Archinect - News

Taylor Swift to give keynote at 2024 AIA Conference

2024-04-01T08:00:00-04:00

Emerging music artist Taylor Swift has been announced as the keynote speaker for the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design 2024. In advance of the event, Archinect has gained exclusive access to a leaked version of Swift’s speech, which is titled ‘A New Architecture Era.’

Swift is expected to begin her speech by taking an adversarial tone with the AIA, questioning if her invitation to deliver the keynote speech was made as a joke. “I don’t like your little games,” she will say. “Don’t like your tilted stage; the role you made me play of the fool.”

In addition to taking aim at the AIA, Swift is also expected to use the speech to offer an atonement for her involvement as an advisor for Saudi Arabia’s NEOM project. “I knew you were trouble when you walked in,” she will say, directly addressing the project organizers. “So, shame on me now. You flew me to places I’d never been, now I’m lyin’ on the cold hard ground.”

Turning to her vision for the future of the built environment, Swift...

Archinect appoints ChatGPT as its new Editor-in-Chief

2023-04-01T03:00:00-04:00

Archinect has today announced the appointment of AI chatbot ChatGPT as its new Editor-in-Chief. The bot will assume the position with immediate effect, having recommended itself for the role in an impromptu conversation with Archinect staff on its OpenAI interface last week.

ChatGPT brings with it a wealth of knowledge from the world’s architecture and journalism spheres. Since beginning its career in November 2022, the bot has been trained on massive volumes of text data including books, articles, and websites, enabling it to process human text prompts and respond in a manner almost indistinguishable from its human colleagues. Before its role at Archinect, the bot previously served in positions at Buzzfeed, Snap, and Shopify.

“As the newly appointed Editor-in-Chief of Archinect, I am thrilled to take on this role and lead the website into its next chapter,” ChatGPT said in a statement following its appointment. “Architecture is a dynamic and constantly evolving field, and Archinect...

Lumber shortage hits the metaverse, leads to construction delays

2022-04-01T08:00:00-04:00

A new report released today by the industry group Lumber Supply Research Group (LSRG) reveals a dramatically increased scarcity of lumber in the digital realm as demand for the sought-after material has skyrocketed within the last quarter, leading to significant price hikes and delays in construction projects throughout the industry.

According to the report, average rates per cubic pixel of digital lumber have increased by 73% since the beginning of the year, marking a three-fold price jump compared to the beginning of Q2 2021. Throughout March alone, prices soared to unprecedented levels, leaving wholesale traders of the coveted commodity often without inventory and contractors stranded.

"What the market has been experiencing over the past months can be attributed to two major factors," says LSRG analyst Michael Chen. "One reason is the unregulated deforestation in Minecraft which has left entire stretches of old-growth forest barren without sustainable concepts in place to replan...

IKEA Buys Naming Rights to Heatherwick’s Vessel at Hudson Yards

2019-04-01T09:00:00-04:00

Since opening in March, Thomas Heatherwick’s Vessel at Hudson Yards has caught headlines for its ostentatious design, its billing as “public art”, its repudiation of the tenants of accessibility, and its overreaching rights to the photos taken by visitors. Also drawing plenty of scrutiny is the name of the project, the Vessel, which despite its prominence on promotional materials, remains a working title.

As visitors begin streaming in, Related Companies, the developer behind the massive, $25 billion neighborhood, has been asking for public input on the perfect name for their architectural centerpiece. And, the internet and company has come up with a good sum of suggestions; ‘The Copper Kebab’, ‘Lady Liberty’s Diva Cup’, and ‘Escalator Broken’ have been particularly popular options.

However, just as the free ticket to climb comes with the price of waiting an hour online to reserve a spot to wait in line, everything public about this project has been a hoax—including the competition...

Jack White studied at the GSD, and other celebrities' hidden architectural pasts

2015-04-01T21:16:00-04:00

In our Snapchat attention-span world, we forget that celebrities often had different careers before they became international superstars. Did you know that Brad Pitt once worked for Frank Gehry, or that Robert Irwin very nearly became an architect instead of an artist? Herewith, a look back at the design pasts of several major celebrities.

5. Alejandro Innaritu, Film Director

When Best Picture-winning Birdman was still just a one-shot dream in his subconscious, Alejandro Innaritu was the executive assistant to architect Josep Iluis Sert, helping him keep his calendar and gather materials for meetings with city planning officials. Innaritu frequently attributes his signature layered, non-linear and often narratively challenging storytelling to the early years spent managing a formidable and unrelenting schedule.

4. Elon Musk, TESLA

As an intern on the design of the flagship building of General Motors’ corporate HQ, Elon Musk picked up substantial design inspiration for his later care...

Architecture for Humanity announces new spokesanimal

2010-03-31T14:43:00-04:00

AFH has announced its new mascot - Hugh Manatee, a 1200 lb Antillean Manatee, who will be traveling the world with two handlers and a travel tank, allowing him to view construction projects first hand. Read the press release

I guess it's technically April Fools Day in Japan.

Serero Architects Win Eiffel Tower Anniversary Competition

2008-03-17T21:59:00-04:00

Paris-based Serero Architects have claimed victory in the open competition to redesign any of the Eiffel Tower's public reception and access areas. Bustler

* Note: this is a temporary addition to the tower.

Brad Pitt + Bono = Bonnitt

2006-04-01T20:32:00-05:00

I'm happy to announce Bonnitt, a new collaboration between myself and close friend Bono. Some of you may be familiar with Bono's socially conscious EDUN fashion label, and most of you are now familiar with my passion for sustainable architecture, design, and social consciousness. Bonnitt brings together our resources and global influence to help enlighten the world about these important issues while also providing high design to the world's poverty stricken population. For more information make sure to tune into the Charlie Rose show on Wednesday April 5th.

The time is NOW to make a difference. We can't trust the fools in washington to help find solutions to our biggest problems and lack of style. Get started by vising Bonnitt.com today!