Amelia published What is the Los Angeles Biennale of Architecture / Urbanism?

 She explains "Our role then, in Shenzhen, wasn’t to play cultural ambassador or artistic exposition-ers, but to effectively perform the moods of Los Angeles from a distance, through whatever interpretative media each individual deemed to be most fit"...

Plus, the fifteenth edition of Screen/Print featured Sophie Yanow’s graphic novel,War of Streets and Houses. The novel examines the student protests in Montreal in February of 2012

News

Orhan Ayyüce alerted readers, to the news that the Sandinista government finally managed to blow down Managua’s iconic Concha Acústica the elegant shell-shaped structure designed by architect Glen Small. snooker-doodle-dandy mourned "Now this is a Sad Day!"

Over at the Atlantic Cities, Sarah Goodyear reviewed her time spent wearing NeuroSky, one of a range of new "brain-computer interfaces" that promise to Measure the Brain's Response to Urban Design. Chris Teeter was looking for research partners "Have the emotiv headset and waiting for the new one to be released. Was trying to draft and model with brain waves but between software interference and finding time to develop my skills I have made little more than blobs. If anyone in nyc or philly area is doing similar research shoot me an email"?

Bustler.net released results of the 2014 European Prize for Urban Public Space. jla-x lamented "Public space....I love how all but one of the photos has NO people".

Archinect was delighted to present the latest installment of  5468796 Architecture's travelogue for their award-winning research project, Table for Twelve. This sixth Table for 12, took place as part of the larger Mextrópoli - Primer Festival Internacional de Arquitectura y Ciudad in Mexico City

Therein, Jayne Miles writes "One of the first things that became obvious about the up-and-coming local architecture community is that it exists in a broader culture of building and creation, and that it is tangibly connected to the larger city. While in Japan, the tradition of craft is embedded in the country’s cultural psyche, in Mexico there seems to be a fighting drive to create better public space for the sake of the chilangos".
 

Firms/Blogs/Work Updates

In the latest in the series of Olaf Design Ninja_ interviews, the conversation touches on House Variant and the tragic story of Karin/a house designed with "a deck without a railing over a cliff!".

Joann Lui, LEED Green Assoc. was proud to announce that the blog Just an Intern, made the list for Best Blogs for Architecture Students and Interns on NCARB!

Mirror House in Almere-Stad, the Netherlands by Johan Selbing Architecture in collaboration with Anouk Vogel and Allianz Headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland by Wiel Arets Architects, are just two of the projects found in the post Ten Top Images on Archinect's "Glass" Pinterest Board.

The proposal by ADEPT, together with a group of collaborators, was selected for an innovative and sustainable building strategy for the Aalborg Barracks. They suggest the "combination of ‘sustainable and flexible’ not only points to the actual re-building of the Aalborg Barracks, but also unfolds the potential to create a global show case project identifying a modern version of the armed forces with an evidently sustainable profile".
 

School/Blogs

The Studio 19 group at UNITEC School of Architecture, who are designing a master plan of eight houses for elderly Ngāti Whātua O Ōrākei tribe members,  recently presented 'Mood boards', a design model, renders and plans to the clients.

Over at his blog affiliated with the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois Chicago, Matthew Messner wrote about Nearing the End, of his studies for a Masters of Arts in Design Criticism. The focus of Matthew’s "writing has been on the relationship between the public, architecture, and architects in the Information Age".

A group of students and faculty from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, won the second phase of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's P3: People, Prosperity, and the Planet Student Design Competition for Sustainability. The UT Green Oak Project developed oak construction techniques that use undried oak, which is known as "green" oak , as an energy-efficient and carbon-friendly wood product.

kbretzius posted the lineup for ROB | ARCH 2014, which will be held at Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning.
 

Discussions
toasteroven started a thread to discuss "a recent blog post by Witold Rybczynski that takes yet another idiotic pot shot at New Urbanism". Rather than focus on the "faux-historicism of many new urbanists' aesthetic tendencies, and the cult of personality surrounding Duany" toasteroven argues It's about Policy, Stupid. Donna Sink agreed, "Nice post, toast...and I'm working on a little exhibition project that will show how architects are able to critique and hopefully improve the policies that affect the built world".

For BenC "The fact is that the ideas are genuinely good; implementing them, as with all grand ideas, is another game. I'm very happy that those lines of thinking are being pushed in UP/UD academia". Similarly 3tk added "It has it's merits in terms of actually being able to take apart code and make actual change...though the effect of pattern books on developments where they're enforced with fervor without understanding makes me cringe".

juventus7 was looking for thoughts regarding the Unreal Engine for architecture. Olaf Design Ninja_ recalled "You would be better off looking on gamer sites.  Plenty of ‘city’ and ‘architecture’ engines out there and the connection to Architecture is often through 3dsMax". While LITS4FormZ noted "Used it a couple years ago in school when I had more time to put into these kinds of things. Working more in Unity since it's lighter, cheaper to license and easier to use. Unreal definitely has it's strengths and comparing the two I'd say it offers a better finished product".

Finally, things are a bit slow at work for save_every_building and although there is work coming down the pipe, until then they are looking for suggestions on ways to kill time/things to study. jla-x recommends "Sketch details" but sameolddoctor reads between the lines "Start updating your resume. Seriously…"

there is no there adds "or, read a geotech report. good stuff".