A skyscraper in the central Chinese city of Changsha was seriously damaged after a fire engulfed the 42-storey building.
The fire in the China Telecom building was reported at 3.48pm. Thirty-six fire engines and 280 firefighters from 17 stations were sent to the blaze, according to the Hunan Fire Department. By 5pm the fire had been extinguished but firefighters continued rescue efforts.
— The South China Morning Post
Frightening videos are circulating on social media and appear to show the 22-year-old building almost completely burnt through its facade, although the extent of internal structural damage is not clear. It is also unknown what caused the fire, but the incident should highlight the safety concerns... View full entry
Milwaukee has declared Friday, September 16th as Santiago Calatrava Day, in celebration of the architect’s contribution to the city. Calatrava’s legacy in the city comes in the form of the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Quadracci Pavilion, known locally as “The Calatrava.” The pavilion opened in... View full entry
According to a new study by storage space marketplace StorageCafe, four of the top five most active downtown areas for new apartment construction are in the South, with Atlanta, Georgia ranking first for built downtown apartments over the past ten years. The city yielded over... View full entry
There’s been a surge of demand from real estate owners for pleasant fragrances to make the air a little fresher and the workplace a little more comforting and energizing [...]
“Here in New York City, for example, real estate companies are interested in scenting the building itself, as opposed to just the individual tenant spaces [...] There are lots of vacant office spaces these days. So what can the real estate companies do to attract tenants?”
— Commerical Observer
So-called "scent profiles" have been documented to improve productivity, avoid a phenomenon known as olfactory fatigue, and achieve a psychological familiarity helpful to marketers when developing brand recognition. This is one of many approaches companies are attempting to use in order... View full entry
Milwaukee’s $15 million proposal to renovate 150 vacant, city-owned homes is moving forward. On Monday, the Department of City Development (DCD) announced the development teams, a mix of nonprofit and for-profit developers, that will participate in the first round of the Homes MKE initiative. The participants were selected from a request-for-proposals (RFP) process that generated a tremendous response. — Urban Milwaukee
A total of 66 proposals were submitted, an unprecedented number according to the DCD, with 15 developers selected. Milwaukee will sell the houses for as little as $1 and provide an estimated $75,000 development subsidy and grant a $5,000 workforce subsidy. Following the renovations, the properties... View full entry
According to a new report by the New York State Comptroller’s Office, 89% of the visited active construction sites across New York City had safety issues, highlighting the need for the improvement of the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) oversight of construction sites. Between June... View full entry
Revisiting a booming city and building type that has garnered accolades of late, ODA-Architecture has just revealed details of another mixed-used high-rise tower project in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida — one of America’s fastest-growing communities. The latest addition to the city’s skyline... View full entry
aiming for it to be an active community hub and an engine for new ideas about art and design and the many interests of Herbert Bayer. Not, then, just another white cube museum honoring another dead white man...a destination for local school groups as well as global scholars working in modern and contemporary art and design — The Aspen Times
Andrew Travers goes inside the 8,000-square-foot museum, designed by Jeffrey Berkus Architects and Rowland + Broughton, chats with the executive director about the guiding vision, and reviews its year-long opening exhibition, ‘Herbert Bayer: An Introduction.’ View full entry
A lunar addition to Dubai’s burgeoning Space Age aesthetic may soon grace the city’s skyline thanks to a new tourist destination and astronaut training facility proposal by a Canadian venture called Moon World Resorts Inc. Arabian Business has picked up details of the so-called Moon Dubai... View full entry
The Chicago Bears generated keen interest from fans and non-fans alike Thursday for a presentation of plans for a new domed stadium and entertainment district in Arlington Heights.
Team officials drew applause when they said the stadium would be enclosed, and that the team would not negotiate renovations at Soldier Field while pursuing the Arlington deal.
— Chicago Tribune
The Bears President Ted Phillips said the team would not seek any public funding except for critical infrastructure and that the new stadium would result in greater seating capacity than Soldier Field. He also shared that the team was uncertain as to whether the enclosure will be retractable or... View full entry
Five design proposals have been unveiled for the Bezos Learning Center at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. The $130 million Smithsonian scheme, funded by a $200 million donation from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, will serve as an education center on the topics of air and space... View full entry
The extraordinary work of late artist Alexander Calder will soon be displayed in his hometown of Philadelphia thanks to a dedicated new sculpture garden designed by Herzog & de Meuron. The Calder Foundation has shared renderings of the forthcoming Calder Gardens project ahead of its anticipated... View full entry
Lesley Stahl: Do you think that COVID will change architecture for everybody?
Michael Murphy: Everyone around the world is going through a shift in their understanding of the buildings around us. That they may make us sicker, that they could make us healthier if they were better designed.
— CBS News
MASS founding principal and executive director Michael Murphy discussed the curative father-son restoration project that led to his enrollment at Harvard and subsequent experience with the firm’s award-winning early Butaro District Hospital project in Rwanda, which helped cement... View full entry
KPF and Heatherwick Studio have offered an update on the design of Changi Airport’s Terminal 5 in Singapore. Described by the designers as a “bold re-imagination of the airport paradigm,” the new terminal will increase the airport’s capacity by 50 million annual passengers. KPF and... View full entry
In 2010, while in town for the Los Angeles premiere of his documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” the British street artist Banksy left a gift for fans: a mural of a girl on a swing, dangling beneath the five-foot red “A” of the word “PARKING” on a gritty downtown lot.
Now that girl — as well as the historic building in the downtown fashion district that serves as her canvas — is for sale to the highest bidder.
— The New York Times
The historic 26,000-square-foot Downtown Los Angeles building was purchased for $4 million three years prior to the popular documentary's premiere and underwent a $1.8 million renovation before its then-owners filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April this year. Related on Archinect: Recent Banksy... View full entry
