For the latest edition of the ShowCase feature, Archinect published the Hotel Wiesergut a complex renovation and extension by by GOGL ARCHITEKTEN, located in Hinterglemm/Salzburger Land, Austria. FRaC thought "those cold roofs are hot!"

News
Over at the financial times Emma Jacobs chatted with  Zaha Hadid an "Unlikely ‘pushover’ who doesn’t play safe". In response Donna Sink commented "I wouldn't work for free, but I'd be happy to be bullied by Zaha for a short term.  Like a wilderness survival camp-type vacation" but GiaCarbello replied "Diplomacy aside. Donna Sink. Wow. Your comment is as low as Hadids and Schumachers lame comments regarding their inexcusable behavior. They have an idea in their heads that ‘uncompromising standards’ is the reasons being for such behaviour. Hadid had to fight her way to the top because of a male dominated industry and forgot along the way to find a balance. Self integrity and self respect at lost".

However Apurimac argued "For christ's sakes people its not personal.  Some of the best people I have ever worked for and learned from in life have been complete dictators, but they usually made up for it in other ways.  Architecture is a bloody hard business, and any weakness I see around me is usually exploited or decimated.  If you can't take the abuse from Zaha how the fuck are you going to take the abuse from the plan examiner, a client or even the general public?  The fact that a a guy like Patrick Schumacher would stick around a deamon like her as long as he has means she's alot more than just a dictator".

Michelle Higgins reported that the Palm Springs estate of Bob Hope is available for an asking price of $50 million. Eric Chavkin reminded folks that his "friend and SCI-Arc professor Glen Small worked on this project during a brief stint at Lautners office" and observant noted the $50 million asking adding "ours is a profession that is considered noble because it enables human function to take place under enclosed space(s).  With a library, a fire station, a school, a chain operated gym location, or even a strip mall, this is the case.  When it's wretched excess to flaunt wealth, it's less honorable. Just saying".

Steven Sanchez and Juan Francisco Saldarriaga conducted an independently-led survey of graduates from Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation to assess the overall status of employment. Resulting in an infographic-rich document. The survey was made up of 17 questions and was voluntarily responded by 63 graduates from the Masters of Architecture program at the Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation at Columbia University.

Though,Lian Chikako Chang found it super interesting, she also had a couple of questions/points of concern "A few things: 1. Obviously you have selection bias when the survey is voluntary. What proportion of the graduating class do these 63 responses represent? 2. It was interesting to see that those with architecture backgrounds are making more than those with non-architecture backgrounds (though putting this graphic in a circle looked amazing but was actually useless). The comparison according to previous internships and experience was also clever. 3. I really wish I could have seen this better! The way you've posted them online at issuu makes them almost illegible on my 13" Macbook Pro and didn't do your work justice".

Juan Francisco Saldarriaga also offered this clarification regarding the "Type of Work" data-point "it adds up to more than 100% because some people are doing multiple things at their work, fabrication, interior design and branding, for example".

Bustler.net published the  first photos and a video of the project Memory Cloud, a lighting installation, by RE:site + Metalab. debro couldn't help pointing out "aside from radiating through a series of different color palettes, which we have seen before, over and over again - what is the ‘multimedia’ aspect of the work? Have we regressed? While I understand that glass / acrylic / metal’ and ‘LED lights’ are several different mediums, and therefore the use of the term ‘multimedia’ is not incorrect” that being said debro felt “the whole project feels cheap".

Firms/Blogs/Work Updates

Over the holidays lawrencewspeck  visited the new Parrish Art Museum, in Water Mill, NY on Long Island. His visit convinced him that "Less is so much more". He explained "This is powerful, authentic architecture with no need for hype or overindulgence.  It demonstrates the Eames-like talent of its designer for making simple, sensible things incredibly potent". Steven Ward had to chime in, "it's goofy for anyone to suggest that this project was inexpensive. despite the cut in budget, it still cost more per sq ft than any project i'll likely ever see".

Fletcher Hotel in Amsterdam, the Netherlands by Benthem Crouwel Architects; Photo: Jannes Linders and Cardborigami | Instant Space in Los Angeles, CA by Tina Hovsepian & team were just two of the projects featured in the latest post featuring the Ten Top Images on Archinect's "Architect Sure!" Pinterest Board.

Edgar Markosyan was recently working on his degree project while Eugene Lubomir worked on getting a blog online for his in-progress thesis project: check it out at redhookfuture.wordpress.com.

Gregory Walker reflected on the news regarding Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer's recent decision to require all employees to work inside the office. Tim Williamson disagreed writing "I don't see this as a battle Yahoo has started against the idea of remote employees. Instead I think when a company talks about needing to fix their ‘culture’ or takes steps in that direction that they are avoiding the real issues. It's like saying ‘Our company is losing money, so let's re-write our mission statement!’" but mfischer3387 contended "Quality creative talent doesn't jump ship at the first sign of their bubble being popped (in this case, getting out of their comfort zone of working from home). If there were actually some good things being offered by being present at the office, good personnel would either buy into the potential to re-brand this media search engine (or whatever you would it call it these days), or have more factors to weigh against Ms. Mayer's strategy than just being asked to come into the office once in a while".

Schools/Blogs
Justin Wang at Iowa State University covered David Leatherbarrow’s Richard F. Hansen Prize Lecture, about Sverre Fehn titled 'The Architect's Shadow.' Professor Leatherbarrow was at Iowa State to serve as a jury member for the Richard F. Hansen Prize Competition, which had third year students proposing a design for a rural site in central Iowa. The program, was a healing center for medical professionals.

The University of Kentucky College of Design got around to posting images from the Possible Mediums Conference which it co-hosted with Ohio State University Knowlton School of Architecture, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Architecture and University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning, back in February.

Lian Chikako Chang at Harvard GSD live-blogged an untitled lecture by Dame Hadid. Dean Mohsen Mostafavi began the Q&A, "I’m curious about the shift from the spatial conditions that defy the notion of totality, to projects that are concerned with the notion of wholeness, like the flower. Where do you think this investigation is going? Because of the way you described the shell structures; in terms of the future of architecture for you, what is there? Some of the structures that seemed impossible, you’ve built".

Darian Mason a MArch Thesis student at Boston Architectural College, penned a post titled Design Development and other Forms of Torture.

Discussions
In light of recent developments Peter Normand started a thread to discuss guns, architecture and public space, he thinks post medieval architecture might be a new trend. He kicked things off stating "Assuming that a larger portion of the general public will be carrying guns, that we are in the beginning of a personal arms race, what responses should architects consider?  Do we need bullet proof doors and windows for schools, Classroom panic rooms?  How can we make the built environment safe for the gun packing and unarmed public to interact? Can we expect building codes to address the life safety issues of firearms as thoroughly as fires? Assuming the political reality won’t change for the next decade what can we do as a designer to keep the public safe in this new gun saturated environment?"

b3tadine[sutures] answered "beginning of an arms race? we're in the middle of one. but, you ask an important question, and one i am hearing more about, because of the work my firm does. more schools are asking, how do we protect ourselves from the non-custodial parent, the lone wolf, the islamic terrorist, the tea party  anti-government prepper....well perhaps not all of these, i mean, who would ever suspect an ‘prepper’ going nuts, right?". For his part, Miles Jaffe suggested "Look for expanded gated ‘communities’ around high income residential neighborhoods and commercial areas, both urban and suburban, patrolled by armed security details. Service people will be carefully vetted for the work permits necessary to enter and will be and checked in and out on a rigorous schedule. The second level of ‘defense’ will be personal bodyguards, video surveillance, hardened structures, etc".

ppss asked, if they have an Interview (at a Starchitect firm in NY) scheduled with junior staff - what does this mean? accesskb wanted more info "what kind of position are you applying for?  an internship? or design director?...I've been interviewed in the past by people who only have their bachelor's, plain suck at designing upon further investigation and been turned down on jobs by them too xD", yet stone opined "Not necessarily a bad sign -- many firms use younger staff to screen submittal packages sent in by candidates and conduct initial interviews. If a candidate makes it through that screen, then more senior staff will do the follow-up interview and make the hiring decision".

Finally,  Frank Herfort a German photographer is trying to raise money to publish a book about post-Soviet architecture. The photos were taken over the last 5 years, as he traveled more than 7 000 miles across Russia and former Soviet  republics  like  Kazakhstan and Azerbaidshan, by car, airplanes, taxis and trains.