Amelia conducted an interview with John Szot answering questions on Architecture and the Unspeakable, a triptych of short, magnificently animated films.

News

Professor Andrew Ross, penned an editorial High Culture and Hard Labor regarding Guggenheim Museum’s Saadiyat Island project. Later, Al Jazeera America looked at the efforts by Global Ultra Luxury Faction, an offshoot of Gulf Labor (Professor Ross is a member) "working since 2011 to bring attention to the conditions that the workers on Saadiyat Island withstand". 

Miles Jaffe pondered "Where does an architect's responsibility begin and where does it end?"

Ayesha Ghosa provided a recap of Belgian political philosopher Chantal Mouffe’s recent talk at GSAPP's spring lecture series.

"Basically to summarize, for political activism to enact change, Mouffe believes it is better to intervene and transform the existing codes rather than ‘start from scratch.’...In the systemic interventions and transformations she proposes – Mouffe seems to have cleared a space for architect’s to accept their role in politics, and empowered them to participate in counter-hegemonic activity".

After 20 years as the dean of the University of Kansas School of Architecture, Design and Planning, John Gaunt will miss the "intensity of the wider university community involvement", but looks forward to being more engaged with his students. [...]

Over at Marketplace,  Stacey Vanek Smith reported "Basically, the housing market has been sideways for the past six months and that’s very disappointing...The housing market made big gains last year, but so far 2014 isn’t looking so hot".

Bustler.net announced Austin+Mergold's SuralArk recently won the Folly 2014 competition. SuralArk will be designed and built at the Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, NY starting May 11 til Aug. 3, 2014.
 

Firms/Blogs/Work Updates

Nursery School and Municipal Workshops in Paris, France by Jean-François Schmit Architectes with Ingénierie Studio, SNC Lavalin (BET TCE)) and House V2 in Dubrovnik, Croatia by Studio 3LHD were just two of the projects found in the post Ten Top Images on Archinect's "Outdoors" Pinterest Board.

millionsofmovingparts called attention to the April 4th MIT conference Does Drawing Has a Future? Dreamon opined "No. It doesn't. However, sketching conveys ideas quickly and clearly. I think most architects can't draw".

Recently Storm Armstrong worked on a parametric void study, while Shelby Blessing worked on rapid prototyping of laser cut and hardened leather.

School/Blogs
Nicole Doan spent the past quarter "(in) George Proctor's winter topic studio focused on modular housing". In her post titled The glorified tent, she describes how she and her partner in crime, Corey Loren Pope eventually narrowed their site location to Yosemite National Park.

Samuel Mortimer confirms the New Norris House (a design/build effort from the University of Tennessee's College of Architecture and Design) will be auctioned in the coming month.

Meanwhile, Jared Lussier, started a blog affiliated with University of Maine at Augusta. He promises "a weekly analysis of clinical psychology within the the art of architecture".

Evan Chakroff shared some  thoughts on the Okayama Orient Museum, which he visited "last December in Japan, leading a group of students and professors (from Ohio State University)". Mr. Chakroff writes "this is a little gem of a museum, an architecturally ambitious design…(designed by) architect, Shinichi Okada (& Assoc), who remains somewhat overlooked by canonical histories of Japanese modernism".

Discussions
wurdan freo  started a thread to discuss whether "egress from a third floor in a single family home per the IRC requires two separate stairs...Or am I reading the code entirely wrong?" gruen answered "Where are you located? Local code is critical".

DMS-USA also pointed out "The issue you're addressing is concerning life safety, which is the building department'sbailiwick.  For that definition, our 'basement' needs to conform to the definition tendered in IRC R202". snooker-doodle-dandy advised "Keep in mind the State and local codes do have amendments to the IRC.  Be sure your using the proper issue of the IRC as accepted  by your State of Local".

jla-x reacted to the recent Spike lee gentrification speech.

"Spike may have not delivered the most eloquent speech about the topic, but man people are really racist behind the safety of their computers".

jla-x further encouraged Archinectors to "go back and watch his film Do The Right Thing...it is one of the most important mainstream films on the social connection to urbanism and architecture".

Peter Normad argued "Gentrification is Social engineering through zoning, sidewalk regulations, and Class displacement". In a similar vein OBO Olaf Design Ninja chimed in "I would suggest building on Beta's comment - Hipster gentrification is a polite method of ‘cleaning up’ the neighborhood"

Finally, Krisjon Svanberg started a thread Modern Residential Architecture. grneggandsam was impressed "A little shameless self-promotion never hurts, eh?  I took a look at your website - it looks nice!"
 

Additionally
Raphael Sperry, President of Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility (ADPSR) urged readers  of the Architectural Review, to sign ADPSR’s petition calling on "the American Institute of Architects to amend its Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct to prohibit the design of spaces for killing, torture, and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment".