A state lawmaker is gunning for more aggressive restrictions on the vast mechanical voids developers often abuse to boost their buildings’ heights as a “more robust” solution to the de Blasio administration’s recent zoning amendment. [...]
Current zoning exempts mechanical voids from a building’s floor-area ratio (FAR)—a given property’s square footage—and puts no height limits on those spaces.
— Curbed NY
"Luxury developers often exploit this loophole in residential towers to hike up the price for apartments on higher floors," explains Curbed NY one reasoning behind the newly introduced bill by New York State Assembly member Linda Rosenthal. View full entry
We would like to thank everyone that attended the launch of Jose Sanchez's book, The Blindspot Initiative. During the packed-house event Jose spoke about the intention of the book and was followed by Behnaz Farahi, Biayna Bogosian of Somewhere Something and Casey Rehm of Kinch. Published... View full entry
Wealthy individuals like Mr. Resnick, well-funded nonprofits and even corporations...have begun buying deserted American main streets, hoping to reinvent them with a fresh aesthetic. The people behind these ventures frequently install their friends and acquaintances in storefronts, while attempting to preserve (or exploit, depending whom you ask) local history. The practice is rarely free of conflict, even when developers have the best intentions. — NYT
In Mountain Dale NY, Butch Resnick now owns most of the previously vacant buildings and has hired a "town curator". Jennifer Miller digs into this and other recent examples, including in Monson Maine, Wardensville, W.Va, Cerro Gordo CA, of combining artists, rural-small-town nostalgia and... View full entry
The Pritzker Prize-winning architect Balkrishna Doshi has done much more than just design buildings over the course of his 70-year career. Considered a pioneer of low-cost housing, the architect, urban planner, and educator has made it his mission to promote the ways in which buildings and cities... View full entry
Turkish based architecture studio Melike Altinisik Architects (MAA) wins the first ever international design competition hosted by The Seoul Metropolitan Government. The first competition of its kind, applicants were asked to submit a design idea to pioneer the world's first robot science museum... View full entry
Starting the year on a strong note, architecture firm billings growth strengthened in January to a level not seen in the previous twelve months according to a new report released today from The American Institute of Architects (AIA).
AIA’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score for January was 55.3 compared to 51.0* in December. Indicators of work in the pipeline, including inquiries into new projects and the value of new design contracts, also strengthened in January.
— AIA
“The government shutdown affected architecture firms but doesn’t appear to have created a slowdown in the profession,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, Hon. AIA, PhD. “While AIA did hear from a few firms that were experiencing significant cash flow issues due to the shutdown, the... View full entry
On Tuesday, the legendary Karl Lagerfeld passed away in Paris at age 85. One of the most recognized names in fashion, Mr. Lagerfeld, as the creative force behind Chanel, helped revive the brand into the luxury powerhouse it is today through his many reinterpretations of the house's iconic bouclé... View full entry
Join us at Archinect Outpost on March 6th, from 7-9pm to host Lydia Kallipoliti and her newest book, The Architecture of Closed Worlds: Or, What Is the Power of Shit? Published by Lars Müller Publishers and Storefront for Art and Architecture, the book accompanied an eponymous exhibition... View full entry
Texas, one of the gems of the Southwest, offers beautiful landscapes and a one of a kind history. As far as notable buildings are concerned, Texas is home to Renzo Piano's Menil Collection, I.M. Pei's Dallas City Hall, and Tadao Ando's The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. With structures as... View full entry
The Institution of Structural Engineers has announced James O’Callaghan as the recipient of its coveted Gold Medal this year in recognition of his achievements in the creative and boundary-pushing use of structural glass.Since co-founding the British engineering design... View full entry
In Florida, you will see a bewildering mix of optimism, opportunism and denial in the real estate market: luxury condominiums going up in flood-prone South Beach, and property values rising in the vulnerable Keys, post-Hurricane Irma. And though the House of Representatives passed a bill to require real estate agents to disclose flood risks, the Senate has not reviewed it, and a culture of “systemic, fraudulent nondisclosure” persists in high flood risk areas. — The Guardian
As part of her Climate Changed series for The Guardian, Megan Mayhew Bergman investigates the reluctance of Florida's condominium boom (and the wealthy investors behind it) to cool it a bit on new developments in the face of projected climate change-related devastation. "Humans tend to respond to... View full entry
Washington oversaw construction of the house while serving his two terms as president in New York and Philadelphia. He insisted that the President’s House be built of stone and embellished with extensive stone ornamentation...Washington requested alterations to the original design, adding the distinctive rose and acorn carved stone embellishments and cutting the building’s height. — National Geographic
The gutted interior of the White House, May 1950Abbie Rowe - U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Noel Grove, William B. Bushong and Joel D. Treese take us back to 1792, when James Hoban (born in Ireland) became the architect of the President's House. They also explore how the... View full entry
Cheap stick framing has led to a proliferation of blocky, forgettable mid-rises—and more than a few construction fires. — Bloomberg Businessweek
"These buildings are in almost every U.S. city. They range from three to seven stories tall and can stretch for blocks. They’re usually full of rental apartments, but they can also house college dorms, condominiums, hotels, or assisted-living facilities. Close to city centers, they tend toward a... View full entry
Kiley was among the most important, influential, and idiosyncratic landscape architects of the 20th century and the designer of more than 1,100 projects. Yet today his work is not well known outside of the field of landscape architecture and, to a lesser extent, the architecture profession. Despite his renown and importance, his legacy remains fragile. — Metropolis
There are many amazing architects and designers whose work sadly remains unnoticed due to the lack of exposure and presence outside of certain circles. With Modernism Week well underway the traveling exhibition "The Landscape Architecture Legacy of Dan Kiley" makes its debut in California's... View full entry
A wide field of architectural and design projects across several disciplines, from housing to office interiors to landscape design, has been selected for the World Architecture & Design Awards 2019. Established in 2016, the program is hosted by APR Magazine and features a globally diverse... View full entry
