Nicholas Korody interviewed a class of SCI-Arc students who led by faculty member Darin Johnstone got to design and build their IVRV House in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity. While acknowledging that "it's always easier to build affordable housing when stuff is donated like money, time, land, and furniture" Everyday Intern overall, wishes "more schools would partner to do projects like this just so students have a better idea of the profession before they go out and find their first jobs."

In Brexit news, Archinect Sessions #74 featured architects Rob Hyde, Katy Marks and Mark Middleton on why Brexit means Brexit. Plus, a pair of op-eds offered optimistic takes post-Brexit, aka "I guess that's one way to polish a turd."
 

News
Amelia Taylor-Hochberg drew attention to research by Associate Professor of engineering Kasun Hewage along with PhD candidate Mohammad Kamali at University of British Columbia, which suggests that one way to solve the housing crisis, may be to invest more in modular construction. Carrera argued "Priced it / tried to buy one, zoning will stop you below 1,400SF if you try to build it near civilization, then the transportation cost will wipe out any perceived economy…different if you’re stacking them 57 stories high."

Reacting to a profile of the Seagram Building under the ownership of Mr. Rosen and Michael Fuchs, of RFR Holding. thisisnotmyname judged the Times article as "basically a puff piece...The building produces more than enough revenue to cover the yearly maintenance work...It's not like Aby did it out of the goodness of his heart.   Rosen's actions to destroy the Four Seasons over the past 4 years show his true philistine and childish approach to stewardship of the Seagram Building."

The Elbphilharmonie, a massive building complex by Herzog & De Meuron, will open in early January 2017. Donna Sink sounded disappointed "It's bulky and mean, like their Caixa Forum. Their early work was much more simple. I feel like they are still trying to be simple but it ends up being bombastic."

Even though the ABI for June was positive for the fifth consecutive month, there is a growing sense that the construction industry expansion will be more tempered over the next eighteen months...according to AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA.

Gruen Associates, Mia Lehrer + Associates, Oyler Wu Collaborative, and civil and structural engineering firm Psomas; will design the final 12 miles of the San Fernando Valley portion of the Los Angeles River Greenway. Janosh didn’t understand the inclusion of "Oyler Wu, whose expertise seems to be in installations, jewelry, and filament-like shade structures that produce virtually no shade. The last thing that the LA River needs is a bunch of capricious follies and pavilions... I really hope these guys can do something that people want to occupy/use."

Quartz dug into Jeanne Gang's 'Polis Project' — an experiment in empathetic policing. b3tadine[sutures] wasn’t impressed "Police don't know how to talk to people. People are afraid of the police. Solution? Build a Community Jail?...Architecture won't solve this...Oh fuck it. Architecture is cheaper."

Firms/Work Updates
The author of the TrueCADD blog published a post analyzing the possible effects of Brexit on the "Architects & building construction labor force".

Kantine - Herkules Maschinenfabrik in Meuselwitz, Germany by Ian Shaw Architekten and Bowtie in Toronto, Canada by rzlbd, are just two of the projects featured in the latest Ten Top Images on Archinect's "Minimalism" Pinterest Board.

For those looking for work, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation is hiring a Green Infrastructure Project Manager. Or for those of you who might be London based, Archinect is looking for writers to cover more regional (UK/London) news and events.

Rodic Davidson was excited to announce that a redevelopment project (of a historic farmstead from the 17th Century; incorporating a Grade II listed farmhouse and Suffolk Barn) has received Planning and Listed Building Consent.

Sean Joyner started the Socratic Method. He intends to use the blog to "stimulate thought on various topics pertaining to the practice and study of design. Everything I write will be intended for further discussion and, like Socrates himself, I'll rarely assert a specific position." Sounds promising!
 

School/Blogs
Work by Syracuse Architecture, will be on public display from July 29-August 14, 2016 at the Shenzhen Design Center in Shenzhen, China as part of 'Rural-Urban Re-Inventions: Bridging the Gap Between China’s Cities and Countryside', an exhibition of research by five design firms and eleven architecture schools.

SCI-Arc hyped its fall 2016 series of public events, which will include speakers from a broad cross-section of today’s most exciting practitioners, including Amale Andraos, Preston Scott Cohen and Enrique Norten, among others.

One event of note #SCI-Arc: Architecture in the Age of Digital Media a Roundtable Discussion will feature among other speakers Amelia Taylor-Hochberg, Managing Editor and Podcast Co-Producer at Archinect

Will Galloway provided an update on Keio University’s plans to have, students design and build five dormitories and workshops on a piece of land adjacent to the main campus, over the next five years. One of the things he really likes about the first completed dormitory "is that it is ambitious not only as a project for students, but for the area...The student built campus is intended to break that mold."

Meanwhile over at the community Blog for IDS 420 Summer 2016, Patsy Terry and Rachel Mingle, both wrote about their week 6.
 

Discussions/Threads
garbage forcefield was looking for help with An Ethical Question . . . Despite the offered-up lengthy explanation Volunteer was nonplussed "You cannot be this stupid." geezertect added "Exactly.  This will undoubtedly end in litigation and somebody is going to get a real big hickey.  You will end up not getting a dime of your finder's fee.  Stay out of it." Although, mightyaa had a different take "You can definitely make introductions. ...Liability?  Pretty much non-existent... this is marketing."

On a related note Peter Normand asked "Should the architecture profession boycott this obviously racist and corrupt redevelopment endeavor?" Marc Miller noted that unfortunately "IMO that's an easy answer but you're assuming that all architects are socially conscious and would tow that line. More likely is that there are an untold number of architects who are - ready to do the work because that's business…"

archiwutm8 jumped in over at Thread Central looking for a referee for an office argument over "what symbol to use for underside of beam/steel and top of beam/steel. What's the universal symbols?" Non Sequitur takes a no chances approach "I don't trust contractors to know anything...normally write 'TOP OF STEEL' without abbreviation. I don't have time for a contractor to call and ask." while situationist dropped a joke about "means and methods".

Finally on a lighter note, chris-chitect, referenced a dream of "building a cube in a conservative neighbourhood just to annoy wealthy people." While some like chigurh agreed "that project is tight  - its the white piece of shit next door that should be torn down" others such as Volunteer believed "This Vancouver house seems textbook on how not to do a whole raft of things."

Additionally
You might be interested in Making as an Act of Caring by Anub Jain wherein she writes

"If we are going to idolise makers and create large-scale foundries, incubators and educational programs to inculcate and embrace the love for making, then lets nourish this idea of making as care-giving too, and ensure that the ‘maker-culture’ we build is diverse and inclusive. And in doing so, encourage a relentless inquisitiveness, integrity, and pliancy that it can bring for us, those around us and the environments we live in."

h/t @bruces