Black architects are underrepresented yet have made considerable contributions to the Chicago cityscape. Join the Dean of the College of Architecture at Illinois Institute of Technology and tour notable projects by black architects on the south side of Chicago beginning with the Johnson Publishing building, the first and only downtown high rise project designed by a black architect. We will visit Ping Tom Memorial Park, First Church of Deliverance, 31st Street Harbor Building, and more — Illinois Institute of Technology
The Brooklyn Academy of Music plans to add four new works of public art to its downtown campus, and has commissioned site-specific installations from three Brooklyn-based artists. — The New York Times
The Brooklyn based venue has enlisted renowned artists Teresita Fernandez, Hank Willis Thomas, and Leo Villareal, to create site-focused installations "as a part of BAM's Robert W. Wilson Public Art Initiative." The initiative was made possible back in 2015 when a $3.5 million gift was received... View full entry
Chain retailers have their eyes on a new type of mall — your university. While higher education may once have been associated with the ivory tower — a secluded place of rigorous study — now companies like Target, Trader Joe’s, Urban Outfitters, and Publix are opening stores on or near college campuses, chasing students who are setting up shopping habits that could last a lifetime. — Buzzfeed News
In an insightful Buzzfeed News article, Leticia Miranda explains why a large number of college campuses are becoming the new rulers of chain retailers. Although college is typically a time for young adults to pursue a higher level of academia, another type of "skill" may be unraveling, the need to... View full entry
A widespread over-supply of parking in metro Boston residential developments is driving up the cost of housing and may encourage people to own cars who otherwise would not, according to a new study by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. — CommonWealth
What’s the true cost of parking? In 2014, Sarah Goodyear wrote a piece for CityLab titled "How Parking Spaces are Eating Our Cities Alive" that provides a framework for answering the question. In her article, Goodyear discusses how the average parking space takes up about 300 square feet, or... View full entry
Kala Academy, Goa’s cultural centre, which was designed by the renowned architect Charles Correa in the late 1970s, is threatened with demolition by the State Government in the near future. It is an exceedingly important building, not just among Correa’s international repertoire, but also in the State of Goa. — change.org
A petition has been started to save Goa, India's Kala Academy. It has served as a true cultural hub for its local community, being "the only government-run arts institution in the country with separate faculties for both Western and Indian classical music, and also offers courses in theatre and... View full entry
For the first time in its history, the City of Los Angeles will have a single individual dedicated to overseeing, managing, and expanding the city's urban forest. Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetii recently selected Rachel Malarich as the new "city forest officer," a post housed within the... View full entry
Leading philanthropic organization Houston Endowment is looking to build a physical presence with a new headquarters near downtown Houston, Texas. Following the first stage of the Houston Endowment Headquarters Design Competition launched this past June, four teams have been shortlisted... View full entry
Having an employee quit "can feel like a gut punch, leaving managers scrambling both emotionally and operationally," writes Anthony C. Klotz, associate professor at the Texas A&M Mays Business School and Mark C. Bolino, professor at the University of Oklahoma's Price College of Business. The pair... View full entry
Post-Meier, the AIA has centered its efforts to stop sexual harassment by affirming good behavior in the profession. It’s using positive reinforcement to address sexual harassment and discrimination by saying the best work emerges from firms that embody equitable practices, and using that as the foundation of its strategy to incentivize better behavior. — Curbed
Curbed's Diana Budds takes a deep dive into the efforts being undertaken within the architecture community to eradicate sexual harassment in the workplace in the wake of the #MeToo movement. According to the report, although the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has worked to update its... View full entry
For his first feature, Antonio Pacheco (Archinect’s new Managing Editor) takes readers Inside the Plan to Save LA’s Southwest Museum, since a 2003 merger, known as the Autry Museum of the American West. Plus, Katherine Guimapang chatted with Jennifer Bonner about the power of alternative... View full entry
It is a surreal urban bubble, where normal life unfolds at an abnormal altitude. To access ground level, residents drive their cars down a ramp. A tall metal fence runs around the perimeter to make sure no one falls or drives off. Peer beyond the fence and you can spot the city’s landmarks below. — The Guardian
In Jakarta, Indonesia exists a suburb, unlike any other. Cosmo Park is unique because it can be found ten stories above ground on top of a shopping mall. At ground level, Jakarta is a city that succumbs to many issues. Many cities around the world suffer from their fair share of obstacles... View full entry
In 2011, the New York Public Library established an official unit for digital experimentation—NYPL Labs. Over the six years that followed, what began as a small research and development outfit for special digital projects grew into a visionary think-and-do tank for making the library’s two centuries of collections digital and usable for the years to come. A hybrid team of technologists, librarians, and designers would start to assemble the building blocks of an urban memory infrastructure. — Urban Omnibus
Shannon Mattern, associate professor of media studies at The New School, and Ben Vershbow, founder of NYPL Labs, discuss the recent digitalization efforts undertaken by the New York Public Library system as it works to turn the library's "vast collections into usable data, connecting maps... View full entry
In organizations in which a shorter workweek has been implemented, nearly two-thirds (64%) of leaders reported increases in staff productivity and work quality due to a reduction of sick days and overall increased well-being. Another benefit to well-being, respondents noted, was the reduction of commutes. One less day at work helps make the weekly commute more bearable. — Harvard Business Review
Alternative work schedules have been a topic of discussion for quite some time now, especially in European countries. Could this model work well in the architecture industry? Looking to other industries may provide some insights. "In organizations in which a shorter workweek has been implemented... View full entry
Lucy Jones, founder of FFORA, a company whose "mission statement is simple, the world made accessible to all." After embracing a challenge by one of her professors at Parsons to design something that could change the world, the young designer began to talk to one of her family members who... View full entry
No matter where you're at in your professional architecture career, we're all seeking to grow and move on up to the next level. As a headstart to your search for new employment, check out the latest job listings from last week's Employer of the Day featured firms. Legendary New York couture house... View full entry
