First Lady Melania Trump has shared an update on the construction progress for a new 1,200-square-foot tennis pavilion that is currently taking shape on the South Lawn of the White House. In a social media post published today, Trump writes, "I am excited to share the progress of the Tennis... View full entry
The new 55,000 sf studioMDA-designed Phillips headquarters is due to open this May. Located in New York City, the opalescent structure will illuminate the corner of 432 Park Avenue, providing a space that will feature private galleries, an auditorium, cafe, and more. To inaugurate the opening day... View full entry
![Solar panels need batteries to properly optimize their energy generating capacities. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons / [[User::DDDDDDDDD|:DDDDDDDDDDD]].](https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/5c/5cce378c228ccc4dcbc6bc7d312fed2c.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=514 "Solar panels need batteries to properly optimize their energy generating capacities. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons / [[User::DDDDDDDDD|:DDDDDDDDDDD]].")
manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries is scaling up rapidly to meet the growing demand for electric vehicles and large systems installed in power grids or at solar farms. As prices for lithium-ion batteries drop — they fell by half from 2016 to 2019, according to BloombergNEF — banks are taking another look. — The Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times takes a look at the growing viability for utility-scale battery operations. One stumbling block for municipalities and building operators alike has been finding affordable battery storage options to keep sustainably generated energy flowing when the sun isn't shining... View full entry
London- and Los Angeles-based architects Hawkins\Brown Architects have unveiled plans for 1000 Seward, a fanciful 10-story office complex in Los Angeles's Hollywood Studio District. The mid-rise, mixed-use tower, Urbanize.LA reports, is being developed by The Post Group and Plus... View full entry
Rather than protecting communities and making it easy for homeowners to restructure bad mortgages or repair their credit after succumbing to predatory loans, the government facilitated the transfer of wealth from people to private-equity firms. — The New York Times
A compelling long-read from Francesca Mari in T Magazine highlights the incredible transformation taking place within single-family housing market, where large investment firms like Blackstone Group have created a new investment vehicle by turning detached homes into rental properties. ... View full entry
In a sense, Fujimoto’s is the conceptual art of contemporary architecture, born out of a relentless desire to interrogate, in building after building, variations on the same set of ideas. To spend time with him is to dwell in a discursive world constructed entirely of tensely opposing categories — inside and outside, individual and society, private and public, the natural world and the urban environment — out of which emerges this serene, unruffled but somehow dynamic architecture. — T Magazine
Writing in The New York Times' T Magazine, Nikil Saval takes an indepth and nuanced look at the work and trajectory of Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto. In the thought-provoking profile, Saval works to uncover and convey the dualities that drive Fujimoto's design work, including "Fujimoto’s... View full entry
In collaboration with Istanbul residents, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has begun a process of revitalizing and redesigning a number of notable public spaces with a goal of heightening the quality of life within the city. As a part of this initiative, the municipality will open urban design... View full entry
For the month of March, Archinect is focusing its Spotlight on Boston, the largest city in Massachusetts and the northernmost node of America's Northeast megalopolis. The focus on Boston follows our recent Spotlight on Miami theme from the month of February. Boston, of course, has a... View full entry
On Saturday February 29th, over 2,000 community residents, business owners, and artists came together to attend Destination Crenshaw's groundbreaking for the 1.3-mile-long "cultural experience" to celebrate Black Los Angeles along Crenshaw Blvd. The project will transform sidewalks, storefronts... View full entry
Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Grafton Architects have been awarded the 2020 Pritzker Architecture Prize. Dubbed as the "Nobel Prize" of architecture, the prize is considered the industry's highest honor. Loreto Community School, photo courtesy of Ros Kavanagh. In a press... View full entry
The Architecture Lobby (TAL) is endorsing Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in the 2020 Democratic Party primary contest. In a statement published to the group's website, TAL writes, "With this endorsement, we invite architectural workers to rise in the vision of a movement." Previously on... View full entry
The list of participants for the 17th Architecture Biennale in Venice have been announced by Paolo Baratta, President of La Biennale di Venezia, and Hashim Sarkis, curator of the Biennale. In total, the event will bring together 114 designers and architecture firms whose work will be... View full entry
On a plot of land rented from a rural village on the Malaysian side of the island of Borneo, the group has proved it at small scale. Every six to 12 months, a farmer shaves off one foot of growth from these nickel-hyper-accumulating plants and either burns or squeezes the metal out. After a short purification, farmers could hold in their hands roughly 500 pounds of nickel citrate, potentially worth thousands of dollars on international markets. — The New York Times
A thought-provoking report from Ian Morse of The New York Times highlights a burgeoning approach for harvesting necessary (and toxic) metals like nickel from soil through "hyper-accumulating" plants. Morse checks in researchers from the University of Melbourne who are farming... View full entry
The rise of online shopping has drastically reduced the need for shopping malls across America. However, in Providence, Rhode Island, the Westminster Arcade, America's first shopping mall, has found a way to turn this supposed "retail apocalypse" into an opportunity to build more housing. ... View full entry
With its stunning interiors and handsome brick facades, the Bradbury Building has remained one of Los Angeles' architectural treasures for nearly 120 years. The building was constructed in 1893 and showcases Victorian-style interiors complete with ornate cast-iron railings, polished woodwork... View full entry
