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This episode of Archinect Sessions was intended to be a brief introduction to a number of conversations we've been recording with members of the architecture community from around the world, checking in to see how people are coping through the current COVID-19 crisis and related effects to... View full entry
For the first time since the annual program was founded, Serpentine Galleries will not host the 2020 Serpentine Pavilion designed by Johannesburg-based practice Counterspace this summer. The commission has now been extended into a two-year endeavor in which the practice will collaborate with the... View full entry
The study, commissioned by Austin Mayor Steve Adler, found that keeping the city’s jobsites open without any special safety precautions could triple the number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations in the general population — from 10,000 to 30,000 — and raise construction workers’ risk of hospitalization eightfold by the middle of August. — Construction Dive
According to Construction Dive, the study found that the risk of increased hospitalizations and worker illness can be significantly diminished through measures such as temperature screenings, use of personal protective equipment, tool disinfection, hand washing stations, and rotating shifts... View full entry
A fourth emergency economic aid package created in responses to the COVID-19 crisis has passed the United States Senate and is heading to the House of Representatives for a final vote. President Donald Trump has indicated that he will sign the bill once it reaches his desk. The $484 billion... View full entry
The latest Architecture Billings Index (ABI) report published by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) shows that business for the architecture industry has taken a precipitous drop in the weeks since the COVID-19 crisis began to take hold in the United States. While February’s ABI... View full entry
[22 miles] of streets will be transformed over the summer, with a rapid, experimental citywide expansion of cycling and walking space to protect residents as Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.
The Strade Aperte plan [...] includes low-cost temporary cycle lanes, new and widened pavements, [20mph] speed limits, and pedestrian and cyclist priority streets.
— The Guardian
Janette Sadik-Khan, the former transportation commissioner for New York City, is helping Milan and Bogota formulate post-COVID-19 urban realm improvements. Sadik-Khan tells The Guardian, “The Milan plan is so important is because it lays out a good playbook for how you can reset your... View full entry
Carlo Ratti Associati has completed and installed the first unit of CURA in Turin, Northern Italy. Previously reported on Archinect, we reported on the project, which stands for "Connected Unites for Respiratory Ailments" was spearheaded by Carlo Ratti Associati and Italian architect Italo Rota... View full entry
More than 106,000 clean energy jobs were eliminated in the month of March due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, according to an analysis of unemployment data by BW Research Partnership and E2. The layoffs reflect a 3% drop in overall industry employment. — Smart Cities Dive
According to Smart Cities Dive, the layoffs come as hundreds of clean energy-related manufacturing plants have closed, including those producing building materials and solar/wind power infrastructure. The largest drops have been seen Hawaii (6.4%), Pennsylvania (6.2%) and North Carolina... View full entry
The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California, is one of the nation’s most curious landmarks. Built by a millionaire widow over the course of 36 years, the sprawling mansion features more than 200 rooms, 10,000 windows, trap doors, spy holes and a host of other architectural oddities.
...the house...has closed to help curb the spread of coronavirus. But...you can now explore the Winchester House from afar via a detailed video tour posted on the mansion’s website.
— Smithsonian Magazine
According to Smithsonian Magazine, the narrated video tour is more than 40 minutes and provides insights into the property and Sarah Winchester, the "mysterious woman" who built it. The 24,000 square foot home was under continuous construction for 38 years and is said to have about 160 rooms... View full entry
Princeton University School of Architecture Professors Paul Lewis and Guy Nordenson have been awarded a research grant by the Princeton University Funding Program for Rapid Novel and Actionable COVID-19 Research Projects fund to help propel the duo's work on "Manual of Urban Distance... View full entry
During a webinar this week hosted by the International Code Council, building officials from around the country shared their experiences with remote inspections as the coronavirus outbreak forces them to keep doing their jobs while still abiding by social distancing requirements. — Construction Dive
According to Construction Dive, building inspectors from Ohio, Nevada and Florida found common benefits to performing inspections using inexpensive tools like Facetime, Skype, Google Duo and Microsoft Teams. The general consensus, reports Construction Dive, was that as long as the... View full entry
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has agreed to launch a new small business financial support program to help L.A.’s most vulnerable businesses survive the COVID-19 crisis. The fund will include “bridge funding for small businesses likely to receive federal disaster... View full entry
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has announced that its AIA Conference on Architecture 2020 has been cancelled for the foreseeable future. As part of the cancellation, AIA will be refunding conference registration fees for those who had previously purchased tickets to the three-day... View full entry
Computer vision paired with artificial intelligence is already in use on construction sites, analyzing photos and video of a site to spot safety hazards and identify possible construction errors. But an idea pitched from a construction contractor has spurred A.I. vendor Smartvid.io to add social distancing monitoring to its feature set. — Engineering News-Record
According to ENR, Smartvid.io, a company whose AI is already able to spot workers and PPE use from video and still images, received a client request to also monitor social distancing on construction jobsites in light of the COVID-19 crisis. Since the technology could already track people on... View full entry
Although the federal government has embraced a significant economic and fiscal response to the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the roll-out of the small business relief support programs created to help keep... View full entry
