrade has unmistakably angered academics, with an estimated 45,000 lecturers across 64 universities going on a 14-day strike.

Oxford and Cambridge universities, some of the country's wealthiest and most well-established schools, have been at the center of the controversy, receiving much of the blame. The schools have backed policies resulting in the harsh cuts, and may have also had an overly skewed input in the survey that lead to the decision.

Image via Cambridge Defend Education Facebook page.

Yesterday, in response to Cambridge's unique role in the dispute, a giant, 8ft red picket fence was chained to the gates of the school, blockading the Sena...

The mutual attraction of architecture and pastries; 4 architects turned pastry chefs

2018-01-23T15:07:00-05:00

Ms. Yee, who oversees pastry for all the restaurants in the Resurgens Hospitality Group, used to be an architect, and she designs desserts the way she once did building interiors: meticulously sketching every element, testing many prototypes. And these days she has plenty of company: Many of the country’s top pastry chefs have practiced or studied architecture.

As we have shown in Archinect's ongoing series Working Out of the Box, architects have a background and skillset that can be applied in many ways outside of traditional architecture practice. For example, these prominent pastry chefs all started off as architects and switched to designing cakes instead. Each chef has translated the intent of an architect into food design in unique ways, from 3D printed cake molds to creating pastries from sketches and blueprints.

Check out some of the their delicious designs below:

Dinara Kasko began as a Ukrainian architect:

Berry-almond tart with a surface constructed from a mold made by a 3D printer by Dinara Kasko. Image: Dinara Kasko.

Jennifer Yee has a degree in interior architecture:

Lemon Fleur éclair by Jennifer Yee. Image: Jennifer Yee.

Jansen Chan studied architecture at UC Berkeley:

Nectarine Orchata and Lemon Balm Broth by Jansen Chan. Image: Antoinette Bruno.

Baruch Ellsworth studied architecture at a California community college:

Choco...

AIAS selects students to participate in CRIT Scholar fellowship program

2018-01-17T15:21:00-05:00

The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) announced the students selected to participate in this year's CRIT Scholar fellowship program. The fellowship program is supported by the AIA and in partnership with several prominent architecture firms. Recipients receive a $1,000 grant for their research project and are matched with a mentor involved in conducting research at an architectural firm.

The students selected to participate are as follows:

Megha Dubey, University of Cincinnati
Sinan Goral, Carnegie Mellon University
Kristen Hoover, Morgan State University
Chelsey Luiz, University of Oregon
Kevin Park, University of Texas at Arlington
Samantha Pires, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Evan Wermers, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The program aims to support student research and provide a practical perspective through mentor guidance. Each student's final project will be presented at next year's CRIT Live Research Symposia.

Faculty and students at Texas A&M University are helping after Hurricane Harvey

2017-09-26T14:05:00-04:00

As tens of thousands of Texans undergo a long, difficult recovery from Hurricane Harvey, research findings, and studio and service projects by faculty and students at Texas A&M University are helping individuals and communities learn how to emerge from the damage and how to mitigate the effects of future disasters.

The Texas A&M University is home to the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center, studying prevention, response and recovery from natural disasters. Student efforts include gathering post-Harvey water samples and studying their quality, serving meals to the community and building models of rainfall data. Read more about the university news and response to Harvey here.

Student samples post-Harvey water. Image from Arch One.

2017 MAD Travel Fellowship granted to 10 architecture students worldwide

2017-06-07T19:14:00-04:00

Today, MAD Architects announced the 10 architecture students who won the 2017 MAD Travel Fellowship in its first global edition. Without a doubt, competition ran high. Out of 500 hopeful applicants, MAD selected the architecture research proposals of five international students who will get to travel to China, as well as five Chinese students who will use the fellowship funds to travel outside of China. Here are the 2017 recipients:

Overseas student recipients traveling to China:

Hossein Goudarzi, from Iran, 1st year graduate student in University of New Mexico, USA

Kyriaki Goti, from Greece, 2nd year graduate student in University of Stuttgart, Germany

Roberto Vargas Calvo, from Costa Rica, 5th year undergraduate student in Veritas University, Costa Rica

Shaun McCallum, Scotland, 1st year graduate student in University of Applied Art Vienna, Austria

Federico Fauli, from Italy, 2nd year graduate student in Architectural Association, UK

Chinese student recipients traveling overseas:

Qiwei Li...

First-year students in Zurich build a 240 square meter installation in less than 10 days

2017-06-06T17:01:00-04:00

Located under a freeway overpass in Zurich, next to the Toni-Areal which houses the University of Arts and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, is a new 240 square meter public architectural installation. The project has been carried out by ALICE (Atelier de la Conception de l’Espace) laboratory, an active unit of the EPFL-ENAC (School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering) that pursues research activities at the intersection of architecture, urban thinking and social sciences.

The installation was carried out by 200 first-year students and was erected in under 10 days. The students prefabricated all the built elements in Lausanne, where ENAC is located, and transported them in shipping containers to Zurich, where ALICE has been partnering with the Zurich University of Arts. The full-size, ephemeral structure, is comprised of 12 various contributions from the students and reflects numerous voices and spatial approaches. The project is meant to question the qualit...

Architecture majors work the hardest in college, study reveals

2017-02-07T12:44:00-05:00

A study conducted by Indiana University's National Study of Student Engagement reveals that architecture majors spend the most time outside of their classes studying, beating out even engineers. On average, an architecture major will spend 22.2 hours a week working on projects and generally furrowing their brows, while those head-in-the-clouds chemical engineers spend only 19.66 hours a week. Before taking home the "Living on Ramen in the Studio" prize, however, it's worth noting that pretty much every major has to spend some time outside of classes studying: even those undertaking PR + advertising spend an average of 12.17 hours in exterior academic pursuit, according to The Tab.

Which major works the most hours?

Architecture 22.2
Chemical engineering 19.66
Aero and astronautical engineering 19.24
Biomedical engineering 18.82
Cell and molecular biology 18.67
Physics 18.62
Astronomy 18.59
Biochemistry or biophysics 18.49
Bioengineering 18.43
Petroleum engineering 18.41
Mechanical engineerin...

UK architecture students seeking mental health care is on the rise, according to Architects' Journal survey

2016-07-29T13:57:00-04:00

Nearly 90% of the 447 respondents said they had had to work through the night at some point. Almost one-third said they have to do it regularly. Two-thirds of undergraduates said their debt at the end of their course would be £30,000 or above. Despite that, almost a third said they had been asked to work in practice for free... [One student respondent] said: “A culture of suffering for your art is promoted within education.”

Washington University in St. Louis to phase out styrene next fall, students express mixed reactions

2016-04-19T13:10:00-04:00

Many current architecture students are excited about the removal of styrene mainly because of the various health hazards...[However,] others are worried that it will negatively impact their work and productivity. Sophomore Sam Landay explained that it’s not uncommon for architecture students to put their projects before their health. Even outspoken opponents of styrene admit the necessity of utilizing the material.

University of Kansas alumnus launches architecture scholarship for students from rural areas

2016-01-12T17:51:00-05:00

[University of Kansas alumnus + architect Michael Cummings] and his wife have donated $1.6 million to establish the Michael A. Cummings Scholarship for architecture students at KU, with a preference for those from rural communities...'I’m hoping this scholarship will help some people who will have a similar experience to what I have had, which is to find a career that wasn’t on their radar and from there to end up with a wonderful and fulfilling career.'

Read the University of Kansas' full press statement here.

Students endure the final home stretch at the U.S. Solar Decathlon 2015

2015-10-18T16:34:00-04:00

The sun beat down onto the asphalt grounds of the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California, where a village of 14 solar-powered houses popped up for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon. Multi-disciplinary teams of college students worldwide dedicate two years to designing and planning their institution’s house, then spend just nine days assembling them from scratch in Irvine. Then, the competition begins.

Teams are tasked with constructing the house that best blends affordability and consumer appeal, and demonstrates optimal energy production and efficiency. The houses are evaluated in 10 contests based on merits of performance and livability. The team who scores the most out of a maximum 1,000 points is crowned the overall winner. Held biennially, the Decathlon attracts ambitious students who want to push the boundaries of the future of sustainable technology and housing, while honing their technical skills and toughening their skin for their forthcoming careers.

"S...

Downtown Portland says hello to new student-designed public parklet

2015-07-09T15:01:00-04:00

The first public parklet in downtown Portland, the installation is intended to help revitalize this stretch of SW Fourth Avenue in the heart of the SoMa EcoDistrict (for “South of Market Street”), giving students, faculty, and workers from surrounding offices a place to sit and enjoy their food-cart lunches in the sunshine, rather than racing back to their desks to eat.

Downtown Portland is no stranger to green public spaces, but the recently opened Fourth Avenue Parklet has that ideal recipe for a do-good-feel-good collaborative project. Twenty-six architecture students from Portland State University spent 18 months to design and construct the parklet, which also crowdsourced $15,640 in cash and in-kind donations from the local community.

The new parklet flaunts 3,475 pounds of steel, 250 feet of repurposed escalator handrail, 768 linear feet of sustainably harvested juniper, and drought-resistant native plants. It was built as a complementary hangout spot for people to relax and enjoy their grub from the nearby diners and food-cart pod along SW Fourth Avenue in Portland's SoMa EcoDistrict.

Keep doing you, Portland.

Image via.