Controversial room-sharing startup Airbnb, one of the most visible players in what is being called the “sharing economy,” has recently awakened the innovation vs. regulation argument in all the usual ways–and a few new ones, including the accusation that these short-term rentals are depleting the already-scarce affordable housing stock in pricey metro areas like San Francisco and New York City. — 6sqft

I strongly disagree with the title. There is no such thing as Islamic Architecture or Islamic Culture. Islam is a multicultural faith with strong presence in Arab world, the Persian world, the Indian Subcontinent, in Eurasia and even in Europe. You cannot label an architectural style as Islamic just because it is used in a mosque. There are elements of the host culture present in this buildings. Mosques in Egypt or Turkey are significantly different from Mosques in Europe or India. - — boredpanda

At first glimpse, the House of Mirrors looks like a misplaced stack of wiry boxes randomly cast away along the Australian coast. Up close, the cubical structure further engages passersby as its steel frame draws them right to its mirrory middle, which appears to float inside as it reflects its coastal surroundings. — bustler.net

Indeed, taking a photo of the Eiffel Tower at night for any reason other than personal use is, technically, a violation of French copyright law [...]. A daytime photo is fine—copyright on the structure itself has expired—but night time photos remain problematic because the light show is more recent than the tower itself.

Also illegal is taking a photo of the Atomium, Belgium’s most famous tourist attraction [...]. — qz.com

Neighborhoods of contemporary New York are primarily defined by the choices and actions of the people who call them home. They are collages fashioned from layer upon layer of small accretions that we plaster and paint onto our environments. Sometimes, this paint is literal [...] rich diversity of murals in memoriam found throughout Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn — public artworks that reflect a particular history of violence, racial prejudice, and, in some cases, the mixture of the two. — urbanomnibus.net

The residents of Belle Harbor Manor spent four miserable months in emergency shelters after Superstorm Sandy's floodwaters surged through their assisted-living center on New York City's Rockaway peninsula.

Now, the home's disabled, elderly and mostly poor residents have a new headache: The Federal Emergency Management Agency has asked at least a dozen of them to pay back thousands of dollars in disaster aid. — AP

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation announced today that Troy Conrad Therrien will join the institution as curator of architecture and digital initiatives, a new position.

Therrien has worked on exhibitions at the Berlage Institute, the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Columbia University, MoMA PS1, and the New Museum.

The museum’s press release says, “A major and immediate component of Therrien’s work will be related to the Guggenheim Helsinki Design Competition. — artnews.com

It is a cruel irony that a region so blessed with the treasures of early human civilizations is also among those most troubled by conflict. As the violence threatens to annihilate some of history's greatest monuments, we count the cost of our irreplaceable losses — edition.cnn.com

The theme of the 2015 edition will be "The State of the Art of Architecture," named after Stanley Tigerman's 1977 conference, and will feature an array of exhibitions and newly commissioned works, including a photo exhibition by lensman Iwan Baan exploring Chicago. [...]

The eventt ... is being planned by a group of heavy-hitters, including co-directors Sarah Herda, Director of the Graham Foundation, and Joseph Grima, former curator of Storefront for Art and Architecture — chicago.curbed.com

California’s state geologist has concluded that an active earthquake fault is underneath a massive proposed skyscraper project in Hollywood, setting the stage for a huge battle at City Hall over growth and seismic safety. — latimes.com

[...] a gallery dedicated to design and architecture will soon also be added the Centre.

Like the “Galerie de Photographies," which is housed in former technical facilities, the future design gallery will be located within the existing Piano + Rogers-designed building. “Eventually, there should be almost no offices in the building, and we'll keep only the technical facilities that are strictly indispensable," said Seban. — news.artnet.com

As the recipient of Design Miami/’s inaugural Design Visionary award this month, Marino has been celebrated for decades for forward-thinking designs that are the perfect blend of art, fashion and architectural design. “He is a true modernist character [...]” internationally renowned curator Jérôme Sans tells BLOUIN Lifestyle. Sans is curating “One Way: Peter Marino,” an exhibition at the Bass Museum of Art that explores the renowned American architect’s multifaceted relationship with art. — blouinartinfo.com

Diller Scofidio + Renfro was announced as part of the winning team who will design and build the new U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum and Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado...the $60 million project will display artifacts, media, technology, tell the stories of American Olympic and Paralympic athletes, and share the historical significance and national pride spurred by the Olympic Games. — bustler.net

“He didn’t like people coming into the studio and seeing the paintings before they were finished,” he said. “This is one of the most ambitious artworks ever envisioned, certainly in the United States.”

Heizer's mammoth masterpiece in the desert is called "City."

“It was in 1994 when I first saw it, unfinished,” Govan said. “You do cry. You think, what an incredibly beautiful ambition.” — ksl.com