Governments can help nudge the industry to use more wood, particularly in the public sector—the construction industry’s biggest client. That would help wood-building specialists achieve greater scale and lower costs. Zero-carbon building regulations should be altered to take account of the emissions that are embodied in materials. This would favour wood as well as innovative ways of producing other materials. — The Economist
The Economist compares the environmental impact of the industrialized world's most common building materials, cement and steel, with that of carbon-trapping wood, and how an earnest effort to reach the emission goals outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement cannot ignore building with timber on a... View full entry
...the new property is not to sell products. Instead, Shinola aims for the hotel to be a place where Detroiters and out-of-town visitors can bond with each other, the city, and the brand in an organic way. — Hour Detroit
The Detroit-based watch company is a fundamental entity within the city. Founded in 2011, the humble watch company built its first factory by transforming 30,000 square feet of unused space inside Detroit's historic Argonaut Building. A brand built on quality, hard work, and the spirit of Detroit... View full entry
The new year is upon us! There are plenty of things the architecture community can learn from 2018. With trends rising and falling out of style, to practices learning how to embody an ethical and inclusive model, industry leaders are looking to start the new year on the right foot. This week's job... View full entry
It is clear not everyone is tightening the purse strings in tougher economic times following a year of record-smashing home sales in 2018. Despite global boom-time economies starting to wane, the big spenders were still out in force snapping up some of the most expensive properties on the planet right up until the end of the year. — The Spaces
A round-up of the world's five priciest homes sold in 2018, plus another three that are still on the market in case you're looking for a swanky new abode in 2019. View full entry
For years, suburbia has offered these companies acres of disposable, cheap, anonymous office parks: mostly one- or two-story concrete structures surrounded by loads of surface parking. These sites minimized costs, maximized security and allowed companies to scale up, contract or split into different units quickly — at the same time they promoted sprawl and traffic jams and transformed once-quaint bedroom communities south of San Francisco into phenomenally expensive places to live. — The New York Times
Even though Amazon's search for its new headquarters' locations has ended all the talks and negotiations about the company's potential impact on the cities it will settle in — New York and Crystal City, Virginia—have only begun. In ways, the choice comes as no surprise as tech platforms... View full entry
Architecture, creativity, and community. These are the themes that best summarize Apple retail in 2018. Over the past year, Apple has worked in new ways to expand its global and local reach. The company has challenged the traditional definition of brick-and-mortar stores during an uncertain time for many retailers. — 9to5mac
The multi-billion dollar company made moves this year with its heavy presence of retail stores through out the globe. From their new and newly remodeled stores every flagship highlights elements of accessibility, natural light, and energy efficient initiatives present. This year alone, nine brand... View full entry
In August, in our "From the Ground Up" series, we looked at some very early projects by Maya Lin, Barbara Bestor and Tod Williams & Billie Tsien. The Panel House. Image via Bestor Architecture WebsiteOn August 15th we reported about an article in the New Statesman, pointing out the white... View full entry
Architecture firm billings growth expanded in November by a healthy margin, according to a new report today from The American Institute of Architects (AIA).
AIA’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score for November was 54.7 compared to 50.4 in October. With the strongest billings growth figure since January and continued strength in new project inquiries and design contracts, billings are closing the year on a strong note.
— AIA
“Despite some concerns about a potential economic downturn, architecture firms continue to report strong billings, inquiries, and new design contracts,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, Hon. AIA, PhD. “For the coming year, concerns about the economy among architecture firm leaders tend... View full entry
FEATURES: April 2018 ↑ Drones for Architects: New Capabilities for the Construction Sector, How to Get Started and How to Navigate the Law Hannah Wood asks: What new roles will drones adopt both in the architectural design process and outcomes? If your firm is intending to mobilize a drone... View full entry
The 180-sqm, three bedroom, two bathroom structure was completed in under three days by Hadrian X, a new version of the robot. — Global Construction Review
Designed by an Australian company, Fast Brick Construction, the first version of Hadrian X was unveiled in 2015. Today the robot is capable of building and assessing a house from start to finish. Throughout its testing at the factory, it succeeded at completing a two-course structure, involving... View full entry
In a year that's become synonymous with relentless news cycles of various flavors, February 2018 seems like an eternity ago. Let's take a look back at some of the biggest architectural stories on Archinect that month. ARCHITECTURE CULTURE ↑ Brand New Reviews Logos of the 10 Most-Followed Firm... View full entry
Now featured in our Downtown LA retail store and online at Archinect Outpost, these miniature building materials will make your other office mates jealous. The team at Mini Materials have created scaled construction toys that not only look amazing but are functional just like their life... View full entry
A new report by real estate agency Knight Frank finds that 153 properties in six cities’ “ultra-prime” category sold for a combined total of $6.6 billion in the last year, or an average of $43 million per house.
Hong Kong led the world in sales over $25 million, followed by New York, then London.
— Bloomberg
Market slowdown? What market slowdown? While the real estate sector in the U.S. and certain global regions (looking at you, Brexit-y London) is seeing signs of cooling, including the upper-scale segment, there has been no significant impact on the uppest-scale cream slice of the industry with... View full entry
Since opening on June 15th, Archinect Outpost, our online and retail store in Downtown Los Angeles, has exclusively been a purveyor of architectural periodicals and monographs. But as of this month, we have added a small selection of items that will hopefully delight the architecturally-spirited... View full entry
Unfortunately, we have since forgotten this soulful approach to architecture and design, following instead the prevailing planning model of big budgets, large-scale structures and isolated behaviors. Consequently, our habitations have become fragmented and we fail to see the city’s infrastructure and life in an integrated way. — The New York Times
Celebrated Indian architect and 2018 Pritzker Prize laureate, Balkrishna Doshi, pens a passionate NYT opinion piece in which he calls for a renewed harmony of human settlements with nature rather than pursuing more resource-consuming megastructures. The Balkrishna Doshi-designed Indian Institute... View full entry