Archinect - News

This video shows you how to hand-letter like an architect

2017-08-15T12:33:00-04:00

If you draw by hand and want that authentic, angular all-caps architectural lettered look for the text on your drawings, this straightforward video breaks down how to create all 26 letters of the alphabet. Get ready to learn about "dynamic angles" and suggested connections:

How connected do architects still feel to the profession? More Dear Architecture letters explore that question

2015-09-23T18:02:00-04:00

While it's just as important to have serious discussions about the future of architecture, so is taking a hard, honest look at its present state. And if the letters from the recently concluded "Dear Architecture" competition indicate anything about how individual architects perceive the field right now, things are looking bleak.

Organized by Blank Space, the competition invited entrants to write an approximately 500-word letter addressed to Architecture, whether as a concept, a social practice, or a community. The 12 Honorable Mention entries, although written as seemingly fictional anecdotes, consistently expressed feelings of disconnection with architecture — topped with a melancholic tone that is just yearning for the better.

Read the 12 Honorable Mentions in their entirety (listed in no particular ranking):

1. Aditya Ghosh

"Dear Architecture,

It’s paper, exactly 9 inches wide and 15 inches high. It’s two dimensional, flat and featureless. A shade of white that is incapable of any ex...

"Dear Architecture" winners write fictional letters addressing real problems in the field

2015-09-16T13:05:00-04:00

We surely have loads to say about the architecture profession, but how would you compose all those thoughts into the good ol' classical form of a letter? The "Dear Architecture" ideas competition asked its participants just that.

Created by Blank Space, the same people who organized the Fairy Tales Architecture Competition, "Dear Architecture" entrants had to pen their own 500-word letter to architecture — whether as a concept, a social practice, or as a community — along with an illustration to supplement their letter's message.

Entrants from over 60 countries responded to the brief. Not too surprisingly, the letters got upfront and personal, if not a little bit heart-breaking.

The jury — which included Fernando Romero, Elena Manferdini, Hani Rashid, Natasha Jen, and Archinect and Bustler's very own Alexander Walter — selected three top-prize winners and 12 Honorable Mentions.

Read the top three letters in their entirety below.

1ST PRIZE ($1,500): Craig L. Wilkins, Ph.D., RA

"Dear Archit...

Tree-hugging in the modern age

2015-07-13T13:13:00-04:00

The city of Melbourne assigned trees email addresses so citizens could report problems. Instead, people wrote thousands of love letters to their favorite trees.

One tree letter excerpt reads: "My dearest Ulmus," the message began. “As I was leaving St. Mary’s College today I was struck, not by a branch, but by your radiant beauty. You must get these messages all the time. You’re such an attractive tree.”

Related Archinect news in the trees-are-friends genre:

Regular Registration for Dear Architecture ends June 24

2015-06-23T21:15:00-04:00

The Regular Registration period for the Dear Architecture competition is coming to a close tomorrow, June 24. Afterward, the current $40 fee will go up to $50 until the final deadline on July 24.

Presented by Blank Space — the creators of the successful Fairy Tales Architecture Competition — along with Archinect, our sister site Bustler, and ArchDaily, Dear Architecture invites participants worldwide to write their own 500-word letter to architecture — whether as a concept, a social practice, or as a community — along with an illustration to supplement their letter's message.

Through letter-writing, the competition hopes to initiate an open dialogue and valuable exchange of ideas about the role and responsibility of architecture in modern society.

Remember: The final registration + submission deadline is July 24.

The jury includes:

Beatrice Galilee: Associate Curator of Architecture and Design at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Fernando Romero: Founder, FR-EE
Daniel Arsham & Alex Mustonen: ...

Articulate your feelings in the "Dear Architecture" competition. Register now!

2015-05-13T21:04:00-04:00

Needless to say, effective communication is vital in architecture, but how often do architects get the chance to elaborate their own thoughts and feelings on the discipline itself — in the form of a letter? Blank Space (the creators of the successful Fairy Tales Architecture Competition) along with Archinect, our sister site Bustler, and ArchDaily are presenting a new challenge: "Dear Architecture".

Dear Architecture invites participants worldwide to write their own 500-word letter to architecture — whether as a concept, a social practice, or as a community — along with an illustration to supplement their letter's message. Through letter-writing, the competition hopes to initiate an open dialogue and valuable exchange of ideas about the role and responsibility of architecture in modern society.

Register by May 27 to take advantage of the $30 early-bird special (Regular registration: $40; Late registration: $50). The final submission deadline is July 24.

As always, give this competition...