Fröbe says she has developed an affection for good Bausünden, and is excited whenever she comes across them. The buildings are products of ingenuity, determination and courage...According to Fröbe, there's a fine line dividing good Bausünden from good architecture. — Der Spiegel

It's one step closer to finding the best design for the International Specialized Exposition (EXPO) 2017 exhibition site in Astana, Kazakhstan—the country's first world fair. For starters, some of the final designs include COOP HIMMELB(L)AU, UNStudio, Snøhetta, and Zaha Hadid Architects. — bustler.net

A day camp sponsored in part by the University of Georgia is introducing middle school students to architecture, landscape architecture, and planning [...]

Over the course of a week, the children take field trips, practice using design tools and techniques, and discuss issues related to planning and design. In addition, they have the opportunity to meet and interview design professionals, including some CED faculty. — American Planning Association

Designs for a new Baghdad library boasting the largest single-space reading room in the world have taken a step closer to being realised after the architects got the green light to put the project out to tender in September.

The Iraq National Library was devastated by fire and looting when allied troops entered the city in 2003. An estimated 60% of archival materials [...] and 25% of books, newspapers, rare books, historical photographs and maps were destroyed. — theguardian.com

Created by Smith|Allen Studio, an Oakland based architecture firm, the 10ft x 10ft x 8ft form adds a decidedly artificial element to the otherwise organic forest it calls home. However, despite its appearance, the Echoviren is quite environmentally friendly. Printed from a PLA bioplastic, the structure will naturally decompose back into the forest in 30-50 years. According to Smith|Allen “"As [Echoviren] weathers it will become a micro-habitat for insects, moss, and birds." — engineering.com

Construction has begun on a 47-story office tower at the edge of one of the busiest rail yards in the U.S. The $15 billion development will ultimately roof much of the 26-acre yards and stretch west from Midtown’s brawny brick to the sparkling park-edged Hudson River. A swath of greenery will flow around 10 high-rise towers. — bloomberg.com

The Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE) of The American Institute of Architects honored five educational and cultural projects for the CAE Educational Facility Design Excellence Award on Aug. 7.

The Educational Facility Design Awards jury selected the projects they perceived as exemplary learning spaces that further the client's educational programs and goals as well as exhibiting outstanding architectural design. — bustler.net

The exhibition re-envisions a series of urban environments that are typical for Chicago in order to examine alternatives to the way architecture engages the city. It is a collaborative effort by five teams – David Brown, Alexander Eisenschmidt, Studio Gang, Stanley Tigerman, and UrbanLab – determined to find potentials for spatial, material, programmatic, and organizational invention within the city. — City of Chicago

Only a select few businesses find themselves atop the skyscraping office suites of downtown L.A., where ears pop on the way up, gourmet meals are served, VIP clients are entertained and earthquakes occasionally shake things up.

Working in these prestigious locations on the top floor of the city's five tallest towers are a big law firm, a metal service company, an investment management firm, a mutual fund company and a computer services firm involved in Japanese pornography. — latimes.com

You learn with experience the things that are not worth doing. Most architects think, no matter what, they can make something out of any commission. For example, I don’t do prisons or hospitals, or restoration work. I do know, by now, who I am. And by now at least clients come to us with their eyes open. They don’t expect something we don’t do. — Architectural Record

The leggy damsel with raven hair and Doc Martens to match is unequivocal. ''No,'' she tells the small, freckled boy. ''You can't climb here. Go in there where it's safe.'' [...]

But the boy - not recognising her livery - can be forgiven his mistake. To him, the large, gridded edifice that she guards promises infinite climbability. [...]

The climbing frame in question is in fact art. It is this summer's Serpentine Pavilion, by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto. — smh.com.au

The new Raiffeisen Bank branch designed by NAU Architecture and Drexler Guinand Jauslin Architekten was completed this past May in the historical city center of Schaffhausen, Switzerland, after the design won first place in a competition back in May 2012. The design as a whole appeals to the senses, going beyond the basic functions of a bank to creating an open, welcoming place for customers through light, color, and efficient use of space. — bustler.net

For 20 years, the Mexican Museum, longtime tenant of Fort Mason Center, has sought to open a dedicated building in the evolving Yerba Buena Cultural District as its 14,000-object collection long ago outgrew the present space's capacity. The wait to integrate the museum into the first four floors of a Millennium Partners luxury high-rise may finally be ending - in about five more years. — sfgate.com