It’s nighttime and you find yourself in a small, dark flat in a nondescript suburb in Russia. You look out of the window and see the courtyard covered in snow, illuminated by street lamps and the cold neon glare of storefronts. You turn on the light switch and look around your apartment. This is the melancholy start of a new immersive game made by developer Alexander Ignatov and poet Ilia Mazo. — The Calvert Journal
The setting and landscapes of video game worlds add to the overall gaming experience, particularly free roaming games. Called a "sandbox" in the gaming community, the mission-less free to roam game allows the player to wander throughout the virtual world. Without a plot or mission to accomplish... View full entry
"[Hudson Yards] is, at heart, a supersized suburban-style office park, with a shopping mall and a quasi-gated condo community targeted at the 0.1 percent. — The New York Times
Ahead of the opening of the long anticipated Hudson Yards complex in New York City, New York Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman spared little time in sharing his disgust with its turn out. Rendering of the Vessel, by Thomas HeatherwickKimmelman picks the complex apart building by... View full entry
This week the Los Angeles Police Department released photos of the items that were stolen from the Freeman House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The famed textile block house made for Samuel Freeman was put under the care and maintenance of USC in 1986. Two floor lamps designed by Wright and a... View full entry
[CTBUH] has verified the completion of Mjøstårnet, a mixed-use building in Brumunddal, Norway that now holds the unique title of the “World’s Tallest Timber Building.” At 85.4 meters, it is also the third-tallest building in Norway and the country’s tallest with mixed functions.
This news coincides with the amendment of the CTBUH Height Criteria – the official guidelines upon which tall buildings are measured – to include timber as a recognized structural material.
— Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
The 18-story wooden structure Mjøstårnet (Mjøsa Tower) near Oslo, Norway popularly earned the title "World’s Tallest Timber Building" back in September 2018 when it structurally topped out. But it wasn't until a recent update of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat's height... View full entry
This week the non-profit rise International (Relationships Inspiring Social Enterprise) announced its winner of the international architecture competition which focuses on affordable housing projects. During the 2018-2019 competition, designers were challenged to design high-quality, sustainable... View full entry
The curators for the 2019 Chicago Architecture Biennial have announced early highlight contributors who will create newly commissioned projects and other materials for the exhibition. The initial list is comprised of 51 practices and practitioners from 19 countries. It includes architects... View full entry
This post is brought to you by The Land Art Generator Initiative What does the future of renewable energy look like? As the world comes together over the next decade to meet the challenge of global climate change, solar, wind, and other renewable energy installations will be distributed across... View full entry
Join us at Archinect Outpost on March 23th, from 7–9pm to host Liam Young and his newly edited book: Machine Landscapes: Architectures of the Post-Anthropocene. Young and Geoff Manaugh will be in attendance to present their thoughts on the book, followed by a book signing. Machine Landscapes can... View full entry
Mecanoo recently won the competition to design the new Frankfurt Grand Central tower in the fast-evolving German city. Occupying the site of the former station post office, the 140-meter-tall tower will feature a glass and copper-toned metal facade that was inspired by Frankfurt's industrial... View full entry
A groundbreaking ceremony will be held Thursday for the 2.25-mile Automated People Mover at Los Angeles International Airport, which aims to cut down on auto traffic traveling in and out of the airport, officials announced Monday.
The project has a targeted opening date of 2023.
— NBC Los Angeles
Rendering of the people mover train above the terminal loop.Earlier this morning, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti and other city officials celebrated the kick-off of what will be one of the most significant upgrades to Los Angeles International Airport—an elevated Automated People Mover system that will... View full entry
The Canada Council for the Arts on Thursday announced the curators and winning proposal for the Canadian Pavilion at the 2020 Venice Architecture Biennale. Led by Montreal architecture and design practice T B A and David Theodore of McGill University, the exhibition will be titled "Imposter... View full entry
Above the Financial District, 125 Greenwich Street rises as a slender 88-story residential skyscraper. Designed by Rafael Vinoly and developed by Bizzi & Partners and Vector Group, the 912-foot tall glass and concrete structure has topped out. The 273 residential units are being marketed by Douglas Elliman, while the interiors are being designed by March & White. — New York YIMBY
Certainly no stranger to building tall structures in the borough, 125 Greenwich Street (also know as 22 Thames Street) is the first skyscraper in Lower Manhattan designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects. View this post on Instagram Today marks the official topping-out of @125greenwichstreet’s... View full entry
Last summer, students from SCI-Arc and INDA ventured out to the Morongo Valley to take part in a week-long course in which they designed and built a series of exploratory units. Titled 'Landing', the mobile educational camp was the brain child of Danny Wills and Gian Maria Socci, who set up the... View full entry
The loss of this charming pavilion would be a double blow for Philadelphia history. Not only is Columbus Square’s little stone tower a fine example of mid-century modern design, it is also one of a handful of surviving buildings by Elizabeth Hirsh Fleisher, the first woman in Philadelphia to receive a license to practice architecture. — Inga Saffron, philly.com
The crown-roofed cylindrical pavilion designed by Elizabeth Hirsh Fleisher in 1960 is a landmark in South Philadelphia's Columbus Square. Now, the building is slated for demolition as part of a renovation of the park. “Because this is women’s history month, it’s also worth pointing out... View full entry
Salesforce Tower, San Francisco’s tallest building, can be seen for miles around the Bay Area.
But to inspect the building’s exterior for potential damage, owner Boston Properties needed to get close. So it enlisted a drone.
At 1,070 feet, the tower is a major example of the growing use of drones for building and construction inspections.
— San Francisco Chronicle
The SF Chronicle writes about the increasing deployment of flying high-tech equipment to cut down on the inspection time (and cost) on very large buildings, such as Salesforce Tower: "The small aircraft, which now have high definition cameras, are cheaper, faster and safer than traditional human... View full entry