Archinect - News

New bill seeks to re-mandate Trump's classical architecture order for federal buildings

2023-05-30T15:35:00-04:00

A new bill introduced by Republican Indiana representative Jim Banks has once again returned the years-old debate around Classicism and the design of federal government buildings first begun by Donald Trump during the final year of his Presidency.

Banks’ proposed new H.R. 3627 bill — titled the "Beautifying Federal Civic Architecture Act" — expands on the Trump era executive order to "make federal buildings beautiful again" via the establishment of a new President's Council on Improving Federal Civic Architecture and advocacy for styles of "traditional architecture" including Gothic, Romanesque, Pueblo Revival, Spanish Colonial, and Mediterranean that Banks feels are endemic to the United States.

Previously on Archinect: Trump signs executive order promoting 'traditional and classical architecture' for America's federal buildings

The bill also denounces the Brutalist style espoused by Paul Rudolph and others at midcentury in deference to the neo-classical designs used in the Supreme ...

Your next role could be to support the future of New York City’s publicly-owned architecture

2023-01-04T11:57:00-05:00

Following last week’s look at an opening for a Project Manager at site design group, we are using our first Job Highlights series of 2023 to explore an open position on Archinect Jobs for an Architect at the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS).

The role, sitting within the department’s Real Estate Services (RES) division, will help support the management of New York City’s public buildings portfolio. Responsibilities for the position, which calls for a registered architect with at least two years of experience, will include evaluating the new space requirements for New York City’s 80 public agencies, assisting in the planning and design of new projects, and updating existing floor plans of City-owned buildings.

Why the role interests us

While a large majority of architects find employment in the private secto...

James Stewart Polshek, academic and designer of important public architecture, has passed away aged 92

2022-09-12T19:14:00-04:00

A rare modest figure in a crowded era of star architects and designers has passed away as the New York Times is reporting the death of James Stewart Polshek on Friday at his home in Manhattan.

Polshek was known as the designer of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas, the Newtown Creek sewage plant in Brooklyn, and Newseum in Washington, D.C., among many others. His colleagues recalled him as a progressive champion who balanced the ideological pull of high modernism with a sensitivity to different forms, themes, building types, and architectural styles. In a statement published by the Architectural Record, Polshek’s former firm partner Richard Olcott said he was "ahead of his time."

William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park. Photo credit: © Timothy Hursley.

Born in Akron, Ohio in 1930, Polshek studied architecture at nearby Case Western Reserve University and later Yale before pursuing a Fulbright Scholarship in Copenhagen and beginnin...

Biden formally reverses controversial Trump mandate on the government's Art in Architecture program

2022-02-01T15:35:00-05:00

The Biden administration on Monday reversed a Trump-era rule dictating what kind of art can be commissioned for federal buildings as part of an effort to have public art better reflect America's diversity. The new rule removes content and style restrictions that Biden administration officials say excluded many artists from consideration for the Art in Architecture program, which commissions visual art in federal buildings.

The rule is a holdover from the Trump administration, which enacted the measure late in 2020 with the vague but distinct guideline that commissions must depict “historically significant Americans or events.” Critics immediately saw the mandate as a racist attempt to whitewash public art in the aftermath of protests that swept the nation following the death of George Floyd.

Biden’s move echoes a previous decision to reverse another controversial order regulating the architectural styles allowed on large-scale federal projects. Trump was notorious for his assault on varying federal arts and humanities programs, most notably the National Endowment of the Arts, which he made repeated and ultimately empty threats about eliminating before leaving office. The General Services Administration (GSA) says its hope is that the reversal will increase the amount of diversity and representation in Federal projects across the country.

Previously on Archinect: Biden repeals Trump's classical archite...

Hostile Architecture is making more and more people uncomfortable

2021-10-18T10:32:00-04:00

Lately, though, I’ve found myself sitting on a lot of cramped metal benches of the kind that don’t invite you to linger long, or harsh concrete ones that leave you cold. That’s because public seating is becoming an endangered species. If a park bench is not being removed, the backup plan is often to make it uncomfortable. “Hostile architecture” — an urban design strategy intended to impede “antisocial” behavior — is proliferating all over the world.

Cities like San Francisco and Boston have quietly removed seating over the last decade in misguided efforts to curb outdoor sleeping. Interventions like sleep-preventing benches and other forms of cruel deterrents aimed at the homeless population have spilled over into the public sphere.

Recently, the Seattle Art Museum stirred some backlash by installing defensive architecture on its campus as part of an upgraded security plan authored by director Amanda Cruz. Activist collective Design as Protest won this year’s Design Trust for Public Space RFP competition with an initiative that looked to create an alternative to the policies. Other groups have taken measures into their own hands. The New York Times’ Jonathan Lee offers a defense of public seating here.

Federal design mandates should end, says AIA

2021-09-22T11:08:00-04:00

The AIA has expressed support for legislation recently re-introduced to the U.S. Congress, which seeks to prevent future administrations and the federal government from mandating preferred design styles for federal buildings. The organization had previously been critical of a 2020 decision by the Trump Administration to make classical architecture “the preferred and default style” for America’s public buildings.

The bill currently sitting in Congress, named the “Democracy in Design Act,” would codify the U.S. General Service Administration’s 1962 Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture, and prohibit the federal government from mandating a preferred national design style. The bill also includes a requirement that any changes to the Design Excellence Program, which guides the procurement, design, and construction of public buildings, would need to include public comment before enactment.

Architects need 'better ways to engage the public': Rowan Moore on Trump's classical architecture order

2020-12-28T14:41:00-05:00

In fact, America has beautiful and popular non-traditional structures – the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles – and it has crude and soulless classical buildings. Unfortunately, the authors of the order are not completely wrong when they say that some architects have ignored public feeling.

Rowan Moore, architecture critic at The Observer, responds to last week's presidential executive order that makes classical and traditional architecture the preferred style for federal buildings.

"If architects don’t want to give ammunition to the repressive thinking behind this order," Moore writes, "they have to show that there are better ways to engage the public."

Docomomo US responds and opposes Trump's new executive order for 'classical and traditional' architecture

2020-12-23T20:47:00-05:00

The architecture community continues to respond to Trump's latest executive order promoting classical and traditional architecture as the "preferred style" for federal buildings. After signing the mandate at the tail end of his presidency, institutions and organizations have voiced their criticisms and thoughts on the matter.

On December 22nd, the American Institute of Architects released a public statement on the matter, sharing they "never will prioritize any type of architectural design over another." Today Docomomo US released a statement expressing their frustration and opposition.

Featured on Archinect: AIA opposes Trump's classical architecture order, plans to reverse it under Biden. Facade of the new SOM-designed United States Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, California. Photo: Flickr user Sharon Hahn Darlin.

Below is an excerpt from Docomomo US' response:

Docomomo US Response to President Trump’s Executive Order on Promoting Beautiful Civic Architecture

December 23, 2020 ...

AIA opposes Trump's classical architecture order, plans to reverse it under Biden

2020-12-22T14:01:00-05:00

Following the signing of President Trump's new executive order that makes classical and traditional architecture the preferred style for federal buildings on Monday, the American Institute of Architects promptly responded with a public condemnation.

"The AIA does not, and never will, prioritize any type of architectural
design over another," declares the latest response.

When an early draft of this federal style dictate was floated in February, the institute already condemned the attempt, tweeting on February 4th: "The AIA strongly opposes uniform style mandates for federal #architecture. Architecture should be designed for the specific communities that it serves, reflecting our rich nation’s diverse places, thought, culture and climates. Architects are committed to honoring our past as well as reflecting our future progress, protecting the freedom of thought and expression that are essential to democracy."

Trump signs executive order promoting 'traditional and classical architecture' for America's federal buildings

2020-12-21T16:29:00-05:00

With only 29 days of his White House mandate remaining, President Trump revisited a topic that had previously stoked sharp criticism from the architecture community and signed an executive order today that makes classical architecture the preferred style for federal buildings.

The order opens with a lengthy rundown of American federal architecture, from its beginnings under Washington and Jefferson, through its perceived problems with Modernism since the 1950s, all the way to calling out a certain contemporary "San Francisco Federal Building" as one of the "ugliest structures" in the city.

"Classical and other traditional architecture, as practiced both historically and by today’s architects, have proven their ability to meet these design criteria and to more than satisfy today’s functional, technical, and sustainable needs," the order transitions to the policy section. "Their use should be encouraged instead of discouraged."

Related on Archinect: New executive order could make clas...

Federal courthouse RFQ requiring classical styling condemned by AIA

2020-08-21T16:42:00-04:00

The United States General Services Administration (GSA) recently published a project solicitation notice for a planned federal courthouse in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida area that mandates a "classical architectural style" for the facility.

In response to the solicitation, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has issued a strong rebuke of the project, calling the effort a "project-by-project replacement" by the GSA of the controversial "Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again" draft executive order proposed by President Donald Trump earlier this year.

Previously on Archinect: New executive order could make classical architecture "the preferred and default style" for America's public buildings. The Jamie L. Witten Federal Building in Washington, D.C., designed by Philadelphia architects Rankin, Kellogg and Crane in 1901. Image courtesy of Wikimedia user U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Describing the organization's fierce opposition to the potential mandate, AIA EVP/Chief Execu...

Melania Trump to renovate White House Rose Garden

2020-07-27T10:54:00-04:00

First Lady Melania Trump has announced plans to spruce up the grounds of the White House Rose Garden.

According to a report from The New York Times, the project will bring electrical upgrades, a new walkway, and new flowers and shrubs to the garden, which is situated between the West Wing and White House residential areas.

Previously on Archinect: Melania Trump is building a classically inspired tennis pavilion on the White House lawn. Image courtesy of the National Capital Planning Commission.

The work is being led by Southampton, New York-based landscape architect Perry Guillot, a recipient of the 2009 Arthur Ross Award for Landscape Architecture from the Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America.

In remarks made by Trump covered by The New York Times, the First Lady stated that the renovations are an “act of expressing hope and optimism for the future,” adding, “Our country has seen difficult times before, but the White House and the Rose Garden have always stood...

Public projects in Florida to require sea level rise impact studies

2020-07-17T12:34:00-04:00

Florida's new Public Financing of Construction law requires contractors on publicly funded coastal projects to study how those projects could be impacted by sea level rise before starting work.

Construction Dive reports that project studies will need to estimate the increased storm risk during a 50 year lifespan for these structures as well as the likelihood of substantial flooding that could take place on a project site over the next 50 years. The new law also requires that designers produce design and site alternatives to mitigate these issues and for project teams to investigate the potential flooding risks associated with these alternatives.

Proposed law would prevent President Trump from imposing classical architecture style for federal buildings

2020-07-15T16:58:00-04:00

A bill introduced on July 13th by Nevada Representative Dina Titus aims to write the General Services Administration's "Guiding Principles" for federal architecture into federal law.

The bill, titled the "Democracy in Design Act," represents an effort to stop the implementation the "Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again" initiative proposed by President Donald Trump earlier this year. Though text of the proposed law has yet to be published, passage of the bill would prevent the president from using an executive order to change or undermine them.

Previously on Archinect: "New executive order could make classical architecture 'the preferred and default style' for America's public buildings." The Jamie L. Witten Federal Building in Washington, D.C., designed by Philadelphia architects Rankin, Kellogg and Crane in 1901. Image courtesy of Wikimedia user U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The principles advocate for open-ended design approaches for public buildings and the artworks displ...

Clinton-era federal public housing ban one step closer to repeal

2020-07-02T17:29:00-04:00

The United States House of Representatives has passed a substantial infrastructure bill that includes an addendum from New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez repealing the Faircloth Amendment, a 22-year-old regulation that caps the overall number of public housing units that can be built in the United States.

Previously on Archinect: "AOC and Bernie Sanders unveil "Green New Deal for Housing" plan."

The Moving Forward Act brings much needed funding to surface transportation initiatives, including public transit, provides for rural broadband infrastructure, and aims to spur the creation of green collar jobs.

Among these initiatives is Representative Ocasio-Cortez's amendment, which would begin to allow the federal government to expand the nation's public housing stock after a two decade hiatus.

Currently, federal authorities are limited in how many public housing units can be built and cannot add to the supply of public housing in the country above the number of public hous...

Bird-Safe Buildings Act passes United States House of Representatives

2020-07-01T19:37:00-04:00

Following a rare show of bipartisan support, the Bird-Safe Buildings Act of 2019 has passed the United States House of Representatives and is now headed for consideration by the Senate.

The bill would require "each public building constructed, acquired, or of which more than 50% of the facade is substantially altered" by the General Services Administration (GSA) to meet the a new set of design standards geared toward eliminating collisions between birds and the structures in question.

The new regulations stipulate that "at least 90% of the exposed facade material from ground level to 40 feet shall not be composed of glass or shall be composed of [modified, bird-friendly] glass." According to the text of the bill, bird-friendly glass could be made up of "elements that preclude bird collisions without completely obscuring vision, such as secondary facades, netting, screens, shutters, and exterior shades" in addition to fritted glass assemblies and screens that limit "horizontal space...

Chicago launches RFQ for Neighborhood Opportunity Fund Technical Assistance Program

2020-06-22T16:39:00-04:00

The City of Chicago has put out an RFQ seeking architects interested in working on small-scale commercial improvement projects within some of the city's "underserved neighborhoods."

Describing the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund (NOF) initiative that is fueling the RFQ call, a city website explains: "In 2016, the City of Chicago revised the Zoning Code to leverage funds generated by new development in and around the Loop to catalyze investment in Chicago’s West, Southwest and South Sides. The Neighborhood Opportunity Fund uses these funds to support commercial corridors in Chicago’s underserved neighborhoods. Business and property owners may apply for grant funding to pay for the construction or rehabilitation of real estate and projects that support new or expanding businesses or cultural assets."

Architects are invited to apply to help bring the investments funded by the NOF Technical Assistance (TA) program to life through work on all phases of the design process.

The RFQ continue...

Finegold Alexander Architects creates an energy efficient courthouse in Massachusetts

2020-05-26T14:20:00-04:00

The new 265,000 square-foot Lowell Justice Center courthouse in Massachusetts designed by Finegold Alexander Architects has opened to the public.

The $146 million facility houses Superior, District, Housing, Juvenile, Probate, and Family Court facilities, including 17 courtrooms that service those uses. Additionally, the glass-wrapped structure contains offices for court staff, a Court Service Center, a Law Library, a Registry of Deeds facility, offices of the District Attorney, and a Grand Jury Room.

The complex is grounded by a two-story, all glass atrium wrapped in artwork displays created by UK artist Martin Donlin that evoke bygone local industries and stylistic motifs symbolizing the ideals of justice in multiple languages.

According to the architects, major design considerations for the project include bringing Universal Design features to the sloped site, infusing courtrooms, hallways, and lobbies with an "abundance of natural light," as well as views to the outdoors.

A st...

Melania Trump is building a classically inspired tennis pavilion on the White House lawn

2020-03-05T20:42:00-05:00

First Lady Melania Trump has shared an update on the construction progress for a new 1,200-square-foot tennis pavilion that is currently taking shape on the South Lawn of the White House.

In a social media post published today, Trump writes, "I am excited to share the progress of the Tennis Pavillion at @WhiteHouse. Thank you to the talented team for their hard work and dedication."

Site Plan for the project. Image courtesy of the National Capital Planning Commission.

The pavilion, CNN reports, is being created by the First Lady to create a new recreation space for the First Family. In a follow-up statement published, Trump writes, "It is my hope that this private space will function as a place to gather and spend leisure time for First Families."

I am excited to share the progress of the Tennis Pavillion at @WhiteHouse. Thank you to the talented team for their hard work and dedication. pic.twitter.com/Wzown2ho26
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) March 5, 2020

According to a 2019 proposal sub...

AIA presidents pen letter to President Trump opposing proposed executive order

2020-02-24T13:08:00-05:00

In a statement posted the American Institute of Architects (AIA) website, the organization explains that a group of former AIA presidents have written a letter directly to President Donald Trump denouncing the "Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again" executive order.

Previously on Archinect: "New executive order could make classical architecture "the preferred and default style" for America's public buildings." The Jamie L. Witten Federal Building in Washington, D.C., designed by Philadelphia architects Rankin, Kellogg and Crane in 1901. Image courtesy of Wikimedia user U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The letter comes as 2020 AIA President Jane Frederick, AIA CEO and Executive Vice President Robert Ivy, and 2021 AIA President-Elect Peter Exley all denounced the initiative at the Grassroots Leadership Conference held in New Orleans las week. At least 34 current and past AIA presidents signed the letter, including Raj Barr-Kumar, William J. Bates, Helene Combs Dreiling, Carl Elefant...

National museum dedicated to women's history takes a step forward

2020-02-20T18:45:00-05:00

The United States House of Representatives has passed a bill establishing a council that will lead the planning, design, and construction of a new museum slated for Washington, D.C. dedicated to women's history.

The bill—H.R. 1980, Smithsonian Women's History Museum Act—passed the house chamber by a 374-37 bipartisan vote. The bill now heads to the United States Senate for final approval.

The Act creates a 25-person advisory council made up of scholars, congressmembers, and museum board members that will report to the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Museum with recommendations on how to proceed with the creation of the new facility, which will funded half by the federal government and half by other sources. In part, CNN reports, this board will be tasked with designating a site for the future museum, with sites on or near the National Mall given the highest priority.

A joint statement from the bill's sponsors reads, "By creating a Smithsonian museum dedicated to telling Ameri...

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, NOMA, and ASLA officially oppose Trump's efforts to "censor" modern architecture

2020-02-06T13:14:00-05:00

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH), and the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), Docomomo US, and the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) have joined the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in voicing deep opposition to a proposed executive order under consideration by President Donald Trump that would mandate classical architectural styles for federal buildings.

Major architecture groups align against Trump's Executive Order

The cascading statements come as the draft text of the statement is published by major media outlets.

In a statement posted to the National Trust website, for example, the group writes: "While the National Trust values -- and protects -- traditional and classical buildings throughout the country, to censor and stifle the full record of American architecture by requiring federal buildings to be designed, and even altered, to comply with a narrow list of styles determined by...

Read the draft text of President Trump’s classical architecture executive order

2020-02-06T00:34:00-05:00

In a seven-page draft executive order obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, Trump declares that the federal government since the 1950s has “largely stopped building beautiful buildings that the American people want to look at or work in.” Future federal government buildings, he decrees, should look like those of ancient Rome, Greece and Europe. “Classical architectural style shall be the preferred and default style,” he states.

The Chicago Sun-Times has published the draft text of President Donald Trump’s proposed “Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again” executive order that seeks to impose a classically-inspired architectural style on the nation’s federal buildings.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has voiced opposition to the measure.

AIA "strongly opposes uniform style mandates for federal architecture"

2020-02-04T20:15:00-05:00

Following reports that President Donald Trump is planning to issue an executive order mandating that classical architectural styles become the nation's defacto architectural motifs, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has issued statement opposing the idea.

1/ The American Institute of Architects issued the following statement today:

“The AIA strongly opposes uniform style mandates for federal #architecture. Architecture should be designed for the specific communities that it serves, ...
— AIA National (@AIANational) February 5, 2020

In a Tweet from the AIA National organization account, the group writes, "The AIA strongly opposes uniform style mandates for federal #architecture," adding that "Architecture should be designed for the specific communities that it serves, reflecting our rich nation’s diverse places, thought, culture and climates."

Previously on Archinect: New executive order could make classical architecture "the preferred and default style" for America's public...

New executive order could make classical architecture "the preferred and default style" for America's public buildings

2020-02-04T13:50:00-05:00

Is neoclassicism about to make a big comeback?

It looks likely, as a new executive order under consideration by President Donald Trump attempts to make classicism the "preferred and default style" for new and upgraded federal buildings.

According to an exclusive report by Architectural Record, the predictably named "Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again" executive order would seek to reposition classically inspired architecture as the country's default public building style. The shift comes in opposition to the longstanding style agnosticism displayed by public buildings in recent decades following the creation of the Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture directive crafted in 1962 by former New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

Moynihan's directive—which states that "The development of an official style must be avoided" and that "Design must flow from the architectural profession to the Government and not vice versa"—has resulted in a wide ranging set of innovative pu...

Center for Architecture celebrates NYC's best municipal buildings

2020-01-18T09:00:00-05:00

The Center for Architecture in New York City is currently presenting a collection of "superior public building projects" via a wide-ranging exhibition created in collaboration with the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) that seeks to celebrate some of the city's most arresting public architecture.

Public Works: Reflecting on 15 Years of Project Excellence for New York City, offers a refreshing take on contemporary design in New York City that subtly challenges the city's reputation as a place dominated by market-oriented development. Highlighting a collection of projects developed over the last decade and a half by firms large and small, Public Works seeks to show off building projects created for public use that "enhance communities while contributing to a thriving, healthy, sustainable and resilient City," according to a press release announcing the exhibition.

The Rescue Company 2 fire station in Brooklyn by Studio Gang. Image courtesy of Tom Harris.

The e...

Cracked dome discovered at Illinois State Capitol

2019-12-20T13:36:00-05:00

A recent study of the Illinois State Capitol Dome in Springfield, Illinois has discovered “some obvious flaws on the exterior of the dome,” including significant cracking "on all four compass points" where bracketed structures support the interior stone columns below the dome, The Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The French Renaissance and Italianate style Capitol complex was designed by Chicago architects John C. Cochrane and Charles O. Garnsey in 1868 and was completed in 1888.

Exterior view of the Illinois State Capitol dome, which is showing signs of cracking. Image courtesy of Flickr user Jeff Sharp.

Harl Ray, senior project manager for the Illinois secretary of state’s Department of Physical Services, is quoted by The Chicago Sun-Times as stating, “They are not worried. There is no structural failure. They’re just wanting to know what happened and why.” Ray added, “Those cracks look like they’ve been there for decades — a long, long time.”

Chicago-based architects Bailey Edward are ...

Ric Abramson tapped to lead West Hollywood's new Urban Design and Architecture Studio

2019-11-15T13:17:00-05:00

Los Angeles area architect Ric Abramson has been selected to head a new Urban Design and Architecture Studio housed within the City of West Hollywood's Community Services Department.

Abramson, whose practice, WorkPlays studio*architecture, is based in West Hollywood, has been active in the city's project review and design commission boards for many years. According to a report in Wehoville, the architect will oversee the city's sometimes-contentious Design Review process while also applying his expertise toward the redesign of West Hollywood's streets and public spaces. Abramson will also be tasked, according to the report, with implementing a series of new urban design strategies for the city as the West Hollywood negotiates for a potential transit line extension through the city in advance of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The focus of these efforts will include improving the city's "architecture, infrastructure, and the relationship of private developments to public spac...

Why building a neighborhood library can take so long to complete

2018-03-30T15:04:00-04:00

Today’s libraries have also evolved into complex institutions compressed into small spaces, making their design needs equally intricate. ... In the end, the problem of how to build good public architecture briskly and frugally has little to do with design and everything to do with bureaucracy. Virtually no one feels the urgency or has the clout to reform a sclerotic system.

The Modern Urbanism of Cook's Camden

2018-01-23T14:08:00-05:00

The council housing designed 50 years ago for a progressive London borough remains a potent symbol of the achievements of postwar social democracy.

Prompted by Mark Swenarton's recent book, Cook's Camden, Douglas Murphy looks at the radically experimental public housing estates built by the London borough from 1966 to 1975, and the reevaluation of these extraordinary projects currently underway in our own era of unaffordable cities and triumphant privatization.