As part of Archinect’s Studio Pin-Ups series, Katherine Guimapang featured work from NYIT’s ARCH 802 Design-Research Studio "Designing (Inter)Scalar Domains".

Plus, for the latest Studio Snapshots she highlighted the work of Studio MUKA, a West-coast based boutique-sized firm with a team of 4–6 people, founded in 2021.

News

UC Santa Barbara's released an RFQ for the "construction of the UCSB Student Housing Infill and Redevelopment Project" which appears to confirm a turning point in the history of the hotly contested and breathtakingly window-deprived Munger Hall proposal. 

Madrid-based Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos won the Reimagining the Dallas Museum of Art International Design Competition. While some were disappointed monosierra was at least willing to "see how Nieto Sobejano develops this."

Bank of America awarded a $1 million grant towards the development of the National Juneteenth Museum, designed by BIG. Will Galloway responded to those questioning the choice of BIG “The partner in charge of the project is Douglass Alligood. Maybe there is an argument to be made that the office in charge of this project should be all African American only (though the local office KAI, is minority owned). Opal Lee, the woman credited with pushing and inspiring everyone to make Juneteenth into a holiday…doesn't seem to be upset about the architecture at all, quite the opposite." 

Yet b3tadine[sutures]’s critique was bigger "This project will be for the bourgeois black political class, this has nothing to do with helping the community. The jobs will be minimal, and the construction will largely be done by non black firm, that has no connection to the community."

The University of Stuttgart and the University of Freiburg partnered on the robot assisted construction of a domed timber pavilion on the University of Freiburg campus. archanonymous was curious "This group has been doing these amazing timber and thin-shell pavilions for what - 10 or 15 years now?"

The developer behind BIG-designed 670 Mesquit wants help from a Los Angeles incentive package for their scheme's hotel. AJgold and Quasimotor were on same page "what is so special about BIG design for the spec hotel?” and “looks corporate, banal, out of scale…Sad state of affairs."

R.I.P. Jean-Louis Cohen, renowned architectural historian, critic, educator, and curator at 74. As well as Norman Pfeiffer, founder of the precursor to what is now Pfeiffer, a Perkins Eastman Studio, at 83.

Two Cubes by Will Simon and Irregular Pavilion by Yunong Li are just two of top images to be found on the Archinect Pinterest board Student Work.

Blogs/Firms/Work Updates

Back in August, Mohammad A. Kader was working on "Schematic Design" while Saba Hamidi Coleman on "Madison River Valley Cabins".

Orhan Ayyüce "made friends with AI’s abilities to generate images of my lofty speculations regarding the bleak but fascinating environs of the future." zonker chimed in "The firm I'm with is now using Mid Journey for client presentations at start of projects - The future is here folks"

The Office of Charles F. Bloszies shared some thoughts on Which Aging, Empty S.F. Office Blocks Are Ideal for Apartments?

Later, Erin Sharp Newton boosted a few remarkable women from AIA Central New Jersey, as leaders in equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Looking for work, perhaps even something in the public sector? 

City of Corpus Christi is hiring a new City Architect. Note the first review of applications will begin on October 16, 2023. Or maybe you are the "forward-thinking, energetic Interior Designer" Lake|Flato is looking for?

Schools

A research studio led by Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Director of the School of Architecture, Joseph Choma, explores folded fiberglass structures.

Did you vote for your favorite Fall & Spring '22/23 architecture school lecture poster?

Want to a new job in higher education but not academia? 

Consider applying to be College of Southern Nevada’s new Project Architect. Otherwise The University of North Carolina at Pembroke is hiring a new Director (of) Design and Construction.

Discussion/Threads

CA Architect 1024 was looking for tips on Accessible Sliding Doors, for commercial use. Chad Miller answers "They exist, however they are barn style doors.  The good ones with sound seals are for the medical field and cost around $9K each." Jovan Millet adds a wrinkle "In Florida, we're used to seeing sill risers of minimum 2", but out on the beaches in HVHZ zones, I've seen them go up to 4 or larger! For swinging patio doors, we can always negotiate that by recessing the sill riser and providing a threshold extender to negotiate the extra inch or two, but we have yet to find a good solution for SGDs, where you have tracks that can't easily be covered."

Meanwhile Chad Miller was looking for thoughts on what portion of IBC applies for a Mechanical Tunnel Between Buildings? Given the details Chad is thinking it is "a shaft per section 713 of the IBC 2021." Non Sequitur is "dealing with a similar situation, but in reverse…In my world, such spaces are considered service spaces, not shafts." Later b3tadine[sutures] wondered if "NFPA 520 or Chapter 3104 of IFC” might apply “Perhaps thinking of this as a vault of utility tunnel?"

Finally, based on the past 6 months amarchy is hoping (?) there is a larger industry wide recession. If not "the firm I work at specifically, is poorly mismanaging our clients and projects." Pandahut confirmed "You are not alone!... Civic work, academic, healthcare, etc. are fairing alright it seems but developer work is really stifled." Gregory Walker also agreed "Commercial work is definitely slowed down…Anything speculative, basically, seems to be dead at the moment" Multiple ‘Nectors commented that Los Angeles and SoCal are definitely slowing with CincyVibes warning "Get out of residential and commercial, dark clouds ahead." That being said, per gibbost the midwest is doing fine (at least for now) "We can't find enough good help. We've got projected work out at least 18-24 months."

Additionally

Daniel A. Barber’s Solar architecture and the sufficiency imperative suggests that "Amidst the broad discourse around the just energy transition, photovoltaic solar energy is itself most likely transitional, contingent and conditional."