The historic Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington D.C. is one step closer to finding the architectural team for its major renovation project -- and competition is stiff [...] After submitting their proposals, the top three teams will have one final presentation to persuade the review panel and the public this Saturday, Feb. 15 at 10 a.m. in the MLK Library's Great Hall. — bustler.net

[...] I saw a Populous stadium in Hong Kong I liked once with these two big arches. And it opened from end zone to end zone.

And so we started to go off of that particular path, opened up the ends of the building so that you could see the sea and the mountains. [...] And it developed then into what you now see as the stadium that is right there for the games. — hereandnow.wbur.org

The Irish developer behind the Chicago Spire said it has found an investor to pay its creditors, allowing it to emerge from bankruptcy and possibly restart work on the long-stalled residential project. — chicagotribune.com

Fisht reproduces Cowboys signature pair of arched trusses, and shares its bulbous, hump-back shape — albeit with a wave-like articulated roof of polycarbonate. What it appears not to share, at least from the images available online, is the sensitive way Cowboys Stadium hits the ground, slanting in to minimize its bulk. Fisht is a lot more ham-fisted, flaring out and surrounded by all manner of circulatory junk. — artsblog.dallasnews.com

Though easy targets for fiscal hawks, public architecture that’s luxurious and dramatic — even excessive — should be ours as a right. — Jacobin

Today’s technology is rooted in the work of Sir Isaac Newton. Contemporary physics’ paradox in resolving the difference between magnetism and electricity implies multiple truths and we wonder what drove Newton’s work and what drove Einstein’s? — toskovic.com

In 2011, the Howard Hughes Corporation offered to collaborate with Mr. LaValva. He turned them down. “Hughes suggested we be part of the Pier 17 renovation,” Mr. LaValva said. “But we wanted to preserve the market.” — NYT

Recognizing the best design throughout Massachusetts and the New England region, the Boston Society of Architects (BSA) revealed the winners of the 2013 BSA Design Awards.

Winners received awards in several Programs like Accessible Design; Education Facilities Design; John M. Clancy Awards for Socially Responsible Housing; Sustainable Design; Unbuilt Architecture and Design; Honor Award for Design Excellence; and the Harleston Parker Medal. — bustler.net

The Winter Olympics in Sochi are just a few days away. Russia has spent $50 billion on everything from construction to security, making these the most expensive games in history. [...]

"I think one of the knee-jerk reactions has been ... 'will we be left with a load of white elephants?' " he adds.

The answer from most economists who study the Olympics is: Yes, you will. — npr.org

By intervening in the local planning process, the mayor of London is creating a more exclusive, divided city of private enclaves, designed only for the needs of the rich. [...]

While the Mount Pleasant case might be dismissed as the usual cast of nimbys set against the inevitable steamroller of market forces, it in fact reveals some disturbing truths about how the mayor's planning machine is actively working to make the city a more divided, exclusive place. — theguardian.com

A third of the mansions on the most expensive stretch of London's "Billionaires Row" are standing empty, including several huge houses that have fallen into ruin after standing almost completely vacant for a quarter of a century. — Guardian