The American Institute of Architects' 2030 commitment program aims to transform building design to address climate change by setting standards and goals. AIA Honolulu member firms AEPAC, AHL, Ferraro Choi, KYA Design Group, MASON and WRNS Studio signed onto the commitment in honor of Earth Day. — Hawai’i Public Radio
The AIA 2030 Commitment program requires participating firms to report the predicted energy performance of all projects in their portfolios each year. Energy by fuel source, renewable energy, post-occupancy energy use, and embodied carbon are also tracked. The program has mapped out energy... View full entry
A group of 40 striking graduate student instructors and staff assistants at the University of Michigan Taubman College have reportedly had their April wages taken from them in response to their participation in a campus-wide movement that has sought improved working conditions and better pay for... View full entry
A unique new philanthropic initiative from Michael Hsu Office of Architecture (MHOA) is offering nonprofits in the Austin, Texas area the chance to win a $20,000 pro-bono consultation in the interests of providing much-needed space to organizations affected by the city’s rapid transformation... View full entry
ICYMI, for the latest entry in the Dean's List series Katherine Guimapang interviewed Cal Poly Pomona's new dean of the College of Environmental Design, Mary Anne Alabanza Akers. News The International Code Council is revising their code development process with changes starting in 2024. Both... View full entry
A new report from the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) has shown an alarming increase in construction worker fatalities in the city for 2022. A total of 11 deaths were recorded for the year, up from 9 the previous year and the 8 that were recorded in 2020. A total of 9 fatal accidents... View full entry
Kharkiv’s mayor, Ihor Terekhov, announced that Foster and his nonprofit, the Norman Foster Foundation, had agreed to work on such a plan in collaboration with the city. Max, who had never imagined he’d hear the words “Kharkiv” and “Foster” in the same sentence, was asked to join Foster’s working group. He was one of only two architects selected who were still physically in Kharkiv—the only people in a position to “show” Kharkiv to Foster. — The New Yorker
The New Yorker contributing writer Masha Gessen tells the story of Maxim Rozenfeld, a Kharkiv-native, Ukrainian architect and historian with special expertise in the high-tech-style oeuvre of Norman Foster, who ended up briefing a Foster-led team when the city's mayor Ihor Terekhov announced an... View full entry
Several members of the Architect of the Capitol’s leadership team were fired Thursday, according to an internal email obtained by CQ Roll Call and two aides familiar with the matter, in a further shakeup at the agency after the February removal of its head, J. Brett Blanton.
The AOC’s general counsel, chief financial officer, chief administrative officer, CEO for visitor services and chief of staff were removed Thursday, one senior congressional aide said Friday.
— Roll Call
Each staffer had been overseen by the now-former disgraced Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton, who was finally fired in early February after being accused of using his office inappropriately. The new Acting Architect of the Capitol Chere Rexroat was immediately appointed in his absence. She... View full entry
Mayor Eric Adams opened a new window into his vision for building New York City out of the current housing crisis, with a riff on “dormitory” style accommodations [...]
During a conversation on Monday at the Greene Space, New York Public Radio's live events venue, Adams said he wants to 'do a real examination' of the laws that require windows in bedrooms — a major tweak that could make it easier for developers to convert empty offices into apartments.
— Gothamist
The Mayor’s comments in favor of window features found in Dormzilla-like residential design caught the ire of critics, who were quick to illustrate its potential fire hazards and physiological impacts. Adams’ suggestion seems a bit at odds with the city’s push to deliver better... View full entry
Following last week’s look at an opening for the CAED Dean at the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an open position on Archinect Jobs for an Engagement Coordinator at The New York Review of Architecture. The successful applicant... View full entry
The latest data from the Dodge Construction Network (DCN) indicates a 6% rise in total construction starts for February, reversing January’s declines to a new seasonally adjusted annual rate of $912.8 billion. During the month, residential and nonresidential building starts rose by 11% and 9%... View full entry
This post is brought to you by Enscape Enscape’s in-house architect and 3D artist, Samir Mujovi, explains that a big part of his job is creating projects for the company's product releases. These projects get used in Enscape's promotional materials, including the videos that have... View full entry
For the latest installment of Archinect's Studio Snapshots, Katherine Guimapang connected with Stephen Wilder, Principal of Think Wilder Architecture. Melvin L. Mitchell, FAIA, NCARB, NOMA was struck by the length of Wilder’s journey from school to licensure “Insightful. Pride-evoking (a... View full entry
British architect Sir David Chipperfield has been awarded the 2023 Pritzker Prize. The Pritzker jury described Chipperfield as a "prolific architect who is radical in his restraint, demonstrating his reverence for history and culture while honoring the preexisting built and natural environments... View full entry
The Biden administration issued another round of tariffs Friday on key industrial goods from Russia — including a 200% tariff on aluminum — as the country’s invasion of Ukraine crosses the one-year mark.
Aluminum tariffs were announced in addition to $2.7 billion in new duties on many metals and raw materials from the country. The tariff rates on most metals and metal products will double from 35% to 70% beginning April, and target “a crucial revenue generating sector of the Russian economy”
— Supply Chain Dive
Russia is behind China and India the world’s third-largest producer of aluminum and ranks fifth overall in terms of imports of the metal into the United States. Architects and builders have only recently come out from under 25% steel and aluminum tariffs imposed on certain countries by the... View full entry
After World War II, prompted by the Allies, Germany underwent an intense de-Nazification program. Not so Italy — there was no equivalent de-fascistization. The country is still filled with buildings and street names that evoke its 20-year dictatorship.
By not challenging the history of these monuments, the memory of fascism has been smoothly integrated into the Italian present.
— NPR
There are at least 1,400 monuments to the Fascist Mussolini regime spread throughout the country. The era's architectural legacy will, in lieu of full-blown removal, be placed in context according to the hopes of local historians and preservationists who say they want to fight back against the... View full entry
