Katherine Guimapang kicked off Archinect Studio Pin-Ups, a new series highlighting architecture studios focusing on new and thought-provoking topics. The first edition featured work from the University of Texas at Austin's Advanced Spring 2022 Studio - GreenCore.

News

The New York Times reported that workers at New York firm Bernheimer Architecture have formed the first functioning union at a private-sector architecture firm in the United States. Most ‘Nectors were excited and thought it long overdue. Gregory Walker was also "interested to see what their CBA looks like - hopefully it will be something particular to their office but also applicable to other firms/situations."

Sixteen Deans released a statement criticizing and opting out of DesignIntelligence school rankings/surveys. natematt was pleasantly surprised as they "Came here expecting a bunch of schools I've barely heard of...found most of the schools getting airtime from DI. Kudos to them."

Related Companies is expanding into Austin with a pair of new office projects from Gensler and KPF. Many lamented the current state of affairs in Austin "The amount of bad recent architecture there is astounding. Especially the high-rise stuff." monosierra added "The multifamily stuff is pretty ho-hum and the commercial towers are definitely not up to par with other cities".

MVRDV’s mixed-use Valley project has officially opened in Amsterdam. EnigmaticOne couldn’t believe they "enjoy this. Not keen on the jaggedness of it all nor the flat glazed area but the stone conditions look insanely well detailed, and the skylight....reminds me of Fujimotos project in france with mega balconies. I like the intimacy of this approach but am fighting with the angles."

Junya Ishigami + Associates has completed a residence and restaurant for a French restauranter in the city of Ube. x-jla thought it "pretty damn cool, but I’m sure a structural engineer somewhere got a few grey hairs" though monosierra replied "Pretty sure he works with the same structural engineer on all his projects - Ishigami has attributed the success of these works to the engineer who somehow figured out how to build his ideas. More of a collaboration between the two than the usual A-E relationship."

R.I.P. architects; Arthur Cotton Moore, James Stewart Polshek and Brininstool + Lynch founder Brad Lynch.

Blogs/Firms/Work Updates

Back in September, Andy A was working on "an art gallery (physical model)."

Erin Sharp Newton reposted an interview she did, originally posted over at the AIA New Jersey blog. On a related note makingspace was excited as "based on the industry's own data…it's clear that the future is definitely female.

Looking for work? Perhaps you'd be interested in applying to; Drumbeat (in Salt Lake City), HK Architects (in Chattanooga), Northworks (in Bozeman) or Rafael Viñoly Architects where you'd be working from "a site office as part of a team...during the construction phase of a signature museum in Arlington, Texas."

Schools

Following the controversial March 25 Basecamp panel and its aftermath, SCI-Arc has announced policy changes and the resignations of Tom Wiscombe and Marrikka Trotter.

okko commented "Historically nearly all the faculty at SCI-Arc have participated in the toxic practice of employing unpaid interns - not just Wiscombe. They should release the report and make the findings public. Everyone should be help accountable" while Janosh felt it was "The classic conditional post-crisis statement that attempts to sound conciliatory without actually admitting anything".

#BACbuzz blogged about salutogenic design and why Stephanie Brick, MDS-HH’21, who has made it her mission, chose the BAC to help her pursue it through the Master of Design Studies in Design for Human Health (MDS DHH).

A new HBCU grant program by Turner Construction Company will provide The School of Architecture and Construction Science and Management at Tuskegee University with $70,000 annually starting this fall.

Looking for a new gig in Higher Ed? If so, the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design at the University of Houston is "seeking an accomplished designer, maker, and instructor to serve as the Director of the Burdette Keeland, Jr. Design Exploration Lab and lead research projects focusing on design/build".

Or if you are looking for something in Higher Ed, but not in academia? Consider applying to be the The Director of Facilities Planning, Design and Construction at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Discussion/Threads

musingarchitect wanted to speak to their boss about a Finder's Fee/Compensation. Non Sequitur suggested it wouldn’t be "common at all…What you should be doing is using this new client as a stepping stone to rise up in the current office and claim a greater % of total office profit shares." However, Chad Miller believed that they should expect "End of year onuses that recognize what you bring to the firm should be expected though.  If you don't get one that is sufficient then leave."

Instead of looking for immediate compensation midlander recommended "if you really enjoyed doing this, talk to your firm leaders and see if they can get you involved in more of this business development part of the work. it's one of several essential functions for the leadership team, and probably the hardest to recruit for."

tod1 wanted help defining/IDing whether; a loggia, a gallery, or "just an interior balcony". atelier nobody knew enough to say it wasn’t a; cloister or an arcade. bennyc pointed out what really mattered "From a code point of view: it varies based on jurisdiction". b3tadine[sutures] was of the opinion "Residential building codes do not define atrium. Atriums in a one story is both anachronistic and complete archispeak for an interior courtyard." Later Stasis and others got into the details of CBC vs IBC and "smoke/fire requirements."                      

Finally, is there anecdotal evidence of an industry slowdown? Over at TC, folks discussed. EnigmaticOne started with "Anyone noticing project work slowing a bit? I have heard some waves of this across the office (very large office). Not fear mongering…Commercial architecture side here of course. I am sure single family is still doing well." curtkram agreed "money isn't as cheap anymore. speculative work should be slowing down."

Yet while proto and Co, have had a slow year "(residential). Projects started tailing off in Apr/May" others are booked out a year and up North aka the "frozen side of the border" things are still going going strong. 

Additionally

ICYMI this summer, over at The Baffler, Leijia Hanrahan wrote about the growing tenants movement and efforts to decommodify housing.

Therein she acknowledges "The question is whether a more explicit rejection of capitalism and allegiance to broader struggle would further short-term housing justice goals and inspire more widespread support for both the tenants’ movement and other liberatory political projects" but argues "The true decommodification of housing can only occur in a wholly non-capitalist context—and that is what precisely tenant organizing should be fighting for."