These kinds of guidelines cite “sustainability,” but miss a larger point about housing in Minneapolis. While it’s true that some types of texture and massing look “cheaper” than others, there are legitimate questions about whether or not newer types of building materials — EIFS, metal cladding, and the like — are more climate friendly and affordable than other materials that seem more traditional. — MinnPost
EIFS (aka “synthetic stucco” or “Exterior Insulation Finishing Systems”) are but one material in the proposed bans put forth by city planning officials in Minneapolis recently in an attempt to formalize a set of 2014 guidelines. EIFS capabilities have advanced beyond a widely-known... View full entry
New York-based artists collective Harlem Grown, in collaboration with Jerome Haferd of BRANDT : HAFERD, has shared photos of the new ‘Sankofa’ installation in Harlem’s historic Marcus Garvey Park just months after the announcement of a two-year community-led commission aimed at... View full entry
The World Architecture Festival (WAF) has announced the inaugural winners of its brand-new Architecture Book of the Year Awards. The program honors seven select Category Winners along with three Special Prizes as selected by an esteemed panel of judges from more than 100 entries of architecture... View full entry
The Biden Administration has recently announced a new $90 million commitment in the form of competitive awards meant to help states and cities in their myriad attempts at mustering updated building codes into the country's patchwork response to climate change. The funds are being taken from the... View full entry
Total construction starts continue to fluctuate, with a 9% dip in June resulting in a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1 trillion, according to the latest Dodge Construction Network report. Nonresidential starts led the decline, falling 14%. Nonbuilding starts fell 9%, and residential starts... View full entry
Following last week’s visit to New York-based Resolution: 4 Architecture, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to Connecticut this week to explore the work of Joeb Moore & Partners. From their studio in Greenwich, the firm has built a portfolio grounded in “intellect in design... View full entry
Shakespeare, Gordon, Vlado: Architects (SGVA) has completed a series of research laboratories for Columbia University. Initiated in 2018, the project aimed to “modernize and repurpose” Columbia’s existing facilities to accommodate the expanding needs of the university's biological sciences... View full entry
More than 30 years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law, mandating reasonable accommodations and accessibility features for people with disabilities. Yet to this day, ADA noncompliant sidewalks, crosswalks, and public transportation stops permeate U.S. cities from coast to coast. — Next City
The plaintiff in the Hunters Point Library suit against Steven Holl — disability advocate Tanya Jackson — is another high-profile case highlighting the effects of racial health inequality in design and the failures of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for Black disabled... View full entry
The Justice Department has put Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on notice that it intends to file suit over a floating barrier wall he erected in the Rio Grande River to keep migrants from crossing the border illegally.
The letter, a copy of which was obtained by USA TODAY, gives Texas officials until Monday to commit to removing the barrier. If there is no response, the Justice Department will pursue legal action, the letter warns.
— USA Today
The buoys, which are manufactured off-site by a U.S./Dubai-based company called Cochrane USA, were already challenged by a local kayaking rental business owner who claimed their presence was damaging to the river’s ecosystem. The DOJ’s letter was met with a tweet from Abbott wherein he claimed... View full entry
The first 3D printed model home concept Wolf Ranch development, built by Lennar and ICON and co-designed by BIG, has been completed in Georgetown, Texas. The initial of what will eventually turn into a 100-home development outside the rapidly-expanding state capital showcases one of eight... View full entry
The celebrated ongoing restoration of Chicago’s St. Laurence elementary school by the Theaster Gates’ Rebuild Foundation has added new leadership to support the $10.35 million project, which broke ground on the city’s South Side in May 2022. The Foundation shares that Nonprofit Operations... View full entry
Continuing to not only champion but provide pathways to academic and professional advancement, the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) celebrates another fellowship cohort of young designers. The NOMA Future Faces (NFF), formerly known as the NOMA Foundation Fellowship... View full entry
A team of researchers from The Ohio State University has developed a machine learning technique that converts old urban maps into three-dimensional digital models. According to the team, the models could potentially revolutionize research involving historic neighborhoods and the economic... View full entry
A record-breaking supportive housing development in the overburdened Los Angeles market is one step closer to completion this week after AXIS/GFA Architecture + Design’s new 19-story Weingart Center Tower 1 project topped out near Skid Row. Once completed, the development will provide a total of... View full entry
Archinect's Lexicon focuses on newly invented or adopted vocabulary within the architectural community. For this installment, we're featuring a term that was coined by recent Archinect interviewee Richard Saul Wurman, and featured heavily in a book by recent Archinect interviewee... View full entry
