R.I.P. Robert Venturi. Initially Anthony Morey offered up a collection of videos (of just some of) Venturi’s public conversations and lectures.

Later Frank Gehry eulogized

"He was a staggering figure in my life. We disagreed on almost everything in architecture, but I just loved Bob and Denise. ..He opened architecture up to the world of pop culture; opening it to the art world, the commercial world."

And other friends and colleagues shared their thoughts with Archinect and on Twitter. quondam... even dropped by, posting photos and re-commemorating some history.

Plus, Mackenzie Goldberg talked with Lola Digby-Diercks, the Business Development Lead at Breathe Architecture and Nightingale Housing, about the firm's innovative model for multi-residential development in Australia. The model? Is "an architect-led at-cost housing provider" wherein profits are capped at "15 percent on a project".

As you can imagine one of

"The biggest hurdles have been access to land because we are trying to deliver on affordability. We normally can't pay the same as what a developer can pay because we are capping a bunch of the finances to deliver affordability to the residents. Prices in Melbourne and Sydney are absolutely crazy at the moment and it does cut us out of a lot of options. Access to finance has been difficult in the past though it's getting easier with time and more awareness but it's still not as easy as a normal development."

News 

Over at CityLab, Adam Nathaniel Furman writes that "Arquitectonica hauled the past at terminal velocity through a kaleidoscopically unpredictable present, and into a future that was bright, transnational, and exciting." citizen noted their work was "one of my first architectural loves when I was a student.  It's very obvious in many ways, but this made it useful for a youngster to study site and building, plan and section, fenestration, color, you name it."

When a new social housing project by Hardel Le Bihan Architectes generated lots of conversation, archinet clarified "White concrete buildings are common all over Europe and they age ok, maybe in 25 years or more they will need to have the finish re-touched. But even if all the above examples do get some wear and tear on them they still are nice projects. Much nicer then curtain wall condo crap going on in North America."

Amanda Fortini revisits the flamboyant and impressive work of the largely forgotten midcentury architect Bruce Goff.

Erik Even reflected on his own, limited time with Mr. Goff, who "came and spent a week with us at Cal Poly SLO around 1980 or so.  He was a gentle soul...He literally had no personal agenda, but was like some sort of medium, channeling his client's preferences through a psychedelic geometric filter.  Amazing architect."

Reacting to BIG's, now approved, residential project off Toronto's historic King Street, Non Sequitur argued "Toronto is pretty boring so this helps break apart the long globs of generic fabric... but like Volunteer rightly points out, this will be a bitch to heat/cool...I'm not even going to touch those trees on infinitismally thin roofs."

AIA’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score for August was 54.2 compared to 50.7 in July (any score over 50 represents billings growth). Most of the growth continues to come from the South and the multi-family residential sector.

Design Technology Block, St James School in Ashford, UK by Squire and Partners and Alfriston School in Buckinghamshire, UK by Morris+Company were just two of the latest top projects (in no particular order) on the Archinect Pinterest board Learning Spaces.

Firms/Work Updates

Deep Shah drew our attention to "the context relevant to us - India and Indian megapolis" and examines the geographic speciation of chai/chai recipes. He applies the same frame to the effects of digital platforms and "packaged consumerism" to propose a rethink of the meaning of "think global and act local". Aka "how to socially engineer (a truly beneficial) innovation".

If you are looking for work;

• Thomas Phifer and Partners is looking to hire a Studio Manager
• Studio Gang wants to hire a model shop manager for their New York office
  
• Rafael Viñoly Architects is searching for a Project Manager with experience in large residential tower projects

The NYC based firm, Montroy DeMarco Architecture, LLP (MDALLP), celebrated three (1, 2 and 3) employees, passing their Last Architectural Exam.

Recently, Sébastien Labbé wondered "What if we were digging the ground to make architecture? Inspired by the concept of Dominique Perrault, I explore the potential of an architecture that serves as a device to reveal the ground".

Evan Chakroff reposted Some thoughts on Pixar's "Coco" - originally posted over on Medium.

School/Blogs

There will be a Possible Mediums book launch & discussion with David Erdman, as part of Archtober, on October 5th at the Syracuse University Fisher Center in NYC. To register

For those looking for a new position in academia;

• Università della Svizzera Italianais looking to hire a Full Professor at the "intersection between Architectural Design and Architectural History and Criticism".

• The Department of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley is conducting an international search for a full-time faculty position in Architectural Design for Building Performance at rank of Assistant Professor, tenure-track.

• Otherwise, Rice Architecture is seeking applicants whose expertise can support teaching and research in the technology sequence in the curriculum. Candidates will be considered for the full-time position at the assistant professor level (tenure-track).

The University of Virginia announced an upcoming Symposium, São Paulo: A Radical Evolution, to mark the launch of Sao Paulo: A Graphic Biography (University of Texas Press, 2018), the first comprehensive study of the city’s evolution

Discussion/Threads

athensarch has questions about the accuracy of the "aia salary calculator" also has "checked the archinect salary website. Only 2 listings in about 200ish is within 10k of what I'm hearing." thisisnotmyname advised "We are currently in a period of high(er) salaries.  Trust your friends' numbers over anything on the internet." archinine added "The AIA calculator should be used as a bare minimum point of negotiation. I’d add a healthy 10% to anything you’re seeing on AIA. Especially if the benefits aren’t so great."

Kkarchitecture is torn a few months ago they Accepted job offer at small boutique firm, then got an interview at a “starchitect’s” office

Many commenters didn’t see the harm in at least taking the interview. However, sameolddoctor agreed "with Bloopox. Architects can be very petty." Volunteer felt OP should "Keep your self-respect and reputation intact and stay with the smaller firm." Whistler didn’t see the harm but cautioned "Go to the interview but find out what your tasks would amount to before you jump over to the Starchitect firm.  Lots of these firms prey on young architects who will bleed to work for them and never get any real practical experience."

Finally, piero1910 wanted help identifying other Dutch firms, that work in a certain "style of post-production" such as "Office Kersten Geers David Van Severen, 514NE, Fala Atelier, Baukunst, Baukuh, GAFPA, agwa".

randomised quipped "So you prefer style over substance? Those offices you list just make their drawings and renderings look like that because they think it's cool, current...Since all your references are basically Belgian, maybe try it over there :)". Later piero1910 asked after "the new generation of Dutch firms? I mean what it comes after MVRDV or OMA". For this randomised further recommended "Simply check Dutch architectural news sites like archined or architectenweb".

Additionally

ICYMI, from back in 2004, Sam Jacob (of FAT Architecture) published Venturi, Scott Brown and my love that dare not speak its name.

"The great big glowing heart of VSBA is Pop. And their idea of Pop is wide and deep. It's the Pop of neon signs on the Vegas strip, but it's also the soapbox-Pop of grassroots community campaigns. While they were studying the glowing casino neons of the Nevada highway, they were also working to save a pedestrian strip in Philadelphia, helping to preserve a community threatened by the construction of a new highway. Indeed it was just this type of cause that first brought them together: they met at a University of Pennsylvania faculty meeting where Denise was arguing against a plan to demolish the university's Frank Furness-designed library. Later, they pioneered preservation planning for historic districts in Galveston, Texas, and Miami Beach, Florida. Theirs is a kind of socially engaged Pop -- a Pop that isn't only fast, fun and ironic, but political and moral as well"