As society plans its transition out of the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic response and into a new era of social distanced, post-quarantine life, the gradual re-inhabitation of existing buildings will necessitate that many aspects of daily life be re-examined, both in terms of social custom... View full entry
“We decided to treat the situation as an opportunity to reflect, unite and create together with a group of young talented architecture students, who were all crawling the walls due to lock-down and home isolation.” A-A Collective — A-A Collective
At a time where the world is closing down and consumerism is on hold, A-A Collective completes a digital based workshop for 80 architecture students at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Schools of Architecture, Design and Conservation - Institute of Architecture, Urbanism and Landscape. Chair... View full entry
Rastegar Property Company has announced plans to develop the tallest living wall installation in North America within its 26-story, 270 residential condominium tower development located in Dallas, Texas. The wall would include over 40,000 plants that are estimated to capture over 1,600 pounds of... View full entry
As we're all becoming more fluent in connecting with others online during this time of quarantine, online events offer a fantastic opportunity to connect with others, while continuing to learn, network and stay inspired. The only problem is that there hasn't been a clear way to track and vet... View full entry
More than 106,000 clean energy jobs were eliminated in the month of March due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, according to an analysis of unemployment data by BW Research Partnership and E2. The layoffs reflect a 3% drop in overall industry employment. — Smart Cities Dive
According to Smart Cities Dive, the layoffs come as hundreds of clean energy-related manufacturing plants have closed, including those producing building materials and solar/wind power infrastructure. The largest drops have been seen Hawaii (6.4%), Pennsylvania (6.2%) and North Carolina... View full entry
In an effort to track the impacts, Earther assembled an interactive map to explore the changes in air pollution not just in the U.S. but globally. The map runs on Google Earth Engine and uses data collected by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-5P satellite, which circles the Earth capturing various types of data. It includes four snapshots from December 2019 through March 20, 2020. The Sentinel satellite data shows nitrogen dioxide, which is a handy proxy for human activity. — Gizmodo
Brian Kahn and Dhruv Mehrotra of Earther highlight a recently launched pollution visualizer their team has assembled that highlights the stark changes in human activity across the world in the wake of COVID-19-imposed economic and social disruptions. The authors interview Barbara Dix... View full entry
The recent recipients of the 2020 Pritzker Prize, Grafton Architects, have been chosen by the University of Arkansas to partner with Modus Studio to design the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation. Founders Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara are... View full entry
Local Laws 92 and 94, which went into effect on November 15, 2019, require all new buildings and major roof alterations to be capped with a green roof, solar panels, or some combination of the two.
If successful, the new policies could transform New York’s skyline.
— Urban Omnibus
In their publication Urban Omnibus, The Architectural League of New York asked experts from the Green Roof Researchers Alliance to elaborate on the implications of NYC's ambitious decarbonization legislation, the Climate Mobilization Act, which — since November 2019 — requires all new... View full entry
Members of the architecture community know too well the infamously gaudy and ugly reputation of the "McMansion" housing type. Despite the fact that esteemed architecture critics like Kate Wagner have been roasting these buildings (and their owners) for years, more and more of these... View full entry
Architects are no longer builders but healers. They have to get off their computers and out of their cars to heal the social, physical and environmental aspects of our landscape. What architects build is not a finished product but a part of a city’s changing eco-system. — WOODBURY UNIVERSITY
James Rojas as an urbanist with close ties to his home, from its community values, feel, art to neighborhood stories and legends. All materializing in his inimitable urban visioning. His brand of Latino Urbanism via his beloved East LA neighborhood are series of performances, installations... View full entry
Amazon [has opened] its first grocery store to pilot the use of the retailer’s cashierless “Just Walk Out” technology that has previously powered 25 Amazon Go convenience stores in a handful of major U.S. metros. Based in Amazon’s hometown of Seattle, the new Amazon Go Grocery store allows customers to shop for everyday grocery items like fresh produce, meat, seafood, bakery items, household essentials, dairy, easy-to-make dinner options, beer, wine and spirits, and more. — TechCrunch
According to TechCrunch, the store is 7,700 square feet in the front of house and 10,400 square feet overall, making it the largest use of Amazon's Just Walk Out technology to date. With a similar model to the Amazon Go convenience stores, shoppers use the Amazon Go app to check themselves in... View full entry
Looking for a unique design-build experience this summer? Well, you're in luck because non-profit design laboratory Space Saloon has announced its third annual design-build festival, DeSaturated. Created in collaboration with design studio and campsite residency group Designers on Holiday and... View full entry
Boston University's new Center for Computing and Data Sciences building is set to be the largest carbon-neutral building in Boston when completed. The 19-story structure will house the university's mathematics, statistics, and computer science departments. Previously covered on Archinect... View full entry
“Stone,” says architect Amin Taha, “is the great forgotten material of our time. In 99% of cases, it’s cheaper and greener to use stone in a structural way, as opposed to concrete or steel, but we mostly just think of using it for cladding.” — The Guardian
Oliver Wainwright's takeaways from The New Stone Age, a current exhibition at the Building Centre in London. The "great forgotten material of our time" appears to be bracing for somewhat of a comeback with architects like Amin Taha of London-based practice GROUPWORK (also one of the exhibition's... View full entry
New York City will require all new and existing buildings to meet stricter energy efficiency requirements under a new energy code approved by the city council and passed by Mayor Bill de Blasio last week. The 2020 NYC Energy Conservation Code is part of the city’s implementation of its Green New Deal. — Smart Cities Dive
According to Construction Dive, the new code will require builders to improve the building thermal envelope with modified walls and windows to limit heat loss in addition to air leakage mitigation. Heating and cooling systems will also have stricter requirements. View full entry
