Guy Horton, presented the first installment in a new reoccurring feature The CRIT, which will focus on architectural criticism, Thoughts on MoMA's Foreclosed: Rehousing the American Dream. Therein Guy offered this critique of the architects featured in MoMA’s upcoming exhibition "They were asked to do this on a massive conceptual scale and, to my mind, the resulting proposals were themselves massive and as such raise a lot of questions about the role of architecture in approaching national-scale problems. While we can appreciate the big ideas, perhaps we also need to seek out those smaller, graspable points that often get hidden in the mass."

News
The LA Times profiled architect Simon Storey's, principal of Anonymous Architects in Los Angeles, new Echo Park house/office, Eel House. Donna Sink, likes that the house has "Some very nice details, like the stair treads extending to brace the vertical posts.  I really love the arrangement of the windows, the single large glass with an actual door as the operable portion."

NEXT architects has developed the Modern Architecture Game which provides a base for an evening full of insights in the world’s most famous architects, buildings and trends of the Western architecture, all through the roll of a dice. 18x32 quipped "poché,  enfillades, global symmetry, centralised space, axial staircases, figural plan... this Modern Architecture Game sure does come in a Beaux-Arts wrapper".

St. Petersburg City Councilor Charlie Gerdes hosted a town hall-style meeting to get feedback on the plans to replace the current city pier with a new one by Michael Maltzan Architecture. It seemed the key takeaway was the following "About three-quarters of the people who spoke favored renovating the existing pier or picking a 'Mediterranean-style' design for a replacement. The ultra-modern design of "The Lens" did not draw support from most of the people who spoke.” Steve Ward, differed with some of the local commentators writing "It's a sidewalk like the Eiffel is a radio tower and the arch in St Louis is an elevator. The east coast and gulf shores have thousands of piers. They *could* have something special. If they go 'mediterranean' (i.e., like most of FL?), then they deserve what they get."

Scott Timberg wrote a piece for Salon examining how "One of the coolest creative-class careers has cratered with the economy". spaceman was surprised by some of the architects quoted and wrote "One successful architect feels ‘Very much like an immigrant worker,’ and another says, ‘We are making less than a cleaning lady.’ This seems a little over the top.”

Schools/School Blogs

David Cuthbert at the Caribbean School of Architecture, along with the students from his  4th year design studio, traveled to Bridgetown Barbados in order to conduct an urban study tour. Check out his photos and notes on the city as well as images of the studentss initial work.

The class blog for Yale School of Architecture Class of 2014 plugs The upcoming symposium Is Drawing Dead? to be held this coming Thursday - Saturday, February 9-11. royc countered "Drawing will never die, if by ‘drawing’ one means the act of transcribing ideas into representations. If one means sitting down at a table and working with a pencil, paper, and t-square to draft construction documents, then yes, drawing may already be dead and obsolete in most cases. Time progresses, technology changes. Some people will still cling to older and less efficient media for certain artistic/aesthetic effect, while people most concerned with function and ease of representation will move on to follow."

Over at his blog, 2011-2012 John K. Branner Fellowship winner Chris DeHenzel put up a post entitled The "Local" Label. He interrogates what the terms "farm to table", "local" or "organic" mean based on a recent visit to Tlocolula Sunday market, south of Oaxaca de Juarez. DeHenzel admits "Like Pollan, I am attracted to the potential resilience of a food system that offers real options for diverse demographics."

Work Updates/Firm Updates/Blogs
Quliian Riano, tells us about a new project started as part of the #whOWNSpace initiative. The project will take a closer look at a network of open spaces in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and the participants will include designers, lawyers, politicians, journalists, and other concerned citizens. The end goal is to "argue for a BLACKBELT - a network of open and public spaces for COMMUNITY engagement, organizing, and action." ovalle commented "Great to see this initiative happening. We studied this area of Greenpoint and adjacent neighborhoods of Brooklyn, in addition to Long Island CIty back in the Summer of 2003 as part of GSAPP's MAUD program.  In case you are interested, you can view an archive of all our studio research and projects here http://www.gsapp.org/UD/SU03/studio/index.htm"

With their new The Gateway Building, Make Architects have designed and constructed the largest straw-bale building in the UK, for the University of Nottingham.

Alexander Walter was recently .."Working on the new Archinect iPhone app". He reported it is "Coming along very nicely".

Meanwhile Amy Leedham announced the beginning of her Passive Design 101 Series of posts, in which she will cover topics like: Solar Geometry, Orientation, Daylight, Wind and Airflow and Natural Ventilation.

While Gregory Walker continued to analyze opportunities for innovations in architectural-professional practice. In the post re-start me up (a reply)... he outlined some ways in which the AIA could learn a lesson from the software/tech industry and get into the business of business incubation or at least create less formal "bootcamps". In the second post on a truly integrated development program (not just intern development)... Walker made some radical proposals on how to create a new model of professional development that leverages schools, IDP and existing programs. 

Discussion Threads
harpoon wants to discuss What is happening to PS1? harpoon goes on to explain "Can they just make this an open call competition? I just saw the finalists for 2012 and can't help but notice a trend. There have been an unhealthy dose of Harvard GSD-affiliated finalists over the last few years, some that have had little to no work/recognition."
Phillip Crosby, responded "i find it interesting that you specifically call out the gsd, but don't mention that two of this year's finalists are professors at upenn (simon kim of ik studio and mathias hollwich of hwkn)"

tman asked What are everyone's favorite modernist fountains? snook_dude offered up "Pei: Christian Scientist Mother Ship Reflecting Pool and Fountain, Boston, Massachusetts." Barry Lehrman argued "The mother church is more of a reflection pool than a fountain. Halprin changed the paradigm, so he's my choice".

mantaray needed help with ballpark cost of construction for a small home addition in Southern California? Orhan Ayyüce thought "75-80k + fees and permits on the low ball because it is two storeys. It will be hard to bid without the structural engineering details."

Finally, long time member Marlin reported in from the front lines of Occupy Oakland. He also asked for those so inclined to purchase prints, he is selling of artwork inspired by his time with Occupy Oakland, the sale of which is currently his sole source of income.
TaliesinAGG started off the thread with the following "Vandalism, breaking and entering, flag burning, I'll pass, but thanks." However, the thread as Kevin W. later noted turned into a great discussion regarding the efforts/tactics/politics of Occupy Oakland and the Occupy movement at large.

Additionally

Make sure to read Jorge Otero-Pailos in Restoration Redux for Architectural Record, which explores how top architects like David Chipperfield and Julian Harrap,  Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Rem Koolhaas, or Herzog & de Meuron are tackling historic buildings in surprising ways. Otero-Pailos defines this new turn as follows "This circumspect attitude toward the past makes contemporary architecture not just more open to what the future might bring, but more concerned with temporality, rather than the 'imageability' of space and form." He then argues that the challenge will be to "develop the critical tools to understand the aesthetic expression of architectural temporality in political, cultural, and ethical terms. So far, time has been explored mostly as a 'natural' aspect of buildings, manifested in weathering and other changes in their appearance. Yet it is also the enabling element of 'cultural' aspects of buildings."