News
Elected officials in Goshen, N.Y., voted Thursday against a resolution to demolish and replace the Orange County Government Center by Paul Rudolph, a late-1960s building in the small Hudson Valley town that sparked debate on the value of modern architecture. Steven Ward, hoped “mr diana will now get behind this decision and determine how best to renovate to meet the needs of the community. ...the fact that the local government's elected representatives have taken this position is a huge deal, an indicator that they are hearing that the community wants to keep this special place. score one for preservation of the modern!” and Scribbler argued “We have to keep a few of these so that we have real examples of the variety, forms, and experiments modernism has made so that we have a record to remind us to not do this kind of modernism again". Donna Sink, for her part agreed “Even if one doesn't find this building beautiful (which I definitely do!), it's important to history to keep excellent examples of various movements/schools of thought so we can learn from them.”

Michael Ezban an architect who is currently a Master of Landscape Architecture candidate at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design explored the history and lessons of Monte Testaccio, Rome’s ancient landfill in the Trash Heasp of History for Places journal. In the piece he pointed out that due to the unique composition of the landfill (almost entirely made up of thousands of years of amphora shards) “Monte Testaccio is an outsized air conditioner”. Ezban explained “Flavio al Velavevodetto — a local restaurant was “built against the side of the landfill to take advantage of natural cooling during summer. ...Warm wind penetrating the loose shards is being cooled as it passes across clay moistened by rain; the sheer size of the hill ensures enough evaporative cooling to keep the landfill temperature about 20 degrees below that of the nearby streets.” Rajan Mistry, suggested “Despite the great resource that is the historical precedent of Monte Testaccio, I'm sure the chemical compositions that make landfills today in contrast to two millenia ago will be a key factor in determining how a locality will deal with it. Regardless, the case study must be paired with contemporary technologies and developments in symbiosis to more fruitfully return a landfill to a natural and usable state.”

Badboot Lido (the world’s biggest floating openair swimming pools) designed by architect Pieter Peerlings and Silvia Mertens of Sculp(IT) Architecten, will open on the Eilandje in Antwerp, Belgium at the Kattendijkdok in mid-August. jla-x opined “Alot like Rem's project in Delerious NY” but 3tk thought it to be “a fancier version of the one on the Spree in Berlin?  presumably also inspired by Rem”.

In response to Christopher Hawthorne’s review of the Los Angeles Metro’s now open but “Lackluster” and “dated” Expo Line, victimeyes lamented “unfortunately, it's 2012, and the government still hasn't really embraced 'design' for its projects.”

Teenage Russian photographers have a new meme “skywalking” which involves a photographer making his way up to a death-defying height, and snapping a photo that’s meant to give you both a perspective you’ve never seen before. Tima Bell, thinks it’s “Scariest thing I've seen in a long time” but EKE said “Looks like fun to me!”

Work/Firms/Blogs
Last week the Moscow based Garage Center for Contemporary Culture unveiled plans for a new building in Gorky Park, designed by OMA. The design preserves original Soviet-era elements - including a large mosaic, and decorative tiles and brick - while incorporating a range of innovative architectural and curatorial devices.

Gabriel Piedrahita, recently worked on a House in Catskills.

Urban pad from Charlotte, NC recently shared a competition entry for Delaware Riverfront Renewal in  Philadelphia which sought to provide articulating green infrastructure within the strata of low/mid rise buildings.

Meanwhile Nicole Fichera announced a scope expansion meaning that her blog Practice Options, is now about 'expanded' practice, rather than 'alternative' practice. She also announced that she is  bringing on a co-blogger Kevin MacNichol!

Schools/School Blogs
hsolie a graduate student at the University of Michigan school of Architecture  emerged from the studio cocoon following studio finals and in an attempt to make up for lost time is “preparing a full on blitzkrieg of blog posts over the next several days showcasing the final student work coming out of Taubman College this semester.” The post kicked things off by showcasing work from the  final exhibition for Professor Shaun Jackson's studio Architecture of Objects.

jtwang reported on the reverse culture shock resulting from traveling from Rome, Italy to Cedar Rapids, Iowa in less than 24 hours.

John Tubles at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona returned to documenting his now complete thesis/senior/final project. Although he had originally sought to study low-cost social housing and cemeteries in the Phillipines from a transdisciplinary perspective he ended up offering an architecturally biased project. Which he worries was too “one dimensional” but nevertheless offered a solution to the problems associated with low-cost public housing given to informal settlers.

Current graduate students at Washington University studying abroad in Helsinki,  A.D.Morley & J.A.Wong took us with them on their adventure through the deep woods of Finland’s eastern Lakelands. The trip included stops at Olavinlinna Castle, a 15th-Century Swedish defense fortress and a number of projects by Alvar Aalto, Männistö Church by Juha Leviskä and Juhani Pallasmaa's addition to the Court of Appeal, in Kuopio.

Discussion Threads
arch_newb is a newb learning how to render and is looking for “tutorials/examples on great landscape renderings?” BrianYamagata offered up his opinion that “although 3D programs like Rhino and SketchUp do a great job producing landscape elements, it's hard to beat the 'realism' achieved by harmoniously juxtaposing pictures of real vegetation onto your rendered image” Tee002 reminded the newb “remember the fact that renderings are not architecture or design but a leverage that can make average projects looks good and good project better.”

nstufanois wanted suggestions on how a start up NYC architecture firm can get their name out in the public to attact business? anarchytecture suggested trying “Guerilla marketing” but toasteroven quipped “Gorilla marketing?  I don't know how many potential clients spend time at the Bronx zoo.  Better to strap some signs on them and release them into the streets of Manhattan.  That'll get your name out in the public for sure.”

Additionally
Make sure to read a Manifesto of Urban Cannibalism by Matteo Pasquinelli and Wietske Maas. Therein the authors write “Unlike situationism, urban cannibalism is not a vagabond consumption. Instead of détournement urban cannibalism practices dévournement — a visceral occupation of the living city that does not merely chart its
emotional geography” concluding “Within the ideology of degrowth we have alas established the borders of our own siege. Urban cannibals, eat the rich!”