”Recently we have witnessed the mounting of very large development projects in European and American cities. There is a striking physical similarity among the schemes and also a convergence embodied in private-sector involvement and market orientation.” — Failed Architecture

the Communist deputies will convene beneath weighty chandeliers and a newly gold-coated dome. They will step through marble-floored halls, lined with giant shining bronze candelabras from Tiffany's..."I believe it will be a jewel of Havana," argues Mr Leal, unfazed by the oddity. — BBC News

The above ground structure is just like any other– with the only hints being multiple air conditioning units, and emergency exits around the property. The underground interior is one that’s stuck in the hippy chic 1970′s days. Pink draperies, carpet and classic columns outfit the dated interior. Putting greens, a rock facade barbecue and natural style light settings make for an interesting setting that’s completely user controlled. — inthralld.com

The owner of Hill House is Scott Croyle, senior vice president of design at HTC. At two bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and a study, the home is just large enough to share with his wife and son. Its modest scale allowed Bernstein to emphasize quality materials over quantity of space.

"It's almost a negative value in that (tech) community," said Bernstein of over-the-top homes. "There's a real emphasis on not seeking a mansion right away." — sfgate.com

The Eisenhower Memorial Commission has canceled its Thursday appearance before the National Capital Planning Commission to seek preliminary approval for the memorial honoring Dwight D. Eisenhower.

In a statement Tuesday, the memorial commission cited the need to address requests for additional information contained in an NCPC staff report, announced late last week, as the reason for the delay. — washingtonpost.com

When the Pepsi Headquarters was built in 1960, the 13-story building at the corner of Park Avenue and 59th Street exemplified the International Style in America. Moreover, it pushed the limits of what was technically possible; its nine-feet-high by thirteen-feet-long glass panes were the largest that could be created and only a half-inch thick. To avoid using heavy mullions or frames the glass was cushioned by neoprene glazing strips, allowing an almost completely flush exterior surface. — blogs.smithsonianmag.com

The Bond Villain is a manifestation of a paranoid cold war society[...] the Villain who might bomb or use any other technocratic weapon to destroy western society. Since 1962 until 2010, 22 Bond movies were created over a span of 48 years. Even after the Cold War was declared over, Bond movies have remained a veritable catalogue of Cold War villains. Despite this retrospective compulsion, the genre has consistently used the language of modern architecture to visualize future built conditions. — villainslair.net

The Eero Saarinen-designed terminal will be transformed into a hotel and conference center, along with food and beverage offerings, retail space, a spa and fitness center, meeting facilities and a flight museum.

“It is a great honor to be entrusted with the preservation and revitalization of this masterpiece by my personal architectural hero,” said Balazs. He added that he’s looking forward to the approval of his final proposal by the PA board, but didn’t comment on a specific time frame. — pagesix.com

In planning for the organization’s further growth, Sinclair and Stohr are transitioning out of their roles to push the advancement of Architecture for Humanity, while also enabling the founders to explore new ventures.

“It’s great to see something you started evolve into an institution. We are excited about the future of the organization and plan to continue lending support in whatever ways we can,” says Kate Stohr, Co-Founder, Architecture for Humanity. — architectureforhumanity.org

Almost a dozen major architecture contests are underway. By calling in the pros, city and federal officials are casting a wide net for fixes.

“We don’t have all the good ideas, and I don’t care who does have them,” Mayor Bloomberg said recently. — New York Daily News

From Beijing to Belgrade, the world is inundated with design fairs. But what exactly are they for?
"Are festivals and biennales dynamic catalysts to discuss and celebrate the city and architectural culture? Or are they calculated devices of tourism and industrial promotion?"
While many such initiatives may have set out with good intentions to be the former, it seems that commercial expedients are increasingly forcing them to become the latter. — theguardian

Our way of life is still based in twentieth-century ideas, specifically a modernist philosophy that assumes we can use science and technology to conquer nature. So we try to isolate ourselves from nature; our cities are completely segregated from the environment. [...] That kind of modernist thinking has reached its limit. — artforum.com

“Protecting heritage is inseparable from protecting populations, because heritage enshrines a people’s values and identities,” she said. “Serious damage has already been inflicted on Syria’s heritage. The destruction of sites such as the historic souk [market] in Aleppo has made headlines around the world. I urge all parties to take all necessary precautions to stop the destruction of Syria’s cultural heritage.” — Al-Ahram Weekly

We noticed in Journal 2013 Issue I’s case study on Kingdom Tower, Jeddah, that a fair amount of the top of the building seemed to be an unoccupied spire. This prompted us to investigate the increasing trend towards extreme spires and other extensions of tall buildings that do not enclose usable space, and create a new term to describe this – Vanity Height, i.e., the distance between a skyscraper’s highest occupiable floor and its architectural top, as determined by CTBUH Height Criteria. — CTBUH