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'I Would Prefer Not To' looks at refused commissions, the decisions behind them, and their impact on architecture

2023-08-30T17:38:00-04:00

The second season of The Architectural League of New York’s new interview series I Would Prefer Not To is gaining popularity thanks to its ability to shed light on an overlooked area of architectural practice.

A cross-collaboration between the League and MIT's Critical Broadcasting Lab, the series explores the topic of commissioning and the refusal of architects to work with a particular client.

Guests, including Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, speak in detail about the nature of refusals, which The Architectural League argues constitutes a permanent part of architectural history. The stories they share touch on key aspects such as ethics and professional practice, decision-making, business development, the tug-of-war over visions for a project, clashes of creativity, and more.

“Decisions to refuse a commission, or withdraw from one, by definition, stay hidden from public scrutiny, and thus also hidden from architectural history,” The Architectural League notes. “Withdrawals of thi...

NOMA's 2020 Virtual Conference highlights winners of the Phil Freelon Professional Design Awards

2020-10-27T23:25:00-04:00

During this year's NOMA Conference, an unforgettable virtual experience was created to honor the organization's progress and celebrate its members. Despite the conference shifting to a virtual format, this didn't slow down conference registration. The event welcomed over 1,600 participants.

In addition to honoring the organization's leaders and incoming president, Jason Pugh, firms and students were recognized for their designs. "NOMA's awards ceremony is an annual highlight for NOMA members, when we step back, reflect and take stock of accomplishments, from those beginning their architecture journey as students, to those completing licensure, and so many who are changing their communities through built work," shared NOMA President Kimberly Dowdell during the conference.

"With this being my last ceremony as president, the awards meant even more, acknowledging leadership, allied partners, and the NOMA family that has made the success of this unprecedented year possible. NOMA has ach...

"Poissy Galore" artfully frames green public space on the banks of the Seine

2017-01-05T13:27:00-05:00

Situated in Carrière-Sous-Poissy in France along the River Seine, "Poissy Galore" by Armengaud Armengaud Cianchetta (AAC) and Herlach Hartmann Frommenwiler (HHF) is designed primarily as an ecological public space for both Parisian residents and far-flung visitors. Consisting of an observatory, an insect museum and a visitor center, the project title is an apt play on the James Bond film, both in terms of its expansiveness and playfulness. The inventive timber construction and visually arresting angular framing is as much a part of the project's allure as its nuanced integration into its 113 hectare site.

As the architects explain, "With the exception of the observatory, which is a steel construction, the collection of pavilions and small 'follies' is based on a modular wood system, repeating and combining different sized and angled timber frames."

In addition to the public spaces, the project also has private offices and storage, including facilities to raise insects.

The latest in F...

Landscape architecture firms report decline in billable hours and new gigs

2016-10-20T14:53:00-04:00

The latest survey from ASLA, the American Society of Landscape Architects, reveals that the 188 landscape architecture firms that responded to the survey are planning to hire fewer people and seem to have fewer stable billable hours than they did the previous quarter. Only 78.38 percent of surveyed firms reported stable billable hours for the third quarter of 2016, down from the previous quarter's 82.67 percent. Check out the full report here.

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Summerhouse in Lagnö by Tham & Videgård Arkitekter

2013-08-23T18:11:00-04:00

Need some inspiration as you sketch out that dream summer house? Maybe Tham & Videgård's Summerhouse project in Lagnö, Sweden could spark some ideas...

Project description from Bolle Tham and Martin Videgård:

Summerhouse Lagnö

"The setting is the Stockholm archipelago, natural ground sloping gently down to the sea in the south, mostly open with a few trees and bushes. Unlike other projects we worked on located on more isolated islands in the archipelago without car access from the mainland, this site was relatively easy to reach also with heavy transports. This, together with the client's desire for a maintenance-free house inspired us to search for a way to design the house as an integral part of nature, where the material's weight and color scale connects to the archipelago granite bedrock, rather than a light light wooden cottage..."

"The two building volumes are placed side by side and form a line that clarifies their position in the landscape, just at the border where the ...