2020 has brought an increase in activism as the public reached its final tipping point from the racial and social injustices happening across the nation. With the inexcusable deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, and others caused by police brutality, individuals... View full entry
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has published its Architecture Billings Index (ABI) report for the month of August, showing stalled business conditions for architecture firms and a further decline in demand for design services, represented by an unchanged score of 40.0 for the... View full entry
The Luxe Rodeo Drive is the first high-end hotel in the Los Angeles area to go out of business because of the pandemic, and industry experts point to an unusually high loan delinquency rate among hotel borrowers as a sign that more closures are likely to follow. — Los Angeles Times
According to the Los Angeles Times, the drastic decline of tourism and travel has "devastated" the hotel industry. "High-end hotels have also closed in other parts of the country, including the 44-story Hilton Times Square hotel in New York City, which went out of business this month,"... View full entry
Smoke detectors and birch trees. These are two things that an architect would not typically mention while talking up an ambitious new building. But for the Indigenous House at the University of Toronto Scarborough, these matters are critical. Here, connections with Indigenous traditions and ways of thinking will be everywhere, from the guts of the building to the landscape that accompanies it. — The Globe and Mail
Alex Bozikovic, The Globe and Mail’s architecture critic, reviews the planned Indigenous House at the University of Toronto Scarborough, designed by Formline Architecture in collaboration with LGA Architectural Partners and landscape architecture firm Public Work. View full entry
As Black and minority voices continue to impact the industry's progress towards equity and inclusivity, one woman is sparking opportunities for Black and Brown voices and opinions to be heard. Architectural designer Melissa Daniel is the creator and host of the growing podcast series Architecture... View full entry
Back in August, Archinect connected with Robert M. Calvani, FAIA, NCARB and Alfred Vidaurri Jr., FAIA, NCARB, AICP, the 2020 President and 2021 President-Elect, respectively, of NCARB and discussed; their plans for the next two years, how NCARB is aiming to support diversity initiatives, and how... View full entry
So it was, in a sense, good news that the nonprofit Trust for Governors Island released a proposal on Monday to rezone disused parts of the island, long set aside for economic redevelopment.
It’s an aspirational plan, more than anything. The goal, which has been circulating for a while, is to incubate a new climate research center. Similar ideas have been advanced for decades on Governors Island.
— The New York Times
Yankee Pier Plaza. Image courtesy of WXY architecture + urban design/bloomimages. NYT architecture critic Michael Kimmelman on the recently announced plan by the Trust for Governors Island to develop a center for climate solutions, designed by WXY architecture + urban design, on parts of the... View full entry
Creating an entirely virtual museum is already one approach for the future, but it’s a slippery slope. Museums might be enticed by the idea of having their entire collections online in order to avoid the possible transmission of disease, but then what happens to the buildings...With everything online, a museum building would morph into something that’s more or less just storage. — The Smithsonian Magazine
With self-quarantining, social distancing, and the closure of businesses and public venues, what happens to institutions like museums and their relationship with the public? While exhibitions can be seen online, does that solution defeat the purpose of a museum itself? According to... View full entry
After revealing three finalist designs for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library last month, the international competition for the planned $100 million research and interpretive center has unanimously selected Snøhetta as the design architect. Their winning proposal for the forthcoming 15th... View full entry
Amid a dramatic staff downsizing at leading Southern California public radio station KCRW, it was reported that the popular show and podcast DnA: Design and Architecture hosted by Frances Anderton will be discontinued from mid-December after being on the air for 18 years. The Los Angeles Times... View full entry
Recessions are hard for everyone, but the architecture industry has a history of being especially impacted by downturns in the economy. This panel, one of Archinect's many upcoming virtual events, will share insights from architects who have successfully worked through previous recessions, or even... View full entry
A Fort Myers, Florida, contractor has been arrested and charged with attempting to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) meant to help keep workers employed during the coronavirus. Casey David Crowther, 35, has been charged with making a false statement to a lending institution. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. — Construction Dive
Crowther received $2 million in funds from the PPP loan for his company, Target Roofing & Sheet Metal, and allegedly included misleading statements as to how the money would be used, stating that it would only be used for business purposes, Construction Dive reports. Shortly... View full entry
The California Building Standards Commission (CBSC) has adopted a series of new code regulations that pave the way for the state to begin to implement the widespread construction of tall mass timber buildings. In late August, the CBSC moved to advance the adoption of recommendations... View full entry
Conjunctive Points – The New City, a decades-spanning urban revival plan designed by Eric Owen Moss Architects, has been recognized with the AIA Twenty-five Year Award. The initiative began in 1986 with selective transformations of former industrial sites and warehouses in the Hayden Tract, a... View full entry
International architecture firm UNStudio has completed work on a collection of subway stations for a new driverless metro system in Doha, Dubai. The stations are designed according to an "Architectural Branding Manual" created by the firm that provides "an extensive set of design... View full entry
