A sprawling terrain of various biomes and sunken courtyards has been chosen as the winning landscape design entry in an international competition for the Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters central green axis in Shenzhen, China.Submitted by Berkeley/Shanghai-based TLS Landscape Architecture... View full entry
A bill introduced on July 13th by Nevada Representative Dina Titus aims to write the General Services Administration's "Guiding Principles" for federal architecture into federal law. The bill, titled the "Democracy in Design Act," represents an effort to stop the implementation the... View full entry
The system uses a microphone outside the window to detect the repeating sound waves of the offending noise source, which is registered by a computer controller. That in turn deciphers the proper wave frequency needed to neutralize the sound, which is transmitted to the array of speakers on the inside of the window frame. — The New York Times
A team of researchers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore led by Masaharu Nishimura and Bhan Lam have developed a prototype approach that can decrease the amount of urban noise that infiltrates a dwelling. The grid of circular speakers is installed within the open window frame... View full entry
The Getty Foundation has selected 13 pivotal Modernist structures located around the world to receive funding for conservation and restoration initiatives as part of its Keeping It Modern Architecture Conservation Grants program. As in years passed, the selected structures are located... View full entry
[...] tall buildings are still sold on the basis that they are good for the environment. Mostly the argument is about density – if you pile a lot of homes or workplaces high on one spot, it is said, then you can use land and public transport more efficiently. There’s some truth in this, but you can also achieve high levels of density without going above 10 or 12 storeys. — The Guardian
The Observer's Rowan Moore dissects a list of the usual arguments in favor of ever taller buildings around the world and concludes that not much of it passes the reality test of urgent climate crisis, resource scarcity, wealth distribution, city planning, global pandemic, and ultimately, good... View full entry
WindowSwap, a new website created by husband and wife duo Sonali Ranjit and Vaishnav Balasubramaniam, two Singapore-based creatives, allows users to look through the windows of people across the globe. According to The Stable, Ranjit said of the project: Screenshot via window-swap.com. View... View full entry
Canada is offering homegrown softwood lumber and steel to help with the reconstruction of Paris’s famed Notre Dame Cathedral, which was partially destroyed by fire in mid-April.
In a letter sent to French President Emmanuel Macron this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada was proud to support France in the reconstruction of the iconic monument.
— Global News
According to Global News, the Canadian Steel Producers Association and the Forest Products Association of Canada have already indicated their support for the Canadian government's initiative. View full entry
In a joint statement from the American Institute of Architects Los Angeles Chapter (AIALA) and the Southern California Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (SoCal NOMA), a new tool to expand inclusion has been announced: the SoCal NOMA Diversity Equity and Inclusivity... View full entry
With the launch of the Reimagining Brooklyn Bridge competition earlier this year, the Van Alen Institute and New York City Council aimed to create an international open call for architects and designers to "rethink" how New York's iconic Brooklyn Bridge walkway could look in the future. The... View full entry
The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have agreed to rescind a policy that would bar international students taking online-only courses from residing in the United States, federal judge Allison D. Burroughs announced at a hearing on Tuesday.
ICE will revert back to the guidance it issued in March that allows students taking online courses to reside in the United States on F-1 visas.
— The Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson reports that Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of California, and hundreds of other higher education institutions have successfully beaten back a draconian initiative proposed by the United States Department of Homeland Security that... View full entry
Progress is being made toward enacting the Great American Outdoors Act, a legislative effort recently passed by the United States Senate and due to be taken up by the US House of Representatives next week that could begin to address the $11 billion backlog of road, building, and facilities... View full entry
After revealing a longlist of 32 proposals imagining our post-pandemic world last week, RIBA's Rethink: 2025 international design competition announced the twelve shortlisted entries this morning. The brief tasked architects and students to envision what our built environment after Covid... View full entry
As part of a $2.5 billion funding commitment made by computer and electronics giant Apple to help fund additional affordable housing initiatives, the company has allocated $400 million toward a series of first-time homebuyer and affordable housing efforts. An announcement from Apple... View full entry
The Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has unveiled designs for The Plus, a new furniture factory for Vestre, a Norwegian manufacturer of urban furniture. Located in the heart of the Norwegian forest, the 6,500-square-meter open production facility will double as a public 300-acre park for hiking and... View full entry
According to Urbanize LA, an entity associated with Chicago-based Cardiff Mason Development has selected Morphosis to design a new self-storage facility in Westchester. The project calls for the construction of an approximately 50,000-square-foot structure consisting of three... View full entry