Online courses, activities, and programming have increased as the globe adjusts to this "new normal" of social distancing measures and safety precautions amid the current pandemic. However, museums across the globe have shifted their efforts towards bringing art to the homes of millions of... View full entry
Across the country, design communities have mobilized to assist in the effort to fill supply gaps in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers operating on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. Last week, Archinect reported on efforts at Princeton, Cornell, and... View full entry
Across the globe, industries are doing the best they can to respond to the global COVID-19 pandemic that is affecting millions of people daily. The architecture and design industry has stepped into action by providing aid and continuous assistant through the PPE fabrication and collaboration with... View full entry
The constant cacophony that has trumpeted Philadelphia’s remarkable construction boom has quieted. Towering cranes are still, jackhammers are silent, and construction vehicles have stopped their beeping back-up warnings.
And thousands of people in construction-related jobs are out of work.
— Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Michaelle Bond reports on how Pennsylvania’s strict construction shutdown is impacting building professionals, in-process projects, and, by extension, the state’s regional economy. Unlike other states, including New Jersey and California, where certain types... View full entry
One Los Angeles city councilman, now out of office, admitted last week that he accepted envelopes of cash from a businessman in casino bathrooms. [...]
Yet another council member allegedly sought a $500,000 cash bribe from a real estate developer, according to a plea deal struck between federal investigators and a political fundraiser who admitted collecting much of the money in a paper bag.
— Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times reporters David Zahniser and Emily Alpert Reyes shed light on the growing number of municipal corruption scandals in Los Angeles. A probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigations has revealed the degree to which real estate development plays a role in feeding “pay-to-play”... View full entry
“I feel like I am atoning for some of what I did,” says Yasmeen Lari with an embarrassed chuckle. “I was a ‘starchitect’ for 36 years, but then my egotistical journey had to come to an end. It’s not only the right of the elite to have good design.” — Yasmeen Lari, in The Guardian
Oliver Wainwright talks with Yasmeen Lari, who was named the 2020 Jane Drew Prize laureate earlier this year. She looks back on her architectural career, which began with designing glitzy corporate monuments and then switched to humanitarian work after the devastating 2005 Pakistan... View full entry
Over the course of six years, OPEN Architecture transformed five decommissioned aviation fuel tanks into a vibrant contemporary art center and public park. Overlooking the banks of Shanghai's Huangpu River, the art center has attracted hoards of visitors and large cultural events since opening in... View full entry
I find it interesting that theaters are so resilient. They can have many lives. [...] For architects, set design can be a lesson in the fact that nothing is permanent. Permanence can be a little restricting, it turns out. Theater isn’t permanent. It exists when there is an audience. — David Rockwell in The New York Times
Michael Kimmelman shares an interview with architect David Rockwell, who talked about some of his favorite historic Broadway theaters in NYC while the two went on a walk recently. Rockwell talks about the influence that theater had for him as a child, a few theater design projects his firm worked... View full entry
Salone del Mobile Milan announced today that the 2020 edition of the anticipated event has been postponed to April 13-18, 2021. The Board of the Salone del Mobile made the decision in light of the coronavirus health crisis that continues to significantly impact countries across the globe. Back in... View full entry
When interacting virtually, miscommunication can run rampant. So much of our interpersonal interactions as humans are non-verbal. Communicating via Slack or digital chat completely takes that out. Not only do these method take out body language, but also verbal and tonal aspects. Authors of the... View full entry
The German federal government is stepping in with a sweeping aid package for the country’s creative and cultural sectors. The staggering €50 billion ($54 billion) in backing comes less than two weeks since Germany first made its promise of support.
The three-part package includes up to €50 billion ($54 billion) in aid for individuals who are self-employed as well as for small businesses. It will come in the form grants designed to help with overhead costs like venue rentals and artist studios.
— Artnet
According to Artnet, the funding will also support media enterprises, including newspapers. "We know the hardships, we know the desperation," said culture minister Monika Grütters in a statement. "The cultural sector in particular is characterized by a high proportion of self-employed people... View full entry
Social media's presence within architecture has invited firms to tap into a fast and responsive form of online exposure. The use of social media platforms like Instagram is a topic we've discussed widely on Archinect. However, during this time of self-quarantine, online sharing platforms are... View full entry
The billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball franchise has purchased the Forum arena in Inglewood, California for $400 million as part of a plan to construct a new AECOM-designed basketball megaplex for the team next door to the existing complex. Previously on Archinect: “Plans... View full entry
In an effort to track the impacts, Earther assembled an interactive map to explore the changes in air pollution not just in the U.S. but globally. The map runs on Google Earth Engine and uses data collected by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-5P satellite, which circles the Earth capturing various types of data. It includes four snapshots from December 2019 through March 20, 2020. The Sentinel satellite data shows nitrogen dioxide, which is a handy proxy for human activity. — Gizmodo
Brian Kahn and Dhruv Mehrotra of Earther highlight a recently launched pollution visualizer their team has assembled that highlights the stark changes in human activity across the world in the wake of COVID-19-imposed economic and social disruptions. The authors interview Barbara Dix... View full entry
This post is brought to you by the Van Alen Institute In light of the widespread disruption caused by the COVID-19 crisis, we have extended the submission deadline for Reimagining Brooklyn Bridge by two weeks. The new deadline is Sunday, April 19 by 11:59 pm ET. There is no requirement... View full entry
