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ICON has developed a method for printing a single-story 650-square-foot house out of cement in only 12 to 24 hours, a fraction of the time it takes for new construction. If all goes according to plan, a community made up of about 100 homes will be constructed for residents in El Salvador next year. The company has partnered with New Story, a nonprofit that is vested in international housing solutions. — theverge.com
Today at SXSW, The first model is scheduled to be unveiled by Austin-based startup ICON. The company uses the Vulcan 3D printer in order to generate an entire home for $10,000 with plans to bring costs down to $4,000 per house. Using concrete rather than plastic, the model features a living... View full entry
In a 10-1 vote, the Austin City Council took the first step toward a boycott of any company that designs, builds or finances President Donald Trump’s $25 billion proposed border wall between Texas and Mexico. [...]
Four companies already have been tapped to design and build wall prototypes, including Texas-based Sterling Construction Company, Inc.
— KXAN
The Texas state capital is just the latest of several local and state governments having either passed or proposed legislation that would ban companies involved in designing, building, or financing Donald Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico from being considered for other public contracts. View full entry
Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Winter/Spring 2018 Archinect's Get Lectured is an ongoing series where we feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current term. Check back regularly to keep track of any upcoming lectures you don't want to miss... View full entry
Housed under one checkered roofscape, the upcoming East Austin District by BIG is a new sports and entertainment hub for the evolving city of Austin, Texas. BIG recently unveiled their scheme for the massive 1.3 million square-foot campus, which will bring about the city's first professional... View full entry
Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Fall 2017 Ready or not, the start of the school year is coming up. Back for Fall 2017 is Archinect's Get Lectured, an ongoing series where we feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current term. Check back... View full entry
The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture appointed Edna Ledesma and Miriam Solis as its new faculty leaders for the Race and Gender in the Built Environment Initiative. Launched last fall by scholars Anna Livia Brand and Andrea Roberts, the ongoing initiative fosters teaching and... View full entry
Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Fall 2016Gearing up for another eventful school year this fall? Archinect's Get Lectured is back in session. Get Lectured is an ongoing series where we feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current term. Check... View full entry
On May 9, 10,000 Uber drivers effectively lost their jobs. So they did what anyone in 2016 does, they turned to Facebook to mobilize—and soon enough the passengers followed. [...]
The new system works like this: A prospective rider posts their pickup location within the group and within minutes several drivers usually comment with their contact information and screenshot of their Uber and/or Lyft profile. From there, the passenger and chosen driver negotiate a trip price privately.
— vocativ.com
Related on Archinect:Protesting fingerprint checks, Uber and Lyft end rides in AustinGoogle, Uber, Lyft, Ford and Volvo join forces to lobby for autonomous vehiclesLyft gets cozy with LA transit agencies to share data on Metro connectionsWaze takes on the ride-sharing market with new carpooling... View full entry
A City Council committee could take the first steps Tuesday toward mandating that developers include affordable units in new housing complexes to be built in several East Austin neighborhoods.
The proposal by Council Member Greg Casar, who chairs the council’s Planning and Neighborhoods Committee, comes as soaring rents have pushed poorer and minority residents out of the city.
— My Statesman
The plan would mark a significant shift in direction from the current, incentive-based approach that allows developers to build larger buildings in exchange for including affordable housing units. As it stands now, developers can also pay a fee to the city's housing fund in order to build... View full entry
The decision to leave an energetic city known for its young, well-educated population offered a stark illustration of how strenuously the companies oppose new rules that would require them to perform fingerprint background checks on drivers.
Ending the service also meant that about 10,000 drivers would be out of work, Taylor Patterson, an Uber spokeswoman, said.
“Folks are devastated,” she said. “People are saying, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to pay my rent.’”
— nytimes.com
In cities like Austin—with no comprehensive rail service, a dominant car culture and a large youthful population—ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft are omnipresent. Lyft sponsored the city's huge annual SXSW festival in 2016, and as the city has been growing "faster than any other... View full entry
We’re growing faster than any other metropolitan area in the country, and we have been for the last five years...And the challenges are, with all the growth that we’re having, we’re going to stop being the city that we imagine that we are, that we remember being. We have to grow to be the city that we still recognize. So those challenges are not optional challenges for us to deal with, they’re the challenges for us to deal with. — Metropolis Magazine
As Austin rapidly becomes an "it" city, how will the city keep its character? Metropolis talks with Austin Mayor Steve Adler about the multiple challenges ahead.More on Archinect:Seven U.S. cities competing to be the "smartest" in urban transit systemsGuns in the Studio: Texas' new campus carry... View full entry
Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Winter/Spring 2016Archinect's Get Lectured is back in session. Get Lectured is an ongoing series where we feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current term. Check back frequently to keep track of any upcoming... View full entry
*Obviously Austin needs a transit system championed by a game designer. — Austin Business Journal
Back in August, Michael Theis highlighted plans by "a few private-sector entrepreneurs — including some with deep pockets", to address transit needs, especially in Central/downtown Austin. He also spoke with spokeswoman Cathy Conley of USA PRT Inc and later attended a presentation where... View full entry
Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Fall 2015Archinect's Get Lectured is ready for another school year. Get Lectured is an ongoing series where we feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current term. Check back frequently to keep track of any... View full entry
If America decides to take on its growing slum problem, people will need to think hard about how to do so. Mobility programs are proven to work for the families who move, but what happens to the neighborhoods that people leave? Can affordable-housing projects in low-income areas also help poor families succeed, or are they doomed to fail their residents, no matter how nice they are, because of where they are located? — theatlantic.com
Related on Archinect:In Chicago, forming economically integrated suburbs is more complex than it looksAbandoned schools = new development opportunitiesNYC's public-housing woes View full entry
