Phil Bernstein speculated on the set of opportunities "that architects will see in the next decade as such systems (AI language transformers and image generators) become more capable and available" and proposes "five strategies to guide its future". As he sees it, this future will be one not... View full entry
A total of nine local municipalities have received funding in the amount of $25 million from the Mellon Foundation as part of its ongoing Monuments Project, which to date has provided $151.9 million worth of grants since its inception in 2020. The latest round of funding includes projects such as... View full entry
So, yes, architecture has a diversity problem, but the tide is beginning to change. Thanks to out-and-proud architects like [Julia] Oderda, emerging trans designers now have possibility models to look to when navigating situations like coming out or transitioning on the job. Some firms are also taking steps to make their workplace more welcoming to trans people, often in collaboration with trans people who already work there. — Hunker
Architect Julia Oderda, who came out as a transgender woman professionally in 2018, also provided some insights into her struggle in an interview with the NCARB recently, saying, “A lot of what I did to help pave the way for me — and hopefully for others behind me — but also... View full entry
The Architectural League of New York has named Jacob R. Moore as its next Executive Director, following a thorough national search. Moore succeeds Rosalie Genevro, who announced her decision to step down last year after leading the organization for nearly 40 years. “Jacob brings tremendous... View full entry
In a novel approach to sustainable construction, a team of researchers led by Siswanti Zuraida, Bart Dewancker from Kitakyushu University in Japan, and Romi Bramantyo Margono, have pioneered a method to utilize non-degradable waste, notably disposable diapers, as composite materials for building... View full entry
An update has been provided in the case of Snøhetta’s U.S. employees who have, since the spring, been pushing internally to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union. Staffers will vote today via mail-in ballots as to whether or not to join the union, which... View full entry
The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund has announced $3.8 million in 2023 grant funding to protect and preserve 40 sites representing African American history. Established in 2017, the Action Fund, which has raised more than $95 million, is... View full entry
Arizona has determined that there is not enough groundwater for all of the housing construction that has already been approved in the Phoenix area, and will stop developers from building some new subdivisions, a sign of looming trouble in the West and other places where overuse, drought and climate change are straining water supplies. — The New York Times
This decision, announced last Thursday, means that Arizona will no longer provide developers in some areas of the Phoenix region new permits to construct homes that rely on groundwater. Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, sources half of its water supply from groundwater. The announcement... View full entry
With disgraced former Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton now facing punishment for his misuse of office, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has announced their involvement in the Congressional search process to find a new permanent head for the over 2,000-person office. The... View full entry
A new Facebook post from Patrik Schumacher critical of the newly-opened 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale is gaining traction after the Zaha Hadid Architects Principal expressed his concerns over the apparent lack of architectural content in the Lesley Lokko-curated exhibition, whose theme... View full entry
Controversy stirred at the Venice Architecture Biennale after Italian government officials refused visas to three key Ghanaian curators who had planned on entering the country to attend the exhibition ahead of its opening on Saturday, May 20. On May 19, The Art Newspaper's Tom Seymour reported on... View full entry
New York City is suing the architects behind the Hunters Point Library for tens of millions of dollars over portions of the structure not being accessible to people with handicaps, in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act. [...]
The city’s lawsuit was filed May 17 in state Supreme Court in Manhattan. The defendants are Steven Holl Architect, PC, aka Steven Holl Architects, and the individuals Steven Holl and Christopher McVoy.
— Queens Chronicle
The original lawsuit was brought to Federal court in November 2019 by a local disability advocate named Tanya Jackson. The project debuted just two months prior and drew the immediate ire of critics who were quick to point out the flaws in its $41.5 million non-universal design. Steven Holl... View full entry
I started the blog McMansion Hell to document—and deride—the endless cosmetic variations of this uniquely American form of architectural blight. [...] I worry that I’ve actually reinforced the idea that McMansions are a relic of the recent past. In fact, there remains a certain allure to these seemingly soulless suburban developments [...] the McMansion is alive and well. Far from being a boom time fad, it has become a durable emblem of our American way of life. — The Baffler
Wagner says that, without noticing, the media’s focus on gentrification and the affordability of cities has meant that the rise of “modern farmhouses” and other forms of McMansions following the end of the great recession has gone largely unscrutinized. She claims these and other designs... View full entry
A statement from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has called into question the recent slate of educational overhauls proposed by the UK’s Architects Registration Board (ARB) in February in the interests of removing barriers for entry into the field. In our February... View full entry
Katherine Guimapang provided an overview of the projects at Exhibit Columbus’ University Design Research Fellows showcase. Steven Ward chimed in "All excellent presentations and projects, and each remarkably (strangely?) appropriate to what I know about the schools from which their... View full entry
