The NY Times' Fred Bernstein writes about the recent spate of commissions for new museums celebrating black history, and the related opportunities for African-American designers, who reportedly still represent only about 1% of all registered architects in the United States. View full entry
Toronto, as local architect Greg Woods puts it, is "aggressively bland in its architecture. It's a very beige city. Canadians are known as peacemakers and that manifests itself in their architecture." (From the Financial Times) View full entry
In the NY Observer, Clay Risen sketches the trajectory of Herbert Muschamp's career, from his early cultural interests and rise as an arbiter of architectural taste, to his shifts in subject matter and his recently announced retirement from his post. View full entry
New York Magazine reports that LA Times Architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff is on his way to the New York Times. Intelligencer via LA Observed View full entry
Each year the institutions that teach design in the Netherlands select the best plans by their students for submission to Archiprix. 2004 Winners The twenty-seven plans submitted to Archiprix 2004 present in all their diversity a picture of the state of affairs in Dutch design education during... View full entry
in the Jobs section View full entry
Here is a good starting point for all of you wondering about places and buildings to check out while in BCN. It includes maps in order to complete different itineraries without having to rely on derive tactics. View full entry
Jonathan Glancey on London's architecture biennial, From the Guardian View full entry
Slow architecture refers to the process of building structures gradually, taking not only function but other factors into account. The resulting buildings are not just aimed at economic efficiency but value cultural and historical characteristics as well. The architects and designers use unique... View full entry
Planet of Slums an essay by Mike Davis examines the future history of the Third World's post-industrial megacities. Davis is currently authoring a book about slums that will be published by Verso next year. (frm New Left Review) View full entry
Forget the Erotic Gherkin: here comes the Vortex. Plans for a £200m startlingly novel tower for the City of London have been unveiled by Ken Shuttleworth, the architect who defected from Norman Foster and Partners six months ago. From the Gaurdian If it is built according to current... View full entry
Switzerland's largest bilingual city, Biel, has been awarded the Wakker prize for the protection of the country's heritage. The prize jury commended the town's conservation of its 20th-century architecture and enhancement of public spaces. From Swiss Info View full entry
Designers of WTC underestimated wind loads in 1960s testing. Actual loads were 20 to 60 percent higher than previous estimates allowed for. (frm NYT) View full entry
The University of Michigan has unveiled the design for a transformative expansion and renovation of the University of Michigan Museum of Art, a $35 million building project designed by architect Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture. View full entry
The Water Gardens is an urban oasis of waterfalls, fountains and greenery that features cascading water and stone walls. The structure has been a fixture in Fort Worth since it was designed by famed New York architect Philip Johnson and gifted to the city in 1974. From the Dallas News View full entry