The average price of building a garage parking space (as much as $34,000 in 2012) is passed on to people whether they own a car or not, and distort the true demand for urban parking. — Quartz
According to the 2011 National American Housing Survey data of the US census, about 16% of a housing unit’s monthly rental cost is attributable to the expense of building an urban parking spot. For the average renter that amounts to to $1,700 per year, or $142 per month. Parking mandates... View full entry
Scientists at Georgia Tech were trying to figure out how ants built themselves into towers to escape confinement or danger. They put a small pole in the middle of a dishful of ants and filmed what happened. The ants, they found, climb upwards, on top of each other, until they find an empty spot. Then they stop. The next one does the same, and so on. — Quartz
Alexander McQueen, rebel of the fashion world renowned for his wildly imaginative designs, always said that there is no better designer than nature. Through billions of years of evolution, life's products, so to speak, have been extensively prototyped, market tested, upgraded and refined. So, it... View full entry
Construction of ODA's 251 1st Street residential complex in Park Slope is now reaching completion, demonstrating fragmented massing which the firm believes imbues the structure with a "living facade." As the architects explain, "ODA’s inflected the building’s upper massing with a cascade of... View full entry
A team comprising Witteveen+Bos, plein06 and Novarc Group recently won a global competition to design Estonia's first movable pedestrian bridge in the old harbor of the Tallinn capital. Their winning scheme, “New Balance 100” — whose name pays tribute to the... View full entry
Permissive building codes, industry inertia, and market demands — like clients clamoring for floor-to-ceiling views — have widened the discrepancy between the kind of buildings cities say they want and what they actually allow. So while the industry inches towards better environmental performance, buildings in Boston and other cities still fall short of the sustainability goals that everyone claims to embrace. — The Boston Globe
Courtney Humphries of Boston Globe argues that the current trend for extensive use of glass in buildings contradicts today's strive for sustainability and "green building." When New York started tracking energy use by skyscrapers, the gleaming 7 World Trade Center — one of that city’s more... View full entry
Neighbors have complained about the plaza for years, calling it an unsafe blight. The frustration is shared by Maria Ciprazo, the federal architect who oversaw the process that in 1999 awarded the project to Mayne and his Southern California firm, Morphosis. — San Francisco Chronicle
In this article, the San Francisco Chronicle takes issue with Morphosis' Federal Building, noting that its plaza has not become the cultural hotspot much hyped by developers at its opening in 2007: But when we view the complex in hindsight, it didn’t transform the local architectural scene... View full entry
Appropriate to its sci-fi ambitions and branding, Faraday Future has enlisted MAD to design a new campus that suggests “extraterrestrial objects capable of de-familiarizing employees and prospective clients with the status quo of the contemporary automotive market.” Sited on Mare Island in... View full entry
It's that time of year where the streets are suddenly filled throughout the day with young people, released from their studies until September. Make the most of the family-friendly events available, including constructive, creative workshops, as well as a bit of fun (Olympic Park Duck Race... View full entry
The international Rethinking the Future Awards competition celebrates the talents of today's designers around the world. Previous RTD Award winners have included Bjarke Ingels Group & DIALOG, Perkins Eastman, Page, RTKL, AHR, and Sanjay Puri Architects. The... View full entry
Sir John Soane’s Museum in London announced Spanish architect Rafael Moneo as the inaugural presenter of the Soane Annual Lecture, as well as being the first Soane Medal recipient for contribution to architecture. The new lecture and... View full entry
The Danish term “Skaeve Huse” roughly translates to special houses for special people. Since the early aughts, the government has been using this form of temporary housing to help shelter individuals who suffer from mental illness, drug addiction and/or have trouble adapting to normal living... View full entry
Chosen from nearly 100 submissions, The Chinatown Public Library in Chicago, designed by Wight and Company and SOM, has earned national recognition in the 2017 Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel awards program (IDEAS²). View full entry
The owners of 6 Wood Lane envisioned the idiosyncratic, London-based home as a self-build project for more than seven years. Completed in February 2015 by Birds Portchmouth Russum Architects, the 4-story home makes the best of its narrow site with its eccentric... View full entry
Previously covered by Archinect, MADWORKSHOP Homeless Studio is a USC course exploring the architect’s role in helping to solve Los Angeles' rapidly accelerating homelessness crisis. "Getting someone off the street and into permanent housing doesn't happen right away. We are looking at lead... View full entry
The Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture has announced the recipients of the 2017 Awards for Excellence. Inaugurated in 1998, it is one of the highest awards that can be achieved in the field of architectural computing. It is presented to individuals who display... View full entry