For the second year in a row, a Kohn Pedersen Fox-designed building managed to win the top spot in the annual Emporis Skyscraper Award program: MGM Cotai, the enormous $3.4 billion casino-hotel-resort in Macau, designed in collaboration with Wong Tung & Partners Limited, was selected by the jurors... View full entry
With a two-thirds majority, Houston-area voters approved a $3.5 billion bond issue to pay for transit projects. This is the first time since 2003 that METRO has asked voters to borrow more money through bonds.
METRO’s plans include a bus rapid transit line to Bush Intercontinental Airport along with a light rail line to Hobby Airport. The transit agency also wants to build new park and ride facilities and make enhancements to the current bus network.
— Houston Public Media
The plan will help to expand Houston's fledgling transportation system, which currently includes a trio of interlocking light rail lines as well as a traditional bus network. Houston has over 120 mies of HOV lane. METRONext uses that for a two-way, all-day regional express bus network. City... View full entry
Architecture, which benefits from intensity and focus, will never be easily slotted in the nine-to-five day. If support systems can evolve and grow, I think the potential for new models of leadership will continue to expand to include an even more diverse community. I am impressed by the breadth and depth of architects that are emerging—both male and female—who are simultaneously teaching, practicing, raising families, and publishing incredibly remarkable work. — Weitzman School of Design
An excerpt of an interview of Marion Weiss, principal and co-founder of Weiss/Manfredi, by Franca Trubiano, associate professor of architecture, and graduate student Ramona Adlakha, has been published by the Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania. The interview is an... View full entry
You're short on time. I know. This is a quick one. As you approach your mid-review, keep these three things in mind: The jury is there to help you grow and get better. You're not there to prove anything to anyone, but rather to identify what you can work on and develop. Let this reduce the stigma... View full entry
Alexico Group, the development firm behind Tribeca’s 60-storey “Jenga Tower”, a Herzog & de Meuron-designed residential high-rise at 56 Leonard Street, announced that it will start installing a public sculpture by Anish Kapoor commissioned specifically for the building in the second week of November. — The Art Newspaper
Kapoor's shiny 56 Leonard bladder — resembling a smaller, squashed version of his Chicago "The Bean" landmark — made quite a splash in early renderings for the Jenga-like Manhattan condo tower in 2008, but overcoming various fabrication obstacles has not been easy and thus pushed... View full entry
Associate professor Derek Hoeferlin has been named chair of the landscape architecture and urban design programs in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. Hoeferlin, who joined the Sam Fox School’s College of Architecture and Graduate School... View full entry
In the weeks following the much-anticipated opening of the Steven Holl Architects-designed Hunters Point Library in Queens, New York City, much of the public discourse regarding the structure has focused on a collection of accessibility and design oversights embodied by the library's design... View full entry
MODU + Eric Forman Studio's “Heart Squared” was recently revealed as the winning proposal for the Times Square Valentine Heart Competition. Now in its 12th year, the competition invites a selection of New York-based architects and designers to submit a playful interpretation of a Valentine's... View full entry
Seattle is a city filled with a rich landscape and notable architectural structures. For this week's job round up, we focus on six architecture firms in Seattle, Washington that are searching for the right candidate to join their team. From experienced project architects and managers to BIM... View full entry
This post is brought to you by BQE Core Your world revolves around projects. And while you know it’s important to keep these projects running smoothly and profitably, it’s not always obvious what you should be tracking to ensure the outcome you desire. The growth and ultimate success of... View full entry
Here's a phone number worth having on speed-dial. The Midnight Charette podcast recently launched a “Design Companion” phone hotline that welcomes architects, designers, or anyone else, to call in with questions, comments and the like, on buzzworthy topics relevant to the community. The... View full entry
With many corporations introducing alternative work weeks, some have begun to explore the idea of a 4-day work week in architecture. In a previous post titled, Can the 4-Day Workweek Become a Thing? many Archinectors jumped in to contribute their thoughts regarding the... View full entry
LeBron James is adding safe housing to the school he founded in his hometown, so students have a stable place to live while they get their education.
The NBA star announced Monday that a historic apartment building in Akron, Ohio, is being renovated and turned into transitional housing for families in need at his I Promise School.
— CNN
"Initially, our work was focused on helping these kids earn an education. But we've found that it is impossible to help them learn if they are struggling to survive — if they are hungry, if they have no heat in the freezing winter, if they live in fear for their safety," said James... View full entry
The Trump administration has formally notified the United Nations that the U.S. is withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement. The withdrawal will be complete this time next year, after a one-year waiting period has elapsed.
"We will continue to work with our global partners to enhance resilience to the impacts of climate change and prepare for and respond to natural disasters," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Monday.
— NPR.com
Rachel Cleetus of the Union of Concerned Scientists told NPR, “The reality is, to really deliver on our climate goals, we do need strong federal action," adding, "The unfortunate reality is U.S. carbon emissions actually rose last year." View full entry
the L.A. City Planning Department (DCP) released its full draft Downtown Community Plan, called DTLA 2040. Once approved, the plan would eliminate parking requirements for all of downtown Los Angeles.
DCP has been working on the new DTLA 2040 plan since 2014. It is the first city community plan update that incorporates the city’s new modular planning code, developed under re:code LA
— Streetsblog
Under the proposed plan, up to 60-percent of Downtown Los Angeles would be eligible for residential uses, up from just 33-percent today. The planning document states: “By the year 2040, Downtown will include 125,000 new residents, in addition to 55,000 new jobs — representing 20% of the... View full entry
