Archinect - News

MacDonald Becket, influential Los Angeles architect, dies at age 89

2017-12-07T18:18:00-05:00

MacDonald Becket ’52, former chairman of the board and CEO of the architecture firm Welton Becket and Associates, died in Phoenix, AZ. He was 89. Becket, who graduated from the USC School of Architecture, was a driving force in the development of architecture in Los Angeles. Two of his major roles in California were coordinating the master planning and architectural implementations of the 260-acre Century City project and in the successful renovation of the state capitol building in Sacramento.

Among his many achievements, Becket was a founding contributor to MoCA's Architectural and Design Endowment in Los Angeles. He also designed the personal homes of former US presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Gerald Ford attesting to Becket's far reaching influence.

Frances Bronet named Pratt Institute's new President

2017-10-12T15:29:00-04:00

Frances Bronet, senior vice president and provost at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and a distinguished educator at the forefront of interdisciplinary curricula and collaboration, has been selected as the 12th president of Pratt Institute, announced Bruce Gitlin, Chair of the Institute’s Board of Trustees and Co-Chair of the Presidential Search Committee [...]. She will be the first woman president to lead Pratt Institute, one of the world’s most renowned art and design colleges.

Frances Bronet will officially commence her presidency on January 2, 2018, succeeding President Thomas F. Schutte who — after more than two decades at the helm — stepped down on June 30 this year. Pratt Institute Provost Kirk E. Pillow has served as the school's interim President since then.

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

Cooper Union appoints first woman president Laura Sparks

2016-09-20T18:46:00-04:00

It's been a tumultuous year for Cooper Union: after revoking and then reconsidering its free tuition policy for students last year, the institution saw numerous prominent trustees resign. Now, Cooper Union has appointed executive director of the William Penn Foundation Laura Sparks as its first woman president, whose background in philanthropy and successful community engagement seems like an ideal match for the school. As Sparks noted about her appointment:

"I have been impressed with the passion, commitment and determination of Cooper’s board and search committee to ‘look forward’ while also acknowledging and respecting dissenting views and the voices of many throughout the wider school community. I am eager to meet more of the college’s passionate, thoughtful and accomplished students, and to engage with its extraordinary faculty as we move the institution forward while holding true to its founding principles. I am confident that together we can reaffirm our sense of mission, stab...

FIU Professor Marilys R. Nepomechie starts term as ACSA President

2015-07-21T13:45:00-04:00

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) is pleased to announce that Marilys Nepomechie, Professor of Architecture in the College of Architecture + The Arts at Florida International University (FIU), has begun her term as ACSA President for 2015-2016 academic year. [...] Bruce Lindsey, teacher and administrator at Washington University in St. Louis, is also starting his term as Vice President this month.

The ACSA announcement goes on to say: "As president of ACSA, Nepomechie has vowed to address the challenges facing ACSA schools, including diminishing institutional funding to support faculty and student work; a need to increase student and faculty diversity; the imperative to facilitate broad accessibility and affordability to our programs; the challenges of reframing the possibilities offered by online education; and in response to the breadth and rapid pace of change in the academy and the profession, the need to reassess, and perhaps recalibrate, our curricular structures."

Related Archinect news:

Boston Architectural College announces Glen S. LeRoy as new president

2015-06-29T18:19:00-04:00

The dean of a Michigan architectural school has been tapped to head the financially struggling Boston Architectural College, after a year-long search that started with the dismissal of longtime BAC president Theodore Landsmark. Glen S. LeRoy, 64, who oversees Lawrence Technological University’s College of Architecture and Design in Southfield, Mich., will become president of Boston Architectural College Sept. 1.

Marc Pelletier, Boston Architectural College board of trustees president, published this written statement on the school's website today:

Dear BAC Community,

We are tremendously pleased to share with you the news that after a national search, Glen S. LeRoy, FAIA, FAICP, has been selected to lead the Boston Architectural College as our next president. Mr. LeRoy currently serves as the dean and a professor at the College of Architecture and Design at Lawrence Technological University in Detroit. Mr. LeRoy stood out from a field of talented individuals for his commitment to practice-based learning, his great success at leading an urban design college during challenging times, and his creativity and ability to attract investment. He is also a well-known architect who has practical knowledge about the profession and the market our students will enter.

We have the utmost confidence that he is the right person to lead the BAC and to build on the solid foundation that exists while preserving o...

Thomas Vonier elected 2017 AIA President

2015-05-20T16:44:00-04:00

Thomas V. Vonier, FAIA, from AIA Continental Europe, was elected 2016 AIA First Vice President/2017 President at AIA Convention 2015 in Atlanta. [...] "Our profession must have unity of purpose and enlarge its constituency. This new era demands fresh ideas and new approaches. We have begun to set new directions for AIA, putting members and components first. We are on a new course."

2014 Chicago Prize winners envision the Obama Presidential Library

2015-02-13T18:06:00-05:00

Although an American president has the right to having a dedicated Presidential Library, it's no surprise that the museum-library-shrine typology can spark debate and criticism regarding its true civic purpose. As plans for the Barack Obama Presidential Library appear to slowly take shape, the Chicago Architectural Club organized the 2014 Chicago Prize ideas competition that invited architects to send their own speculative designs of the Obama Presidential Library. The latest competition aimed to initiate further discussion on how the presidential library typology can be reimagined.

At the end of the competition, the jury (listed at the bottom) selected two winners and three honorable mentions:

↓ WINNER: Zhu Wenyi, Fu Junsheng, and Liang Yiang

↓ WINNER: Aras Burak Sen

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

↓ Design Team: Dániel Palotai

↓ Design Team: Drew Cowdrey and Trey Kirk

↓ Design Team: Ann Lui and Craig Reschke

To find out more, click here.

2014 Chicago Prize Jury:
Andy Metter (Epstein); Brian Lee (SOM); ...

Design archives of Jackie Kennedy's Wexford House to be auctioned

2015-02-06T20:48:00-05:00

Over 400 pieces that archive the construction and design of the presidential Kennedy family's Wexford House will soon be up for sale at a live auction on February 19 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts that will be hosted by Boston-based auction company RR Auction. Bidding begins February 12-18.

The vast collection consists of three large binders and two large folders that contain oversized building plans, paperwork, photographs, magazine tearouts with Jackie's written design notes, and handwritten correspondence that covers almost all the construction and design aspects of the Wexford House -- including 10 letters that Jackie penned herself. The collection spans from 1961-64 with emphasis on 1963, the main year of construction.

The story behind the Wexford House reads like a saccharine yet bittersweet tale of the elusive American Dream. Named by Jackie as a nod to JFK's Irish roots, the Wexford House was constructed from late 1962 and completed in the summer of 196...

RIBA elects Jane Duncan as next President

2014-07-23T14:03:00-04:00

The Royal Institute of British Architects today announced the result of its presidential election: Jane Duncan, director of Jane Duncan Architects, will become President Elect on September 1, 2014 and will take over the two-year elected presidency from Stephen Hodder on September 1, 2015. Jane Duncan will be the 75th RIBA President.

“I am delighted to be elected and to have the mandate from RIBA members to undertake my election pledges on improving pride, fees and diversity within the architecture profession," said Jane Duncan after the announcement of the election result. "Over the next year I will be working hard to support Stephen Hodder and visiting and talking to members and staff across the UK.”

On her campaign website Jane4RIBA, Duncan describes her goals in a mini manifesto:

PRIDE: "Restore pride in being an Architect and in the creative and influential work we do"
PROFIT: "Drive up fees through campaigning for payment appropriate to skills and experience"
PEOPLE: "Improve diver...