The Department for Transport is refusing to release an internal report on the cancelled Garden Bridge project, claiming this would prejudice the commercial interests of the trust that developed it, now in liquidation.
The Garden Bridge scheme, designed by Thomas Heatherwick and championed by Boris Johnson while mayor of London, collapsed in August 2017. It left taxpayers with a bill of £43 million, making it one of the costliest public scandals in British political history.
— Architects' Journal
According to Architects' Journal, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to see the report – an assessment of the financial position of the Garden Bridge Trust made by the DfT’s internal audit team in July 2016 – was refused and then refused again on appeal earlier this... View full entry
As society necessarily repositions itself in order to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), economic analysts are forecasting that the American economy has already entered into a near-term recession. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles Anderson School of... View full entry
As a preventative measure for the spread of coronavirus, Mayor Eric Garcetti took to Facebook Live to announce that he has now taken executive action to close all movie theaters, bars, nightclubs, entertainment venues and gyms until March 31. Restaurants will remain open but will only provide takeout and delivery. However, grocery stores, food banks and pharmacies will remain open. The restrictions go into effect Sunday at midnight. — Deadline
The announcement comes after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced called for the closure of all movie theaters in New York City, Deadline reports. See Mayor Garcetti's full address below: View full entry
In a recent post on instagram, Roto Architects offered a remote working tool it's been developing for virtual collaboration. Called Second Studio, the tool is open source and available for download on github. https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"... View full entry
Vittorio Gregotti, the noted Italian architect who helped initiate the inaugural architecture section of the Venice Biennale in the late 1970s, has passed away due to complications arising from COVID-19, The Guardian reports. Gregotti was born in 1927 and was educated at... View full entry
Amanda Hearst, a great-granddaughter of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, and her husband, filmmaker Joachim Rønning, have purchased the Wolff House in Hollywood Hills West for $5.9 million. — Los Angeles Times
Previously listed for $6.5 million, the Wolff Residence, designed by John Lautner, was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2006. Stone, glass, and copper materials accentuate Lautner's design ethos to connect architecture to the surrounding landscape. Completed in 1961, the... View full entry
Pratt Institute in New York City has launched a new initiative honoring and celebrating the institution's historic legacy of female design leadership. Organized by the School of Architecture, the Mistresses of Pratt program presents "a multifaceted project focused on the... View full entry
In light of the planned redevelopment of the Boston Government Service Center (BGSC), designed by Modernist architect Paul Rudolph in 1962, the Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation has issued a pointed letter advocating for "the preservation of the Boston Government Service Center, as a part of the... View full entry
In a statement released today, the 2020 Conference on Architecture announced its postponement due to the progressing developments of the coronavirus pandemic. The event will no longer take place May 14th to 16th in Los Angeles. This comes after Mayor Garcetti's directive to City Departments issued... View full entry
The General Manager of the Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department (HCIDLA), Rushmore Cervantes, has announced plans to step down from his position at the end of the month. Cervantes has led the department for over a decade and has presided over a turbulent era in the city... View full entry
[...] vast renovation project aimed at bringing all those innards up-to-date. The endeavor, budgeted at close to 300 million Australian dollars (nearly $200 million U.S.), culminated with the closure of the complex’s concert hall for the first time in its history. The hall has in the past been open 363 days a year, a point of pride, but it was shuttered in February for the start of a two-year upgrade. — The New York Times
Sydney's iconic Jørn Utzon-designed opera house will be turning 50 years old in 2023, and a massive renovation project has been long overdue. Particular focus for the designers in charge of the job, Australian firm ARM Architecture, will be creating accessibility for visitors with mobility... View full entry
Car owners know that circling the block for a spot and moving the car for alternate side parking is just a part of life, unless they’re willing to pay for a parking space. But for some New Yorkers, an unused space in a parking garage or an extra spot in the driveway is a valuable piece of real estate and an easy way to earn extra income. — The New York Times
Parking is big business in New York City, and not just in new Manhattan developments. The New York Times takes a deeper look at the New Yorkers who are making significant sums renting out their unused parking stalls across the city, even as driving becomes more difficult in certain parts of... View full entry
UPDATE: 2020 AIA Conference on Architecture has been postponed On Thursday, March 12th, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti issued a directive to City departments outlining new measures to be taken to limit the spread of COVID-19. With the 2020 AIA Conference on Architecture scheduled to begin... View full entry
Members of the architecture community know too well the infamously gaudy and ugly reputation of the "McMansion" housing type. Despite the fact that esteemed architecture critics like Kate Wagner have been roasting these buildings (and their owners) for years, more and more of these... View full entry
Historic New England, one of one of the oldest and largest regional architectural heritage organizations in the United States, has announced that the archives of Boston-based architecture firm Royal Barry Wills Associates will be made available to the public for the first time. Founded... View full entry
