In a way, heritage preservation is the least of Vancouver’s worries. Without more funding and stronger policy protections from the push-pull of global capital, Vancouver and cities like it will struggle to sustain urban life in all its social and economic diversity – the thing that makes them vibrant – let alone guarantee their architectural heritage. — The Guardian
The Empire Landmark Hotel, a brutalist tower from the 1970s, and landmark for the city of Vancouver, will close on September 30th. The tower will be demolished to construct new luxury condos. Architectural heritage preservation is threatened by the ever rising cost of land and property in... View full entry
The Mars Science City structure will be the most sophisticated building the world, and will incorporate a realistic simulation environment replicating the conditions on the surface of Mars.
A team of Emirati scientists, engineers and designers, led by a team from the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre and Dubai Municipality, will carry out the project, in cooperation with internationally renowned architects Bjarke Ingels.
— Al Arabiya
The United Arab Emirates is set to begin work on a $136M project to build a city stimulating conditions of life on Mars. The project is a part of the country's Mars by 2117 strategy, launched earlier this year by HH Sheikh Mohammed, in which the Gulf state seeks to lead the global scientific race... View full entry
The city of Brussels has experienced an energy revolution in the last ten years, transforming the Belgian capital into a model for the passive house movement. As a result of the regional government’s 2009 decision to fully embrace passive constructions, the city has become one the most... View full entry
Over 20 years after being commissioned, Richard Meier & Partners finally completed the new Cittadella Bridge in Alessandria, Italy. As the practice's first bridge (which they worked on with Dante O. Benini & Partners Architects), the 185-meter-long structure reconnects the city with an... View full entry
Zaha Hadid Architects just unveiled designs for the new 19-story Mayfair Residential Tower in Melbourne, Australia sporting the firm's trademark parametrically generated curves. According to ZHA's statement, various algorithms were at work to design a wavy facade that adapts to a host of different... View full entry
Archaeologists believe they have found the key to unlocking a mystery almost as old as the Great Pyramid itself: Who built the structure and how were they able to transport two-ton blocks of stone to the ancient wonder more than 4,500 years ago? — Newsweek
The pyramid's stones were known to have been transported from over 500 miles away but archeologists did not agree on how ancient Egyptians achieved it . Recent discoveries suggest that the stones were transported using boats and a network of waterways leading to the site of the pyramid in Giza. View full entry
As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco has tapped the Culver City-based firm wHY to design their new renovation and expansion plans. The architecture practice headed by Kulapat Yantrasast, has become known over the years for conjuring environments that... View full entry
Swiss firm savioz fabrizzi architectes took on the task of remodeling a 19th-century barn into a house for one of the studio's two partners in the small municipality of Ayent, high up in the Swiss Alps. Rather than covering up and hiding the structure's history of... View full entry
Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Fall 2017 Ready or not, it's the start of a new school year. Back for Fall 2017 is Archinect's Get Lectured, an ongoing series where we feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current term. Check back regularly to... View full entry
As tens of thousands of Texans undergo a long, difficult recovery from Hurricane Harvey, research findings, and studio and service projects by faculty and students at Texas A&M University are helping individuals and communities learn how to emerge from the damage and how to mitigate the effects of future disasters. — Texas A&M University Newswire
The Texas A&M University is home to the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center, studying prevention, response and recovery from natural disasters. Student efforts include gathering post-Harvey water samples and studying their quality, serving meals to the community and building models of... View full entry
The University of Pennsylvania School of Design has established a new $50,000 fellowship as well as an international medal of excellence thanks to a generous $1.25 million donation courtesy of alumna Lori Kanter Tritsch (MArch '85). "PennDesign has been home to so many visionary architects,”... View full entry
After the Sylmar quake, officials quickly updated building requirements to add more steel reinforcement to new concrete buildings. But there was no systematic effort by many governments around the world to address the defect in existing concrete buildings. — Los Angeles Times
California has numerous concrete buildings at risk of collapsing during a serious earthquake. The city of Los Angeles estimates having over 1500 buildings at risk. Structural engineers recommend accelerating the deadline for retrofit requirement. View full entry
A recent, worrisome working paper released by the National Bureau of Economic Research reported on the tinder of the last conflagration...It was buyers from the top and middle top who account for the skyrocketing rate of default — and it wasn’t that they were buying bigger family homes that they couldn’t afford. It was that they were buying additional houses to flip for a profit — NY Magazine
Caitlin Flanagan looks at the gangbusters growth of "flipping" shows on HGTV and wonders if they are perhaps a signal of the next boom/bust cycle in US housing market. View full entry
Back in 2015 architects and design buffs were excited to hear that Portuguese Pritzker Prize-winner Álvaro Siza would be designing his highly-anticipated first U.S. building on Manhattan’s west side in a neighborhood being called Hudson West. Now, developers Sumaida + Khurana and LENY have released renderings of the building at 611 West 56th Street on the former site of the Gristedes corporate headquarters. — 6sqft
The tower will rise 35 stories and hold 80 condo apartments. View full entry
Somehow we find ourselves at the end of September, with a chill in the air for the start of university terms.The end of the month brings us closer to winter, but also marks the end of some great exhibitions. Make sure you don't miss out on Pink Floyd, Frieze, and the Dulwich and Serpentine... View full entry
