The pervading sentiment in the architectural community is that Adjaye, a Ghanaian British architect, is the odds-on favorite...

What no one has suggested publicly (though its oft-mentioned in social settings) is that Adjaye will be chosen because he is black. The rationalization is President Obama will “naturally" tap him for the job...

Adjaye, who was born in Tanzania to Ghanian parents, and holds British citizenship, has a very different experience than his African American peers... — ArtNet

...the Paddington Place scheme – a huge development around the eponymous London station intended to include a 72-storey tower designed by Renzo Piano... [has] drawn the ire of Sir Terry Farrell, the famous architect and local resident who was also, slightly awkwardly, previously in charge of the developers’ masterplan for the area.

Farrell, known for designing the MI6 building on the Thames and Charing Cross station, made his views known in a dense, 1,500-word objection... — the Guardian

Could roof-straddling “sky walks” soon be coming to Stockholm? A new plan proposed for the Swedish capital would see a large slice of its city center built over with densely packed towers, joined at their peaks by a dramatic zigzag of tree-lined, open air gangways...

Sweden’s capital is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe... If it isn’t going to sprawl unmanageably or become overcrowded, it’s going to have to find somewhere to put everyone... — City Lab

Everyone at Hoskins Architects has lost an exceptional architect, a visionary and a gifted leader, but above all a very good friend. Gareth leaves a huge gap, he was such a special person. We appreciate the very many messages of condolence that have already been received." — Chris Coleman-Smith, co-director of Hoskins Architects

Unlike Lego bricks, which are plastic, Tsumiki pieces are made of Japanese cedar (and manufactured using wood certified by the Forest Stewardship). And unlike the brick-shaped Lego blocks, each Tsumiki block is shaped like an inverted “V.” Triangular notches in the legs let the Tsumiki blocks wedge together, making them versatile like Lego bricks, albeit not as sturdy; some of the assembly models shown in Kuma’s Tsumiki brochure look about as solid as a house of cards. — wired.com

“People involved in building stadiums are usually very reliant on the firms who have demonstrated a strong record in understanding sports sites,” [Christopher S.] Dunlavey said. “BIG is known very well for very innovative architecture and design, but they haven’t been known for that kind of expertise.” — Washington Post

“We just really felt that it was important to capture these stories, before they disappeared, even when finding information proved very difficult. You see how history sort of evaporates—and then it’s like it doesn’t exist. These women deserve to be known, but they’re not known. Some of these women would have faded away, if we hadn’t caught the one existing granddaughter, or somebody, who could then lead us to some other information.”” -curator Jillian Storms, AIA — whatweekly

An architect who is owed $13,000 by Teresa and Joe Giudice has spoken of his anger at the lavish display of wealth that welcomed the criminal Real Housewife of New Jersey home on the day she got out of prison [...]

'I did plans for modifications to that house and to an addition. I didn't do the final drawings that make it look like a miniature castle. I wouldn't want to put my name to that [...]

'I think our billing was about $13,000 and we've never received a penny of it.' — Dailymail.com

In recent years, Mr. Safdie, 77, whose visit to New York coincided with “Global Citizen: The Architecture of Moshe Safdie,” an exhibition through Jan. 10 at the National Academy Museum, rediscovered the merits of his Habitat 67. [...]

“The term ‘starchitect’ makes me uncomfortable,” he said. “It’s superficial. It creates expectations.”

“I’m not against spectacle,” he said, adding after a ruminative pause, “but for me, that’s not the journey.” — nytimes.com

A carer for the architect IM Pei [...] has been charged with assaulting the 98-year-old in his Manhattan townhouse.

Eter Nikolaishvili, 28, was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of assaulting Pei early in December when he threatened to report her to the police for “doing something bad”, police said. [...]

Pei was taken to hospital at 4am on the day of the alleged assault suffering from bleeding lacerations and bruising, after Nikolaishvili grabbed and twisted his arm, police said. — theguardian.com