Beginning in early 2020, Berlin’s left-leaning government will freeze rents for five years. Landlords will be required to show new tenants the most recent rental contracts to prove they aren’t jacking up prices. They’ll also have to follow new rent-cap rules, which for many landlords could mean lowering rents by as much as 40%. Those who don’t comply will be hit with fines as high as €500,000 ($553,000) for each violation. — Bloomberg Businessweek
Writing in Bloomberg Businessweek, Caroline Winter and Andrew Blackman cover the fascinating political battle taking place in Berlin, Germany, where tenants' groups and landlords are navigating the impacts of recent rent-freeze regulations by the local government that aim to reign in unaffordable... View full entry
The New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) has issued a Request for Qualifications soliciting design-build teams that will create the city's $8 billion plan to create four new "Borough-Based Jails" tower complexes. According to a press release, the project will bring into being... View full entry
After spending January focusing on Los Angeles, Archinect is shifting its focus to Florida with a month-long Spotlight on Miami. As the largest city in Florida and one of the largest cities in the United States, Miami offers a view into a unique—and rapidly changing—segment of... View full entry
Clark Construction Group is suing the city of Miami Beach for $90 million, which represents money the contractor says it is still owed under its contract for the $600 million, 1.5 million-square-foot renovation and expansion of the Miami Beach Convention Center.
Clark alleges that changes and other extra costs add up to more than $70 million and the balance due on the contract, which includes retainage, is $20 million.
— Construction Dive
According to Construction Dive, city manager Jimmy Morales considers the allegations to be unfounded and said that Clark has still not reached substantial completion nor has the project received a temporary certificate of occupancy, which is why the city placed the contractor in default seven... View full entry
Following reports that President Donald Trump is planning to issue an executive order mandating that classical architectural styles become the nation's defacto architectural motifs, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has issued statement opposing the idea. 1/ The American Institute... View full entry
Is neoclassicism about to make a big comeback? It looks likely, as a new executive order under consideration by President Donald Trump attempts to make classicism the "preferred and default style" for new and upgraded federal buildings. According to an exclusive report by... View full entry
Following the shocking news about the impending closure of Frank Lloyd Wright's School of Architecture at Taliesin, and the subsequent conversation we released on our podcast, with individuals closely connected with the school, the student body has broken their silence and shared with us a... View full entry
In a recent interview for New York magazine, architecture critic Justin Davidson interviews Frank Gehry on his work past, present, and future, highlighting the nearly 91-year-old architect's unwavering penchant for working through complex design and aesthetic ideas while still being able... View full entry
The first patients arrived Monday at a specialized hospital built in just 10 days as part of China’s intensive efforts to fight a new virus.
Huoshenshan Hospital and a second facility with 1,500 beds that’s due to open this week were built by construction crews who are working around the clock in Wuhan, the city in central China where the outbreak was first detected in December. Most of the city’s 11 million people are barred from leaving the area.
— Los Angeles Times
The hospital was built by a 7,000-member crew of carpenters, plumbers, electricians and other specialists, the Los Angeles Times reports. The final result is a two-story, 600,000-square-foot facility, containing isolations wards and 30 intensive care units. According to the Los Angeles Times... View full entry
Ask any disabled person about the gap between the ADA’s aspirations and their hard realities. We are often forced to stop in our tracks and weigh the chances of falling and suffering minor or serious injury against the need to go into a library, store, or post office. But it’s more than that. We believe strongly that we deserve a right to exist in the world. We’re just waiting for the rest of the world to truly believe this, too. — The Nation
Writing in The Nation, author Elizabeth Guffey reflects on the ongoing accessibility failures that impede the everyday experiences of countless people in the United States despite the fact that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted 30 years ago. Guffey takes a look into the... View full entry
In preparation for yesterday's Super Bowl, the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) utilized a highly detailed 3D-printed model of the Hard Rock Stadium. The model was created by students at Florida International University's (FIU) College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts along with the... View full entry
Police officers on the scene Saturday night asked visitors climbing on the 154 interconnecting staircases to leave the structure. It closed 30 minutes before its usual 7 p.m. shutdown. On Sunday, the site reopened to the public. — New York Times
On this special (and very spontaneous) episode of Archinect Sessions we are joined with three members of the Taliesin community to help shed some light on the mysterious and disturbing sudden announcement of the closure of The School of Architecture at Taliesin. With us are Benjamin... View full entry
Bernhard Karpf, the 30-year veteran of Richard Meier & Partners who helped take over the firm after Meier was accused of sexual misconduct by five women in 2018, has left the office to start his own practice, Karpf Khalili Architects. Karpf departed Meier & Partners in July of 2019, The... View full entry
A newly erected section of the border wall on the US-Mexico border toppled over in high winds this week. The section fell over onto the Mexicali, Mexico side of the border just across from Calexico, California. Luckily, no one was injured due to the failure. According to local agent Carlos... View full entry
