The state government will audit the use and ban the supply of the potentially flammable building cladding that led to London's deadly Grenfell Tower inferno, in what it styles as Australia's toughest fire safety reforms. [...]
Better Regulation Minister Matt Kean said the government had undertaken an audit sample of about 180,000 residential and commercial towers constructed in NSW since the 1980s.
About 1000 of those buildings "may have [unsafe] cladding", the Minister said.
— The Sydney Morning Herald
"The [New South Wales] state government said it would introduce reform that would identify buildings encased in unsafe cladding," the Sydney Morning Herald reports, "require them to be inspected and force building owners to foot the bill for replacements and ban the sale and supply of unsafe... View full entry
Architects, designers, and students who took part in PennDesign's LA+ Journal LA+ IMAGINATION ideas competition put their creativity to the test in envisioning a new imaginary island. The only rule? The island couldn't be larger than 1 square kilometer.Out of ... View full entry
Constructed by Swissrope/Lauber Seilbahnen AG, Frutigen, this suspension bridge in Switzerland is now the globe's longest (and arguably, most scenic, as it hovers above one of the deepest valleys in the country). The two-foot-wide bridge, which helps connect two mountain towns, has cut the time it... View full entry
The man known for his modern, white, geometrically intricate buildings spends his summers in a simple, cedar-shingled farmhouse built in 1907 that he bought from the family of the original owners in 1984. On a July afternoon, Mr. Meier was in his study there, painting watercolors. — The New York Times
For nearly 30 years, the 105-story tower has been a mystery. Located in Pyongyang, North Korea, the Ryugyong Hotel was billed to be the world's tallest hotel but has yet to host a guest, making it instead, the world's largest unoccupied building. But, on Friday, the country took down some walls... View full entry
New York City is in the throes of a humanitarian emergency, a term defined by the Humanitarian Coalition of large international aid organizations as “an event or series of events that represents a critical threat to the health, safety, security or wellbeing of a community or other large group of people.” New York’s is [...] a “complex emergency”: man-made and shaped by a combination of forces that have led to a large-scale “displacement of populations” from their homes. — The New York Review of Books
"What makes the crisis especially startling," author Michael Greenberg continues in his latest piece for The New York Review of Books, "is that New York has the most progressive housing laws in the country and a mayor who has made tenants’ rights and affordable housing a central focus of his... View full entry
It's the start of a new month! That means the Curry Stone Foundation has revealed their latest group of Social Design Circle honorees. Since this January, instead of awarding a single winner with the 2017 Curry Stone Design Prize, the foundation has been recognizing... View full entry
Back in June, the Ross Development Trust and the City of Edinburgh Council released a shortlist of seven finalist teams, all competing for the chance to lead the revitalization of the Ross Pavilion. Located in the heart of the capital of Scotland, the site sits below the Edinburgh Castle at the... View full entry
After weeks of negotiations with the International Olympic Committee, Los Angeles officials have reached a deal to host the 2028 Summer Games under terms they hope will generate hundreds of millions in savings and additional revenues.
The agreement will bring the Olympics back to Southern California for a third time, after Los Angeles hosted in 1984 and 1932. It also opens the door for the 2024 Games to be held in Paris.
— latimes.com
Spiraling costs and notorious budget overruns have discouraged other cities from pushing towards being a host to the 2024/28 Summer Olympics, but Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti thinks otherwise and hopes to avoid unpredictable spending by reusing existing venues and infrastructure. As the Los... View full entry
Eighty-two buildings have failed a new fire safety test set up in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire, ministers say.
The test examines the safety of building cladding and insulation in combination.
It comes as an independent review of building regulations and fire safety has also been announced by the government.
It will look at current building regulations and fire safety, focusing on high-rise residential buildings.
— BBC
"The new fire safety test is the first of a wave of more comprehensive assessments, which come after previous tests were carried out on hundreds of cladding samples in recent months - many of these failed standards for flammability," the BBC reports and outlines key examination goals of the... View full entry
This week is full of things to do entertain the next generation, including workshops and summer schools to keep them occupied during the day. If you are of drinking age, make sure not to miss a rare Tate Britain late on Friday, which looks at the history of fashion and self-expression through... View full entry
With focus on works of the twentieth century, the Getty Foundation's Keeping it Modern program awards buildings of architectural and cultural significance funding for conservation and preservation. Grants focus on the creation of conservation management plans that guide long-term maintenance and... View full entry
For the 6th consecutive year in a row, Gensler has topped Architectural Record's list of Top 300 firms. Companies are ranked by the total revenue for architectural services performed in 2016—for companies that offer other services as well, such as planning or engineering, earnings acquired... View full entry
Housing scarcity is nothing new, and the dire issue persists today in cities around the world. How have architects and inhabitants addressed these issues in the past and today? Currently at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, “Together! The New Architecture of the... View full entry
Architecture grad students Luis Alvarez, Wai Kan Chan, and Di Wang from McGill University had the winning proposal for the “Growing our Community” student design competition, which is part of Canada's 150th anniversary celebration. The Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC)... View full entry