Archinect - News

Pratt Institute launches new Center for Climate Adaptation aimed at researching resiliency solutions for island cities

2024-03-13T14:28:00-04:00

Pratt Institute has announced the creation of the new Center for Climate Adaptation (CCA). The initiative is part of its alignment with The New York Climate Exchange, a consortium of research institutions that will use Governor’s Island as its hub for climate change investigations and education. David Erdman, an associate professor in the Graduate Architecture and Urban Design (GAUD) program, will lead the center as its first Director.

Pratt says the new CCA is aimed partially at protecting global island cities such as New York and Singapore. The focus expands on the United Nations Archipelago Agenda and will include experts taken from every subfield of architecture and urban design. Pace University and Singapore University of Technology and Design have signed on as academic partners in the initiative as well.

The school's President, Frances Bronet, stated: “The Center combines our deep engagement with the local community and global networks, and our collaborative approach to critic...

Nearly two decades in the making, Dubai's Palm Jumeirah nears completion

2019-06-24T15:49:00-04:00

The Palm Jumeirah has been Dubai’s most enduring work in progress for two decades. Now developer Nakheel is adding the finishing touches. Several major additions to the world’s biggest man-made island are approaching completion as it transitions from a near-perpetual construction site to a near-finished community—with hundreds of shops and restaurants set to open in the year ahead.

"Among the latest additions are a shopping mall and a tower that will form the centerpiece of the island, located close to the site originally earmarked for a 48-story Trump Tower," reports Mansion Global.

Palm Jumeirah in 2012. Photo: Richard Schneider/Wikipedia.

Meanwhile next door, the hyperambitious and once-declared-dead-but-now-happening-again The World artificial archipelago of 300 islands is reportedly seeing revived development again.

Florida Keys get new affordable housing after Hurricane Irma destruction

2018-08-29T14:42:00-04:00

Irma instilled new urgency to address the islands’ housing problem. “What was an emergency prior to the storm is now a crisis—an utter and complete crisis with regards to the housing for average worker here in Monroe County,” said Mike Laurent, executive director of the Florida Keys Community Land Trust.

The Florida Keys Community Land Trust was developed after Hurricane Irma hit last year to help built new affordable housing, which suffered the most damage on the islands. So far the trust has four new affordable cottages under construction with plans of building 20 more.

The new homes have been designed by Marianne Cusato, who led a similar disaster architecture project in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. Designed to withstand 200 mile-per-hour winds and at an elevation of 12 feet, the cottages' monthly rent will be capped at $1,588 with preference given to families displaced by Irma.

The World is coming back to life in Dubai

2018-02-14T14:26:00-05:00

Underwater bedrooms, ‘Lohan Island’ and snow all year round – a decade after it was scuppered by the financial crash, the fantasy archipelago of 300 artificial ‘countries’ is back in business. Has anybody learned anything?

Remember The World? Dubai's lofty vision a decade-and-a-half ago to recreate the globe's map with artificial, celebrity-owned islands dredged from the Gulf floor that was just as grandiose and monumental as its financial crash in 2008? Well, it appears to be back in business again.

The Guardian's Oliver Wainwright takes a trip to the long-abandoned and now-bustling-with-development-again artificial archipelago of 300 islands 2.5 miles off Dubai's coast and confirms: "After a decade in limbo, The World is back – with more ambitious plans than ever before."

And yes, Lindsay Lohan is designing her own island, too.

Jason F. McLennan selected to design Leonardo DiCaprio's restorative eco-resort

2015-04-15T12:16:00-04:00

When it opens to guests in 2018, 'Blackadore Caye, a Restorative Island' will feature the trappings of many luxury resorts, with sprawling villas, infinity pools and stunning sunset views. But the 'Restorative' in the title refers not just to the impact the island might have on visitors, but to the island itself. Blackadore Caye has suffered from overfishing, an eroding coastline and the deforestation of its mangrove trees, and the partners mean to put it back to rights.

After co-purchasing the unpopulated Blackadore Caye off the coast of Belize for reportedly $1.75 million in 2005, actor Leonardo DiCaprio recently revealed plans with Delos chief executive Paul Scialla and lead architect Jason F. McLennan to build an eco-conscious resort dubbed "Blackadore Caye, a Restorative Island”, slated to open in 2018. The resort's design will follow Living Building Challenge standards and include Delos' signature health-conscious amenities for guests. It'll also feature artificial reefs, fish shelters, and plant nurseries to what the partners say will eventually restore the island.

While the millionaire-friendly resort could propel Belize's economy, it brings up the debatable topic of ecotourism and its legitimacy. As it seems, giving money to an environmental conversation program isn't vogue enough for the rich and famous.

Landscape research project takes on Long Island's Jamaica Bay

2015-01-29T14:24:00-05:00

Landscape architect Catherine Seavitt, along with her team at the City College of New York, take those approaches to Jamaica Bay a step further as part of the larger Structures of Coastal Resilience study, which includes three other East Coast bays attended to by university-based teams. As Seavitt explains, her studio follows a growing trend in the field of landscape architecture toward experimental and science-based design processes and active participation in policy discussions.

China builds its dream island; Qatar controversies continue; the internet slows down: Weekly News Round-Up for September 7, 2014

2014-09-15T20:01:00-04:00

Friday, September 12:

Vincent Scully Prize 2014 awarded to journalist and TV host Charlie Rose: The prize was established by the National Building Museum in 1999, and is named after the famed Yale art history and architecture professor who helped establish Louis Kahn and Robert Venturi. Rose was distinguished by his interviews of leaders in urban design and development.

Thursday, September 11:

Toronto set to unveil first museum of Islamic culture in North America: The museum is backed by Aga Khan, a "lesser-known royal" and spiritual leader of an estimated 15 million Ismaili Muslims, approximately 100,000 of which now live in Canada. The museum is designed by Pritzker winner Fumihiko Maki, and opens September 18.

Wednesday, September 10:

The long-lost design bible of the New York subway is (briefly) back in print: In 1967, the New York City Transit Authority asked designers Massimo Vignelli and Bob Noorda to create a solution to the subway system's inconsistent and confusing identity. Th...