WXY architecture + urban design, Body Lawson Associates, and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) have broken ground on a $300 million redevelopment plan that will replace the defunct Spofford Juvenile Detention Center in The Bronx with up to 740 units of affordable housing... View full entry
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill 451 into law, creating a new statewide historic rehabilitation tax credit incentive to help spur the reuse of existing historic buildings. According to the Los Angeles Conservancy website, the bill builds on previous historic tax credit... View full entry
Since April, the gates have been locked against the city and its contractors, and only a few people let in. The case manager’s office has sat empty since Aug. 5, and no one has left the village for permanent housing since at least July.
Now, after an almost seven-month stalemate, the city announced Tuesday it won’t fund the village after December, saying it’s out of compliance with its contract.
— The Seattle Times
In a city-issued press release, Seattle spokesperson Will Lemke writes, “The village will no longer operate after Dec. 31, 2019, and the property will be returned to Seattle City Light.” City officials, according to The Seattle Times, will help offer “new shelter or housing... View full entry
Following an international design competition, Zaha Hadid Architects and Australian practice Cox Architecture were recently appointed as Master Architect for the Western Sydney International Airport. The competition began with 40 applicant teams, from which five finalist teams were selected to... View full entry
In his Masterclass, Frank Gehry touches on an important creative principle: "I have always felt if you know what you are going to do in advance then you won't do it. Your creativity starts with whether you're curious or not." It's an intriguing point. As I rewatched the trailer for the course, it... View full entry
The Architecture and Design Museum (A+D), Archinect, and KCRW's DnA: Design and Architecture are coming together for SHORTLISTED!, a day-long symposium focused on highlighting the current state of earning, awarding, and judging architectural commissions in Los Angeles. The... View full entry
It's already that time of year when the Australian Institute of Architects announces the winning projects for the 2019 National Architecture Awards, which distinguishes top-notch projects throughout Australia.The competition pool began with 185 eligible projects, which was then narrowed down to a... View full entry
Living in a smart home neighborhood, the Fergusons experience both convenience and surveillance. And that's typical in Black Diamond, where Lennar Homes offers smart homes as part of a 4,800 unit development that includes other builders. This neighborhood isn't a one off. There are smart home developments in suburbs outside of cities such as Miami and San Francisco. Lennar is making Amazon tech standard on each of the 45,000 homes it builds this year. — NPR
Families in a Lennar Homes development in the Seattle suburb of Black Diamond are settling into their newly built and Amazon smart technology-equipped homes — some to their excitement, others fearing constant surveillance. "In this community, there are smart homes on one side of the street... View full entry
Amazon said the new store would be distinct from organic and high-end chain Whole Foods Market, which Amazon acquired in 2017 for $13.7 billion, but declined to answer further questions about how the store would be different or what it would be called. — The Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times reports that the grocery store will feature conventional checkout services, unlike the company's Amazon Go stores, which do not have cashiers. The store, according to the report, will be distinct from Whole Foods Market establishments, as well. View full entry
A new report from the International Code Council ranks the top commercial building code violations in a variety of construction trades. The 2019 Common Code Noncompliance Survey Report also details the reasons behind the violations. — Construction Dive
Construction Dive lists the top five causes for issues, according to inspectors as: Workers that don't follow the manufacturer’s instructions.A contractor’s lack of code knowledge. Cost-cutting, such as using substandard building materials that don’t meet local requirements.A lack of... View full entry
This post is brought to you by eVolo Magazine The eVolo Skyscraper Competition is an annual call to architects, designers, and urban planners around the globe to explore new ideas for vertical living. It is an opportunity for novel exploration, dialogue, and critique. How can architecture... View full entry
On Tuesday night, the Marciano Art Foundation laid off nearly six dozen visitor services employees who had been attempting to unionize. The museum then issued a public statement saying that the space would be “closed to the public until further notice.” By Wednesday, the museum had issued yet another statement: There are “no present plans to reopen.”
Staffers who had announced their intent to unionize decried the shutdown as an illegal union-busting scheme.
— The Los Angeles Times
The Marciano Art Foundation debuted in 2017 and was designed by wHY within a building originally designed by storied Los Angeles architect Millard Sheets. Describing the abrupt closure, Carolina Miranda writes in The Los Angeles Times, "The Marciano situation has also highlighted... View full entry
Different Tomorrows: Design Futures Beyond the Bauhaus [...] brought together scholars, artists, activists and designers to challenge the Bauhaus as the movement of record with discussions related to gender, race and global perspectives.
Organized by graduate Media Design Practices Department Associate Professor Sean Donahue and Professor Elizabeth Chin, the series included a reading room, [...] projects questioning the Bauhaus legacy, and a docent tour of the Getty Center’s Bauhaus archives.
— ArtCenter College of Design
A thoughtful interview with Elizabeth Chin and Sean Donahue, the two ArtCenter College of Design-based organizers behind Different Tomorrows: Design Futures Beyond the Bauhaus reveals a bevy of interesting and thought-provoking connections between the Bauhaus and a variety of topics and... View full entry
The iconic New York State Pavilion observation towers in Flushing, Queens are being restored. The New York City Parks Department broke ground on the project this week. Designed by Philip Johnson and Lev Zetlin, the two flying saucer-topped observation towers as well as an adjacent pavilion will... View full entry
A recent report in Bloomberg News detailing accusations that Safdie Architects' much-Instagrammed Jewel Changi Airport design had been lifted from a proposed expansion to Doha's Hamad International Airport highlights the changing status of airport design. The accusation was quickly... View full entry
