Archinect - News

A call to embrace automation in the job market with a collaborative vision

2018-07-18T17:17:00-04:00

This partnership between human and machine is what lies ahead as automation tools permeate our lives at a quickening pace. As many worry about the potential for robots to steal our jobs (or lead a violent overthrow of society), the reality may be more nuanced: They may end up being something more like creative collaborators [...] We must re-tool the workforce, be ever learning, and open to rapid change to reduce the negative impact.

Brooks Rainwater asserts urban spaces as the testing grounds for the impending automation revolution and asks whether this will simply eliminate jobs or create new, better ones. While job displacement estimations vary, there is no denying the tremendous impact emerging technologies will have on our future workforce. Rainwater empowers present decisions of embracing these inevitable changes through forming collaborative partnerships with automation.

Zaha Hadid Architects proposal for London's Vauxhall Cross Island

2018-01-22T13:27:00-05:00

Zaha Hadid Architects designed a proposal for the Vauxhall Cross Island site in London. Located adjacent to Vauxhall Station, the proposal focuses on creating a Vauxhall district center by providing a mixed-use space to generate employment opportunities and a new public square to accommodate Transport for London's (TfL) emerging bus station plans.

Vauxhall Cross Island proposal by Zaha Hadid Architects. Render by Slashcube.

The London borough is undergoing a transformation with several other significant developments under construction or planned in the area. ZHA's design works with the height of the other proposed buildings in the area through its rectilinear form, grid-based façade, and materials.

Vauxhall Cross Island proposal by Zaha Hadid Architects. Render by Slashcube.

The new proposal includes two tall buildings with a low-level podium building to create a defined public square. The arrangement p...

Are enough high-wage jobs being created across the United States?

2016-09-13T13:52:00-04:00

Unsurprisingly, the majority of the U.S.' job growth over the past five years has been centered in large metro areas like Los Angeles and New York. What might be surprising is how the majority of those newly created jobs are either "mid-wage" or "low-wage" jobs, here defined as those that pay under $21.14 an hour. In a study conducted by CityLab's Richard Florida based on facts compiled by the economic data modeling firm Emsi, Florida notes that:

Low-wage jobs accounted for the largest increase in new jobs between 2011 and 2016, adding 4.5 million jobs, compared to 4.1 million high-wage jobs and 3.5 million mid-wage jobs. Low-wage jobs accounted for 34 percent of jobs in 2016 (a total of 48.2 million jobs), while mid-wage jobs accounted for 29 percent (a total of 40.7 million jobs)...

The top ten metros for job growth are a mix of knowledge-based and service-based metros. The tech hub of Provo, Utah, tops the list with a 26.8 percent increase in jobs; Austin (21.9 percent), San Jose ...

Trudeau stakes Canada's economic growth on architects

2016-08-23T14:09:00-04:00

With the U.S. presidential election coming up, a few Americans are considering moving to Canada, a move that actually might be lucrative if you're an architect. Responding to the forces of globalization, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is aiming to inject new economic life into his country by investing in traditionally brainy industries like architecture and accounting, as reported in this Bloomberg News article:

So if manufacturers won't do the heavy lifting, who will?

Enter Diamond. The world-renowned architect employs 180 people, including 140 architects, in an airy but respectfully renovated early 20th-century building in Toronto’s Fashion District. It was Canada’s education system that brought him to the country—he set up the post-graduate architect program at the University of Toronto in 1966—but his eye has always been turned outwards.

For more on architectural employment tips/trends:

Twist! Proposal to turn Catskills into "China City"

2013-12-13T15:09:00-05:00

[The Catskills] could become a lot flashier, thanks to [Sherry Li's] proposal for the area: a multibillion-dollar "China City of America," complete with an amusement park, mansions, a casino, retail centers, a college, and more. [...] The Center for Immigration Studies wrote a comprehensive take-down of "China City," criticizing the project's potential for environmental disruption, dubious promise of job creation, and possible role as a stalking horse for the Chinese government.