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Today, the Los Angeles Public Library begins a phased reopening of its iconic Central Library in downtown Los Angeles, as well as 37 other branches. The library branches reopening today will offer limited in-person services including quick browsing, computer access, mobile printing orders, and checking out library materials. Virus protocols include limited building capacities up 75%, depending on the location. — LAist
The Los Angeles Public Library released a list of the location and hours of the sites reopening. Following a reservation, computers will be available at branches for an hour at a time. No reservation is required at the Central Library, but visitors will be limited to 30 minutes of use. The... View full entry
New Yorkers who have yet to receive their Covid-19 vaccine can now get jabbed under the American Museum of Natural History’s iconic blue whale, which has been adorned with a colossal bandage. The museum began administering the Moderna vaccine to people 18 and up in its Milstein Hall of Ocean Life last week and is offering anyone who receives the shot at the site (plus three friends) complimentary admission. — The Art Newspaper
Following the news that all US adults are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, this “whale of an announcement”, as comically put by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, is one that serves as a symbol of progress for New Yorkers amidst the ongoing pandemic. It is also a means to get... View full entry
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is rebuilding part of New Delhi, but the mammoth undertaking is drawing fire [...]
The massive project — which local media have estimated could cost about 200 billion rupees ($2.7 billion) — has grown more controversial as India’s coronavirus cases have exploded. On social media, some questioned the need for spending on new government structures at a time when the nation is dealing with severe fallouts from the pandemic.
— Bloomberg CityLab
As India struggles to contain a new devastating wave of Covid-19 outbreaks throughout the country, opposition is further growing to Prime Minister Modi's controversial redesign plan of the historic Central Vista in the capital Delhi which will include a new parliament building and several... View full entry
Autodesk has published its 2021 Construction Outlook, aimed at uncovering the evolving state of the industry for the year ahead. As major economies begin to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, the report sets out the risks and opportunities to be addressed by those in design and construction across... View full entry
For decades, ordinary residents have been pushed out of cities like London and New York to make room for offices and luxury apartments. But the pandemic has massively reduced demand for these same locations — turning city centers into ghost towns, full of shiny new buildings that no one needs. — Jacobin Magazine
Writing for Jacobin, Glyn Robbins dissects the pandemic's lasting effect on cities around the world where new luxury developments — too often favored over affordable housing solutions for the broader local community — are now faced with a sudden drop in demand. Related on Archinect... View full entry
Following a move from Purple to Red in California's tiered safety classification structure, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) will again open its doors to the public on Thursday after a year of lockdown that left the 60-year-old museum critically and financially uncertain as it looks to... View full entry
Museums have lain dormant while pandemic restrictions aimed to keep the spread of COVID-19 low. However, with vaccine rollouts and cities entering new tier levels, museums are preparing to welcome back visitors in-person. On March 10th, the completion of Renzo Piano's long-awaited Academy Museum... View full entry
COVID-19 forced many companies, including architecture firms, to lay off staff, resulting in several professionals out of the workforce with few prospects. But, as job opportunities increase and more people receive vaccinations, reentry into the workforce could become a greater reality for some... View full entry
Ever since the transition of many offices to remote work, plans and strategies on returning to the physical office have been developing. Archinect is reaching out to the community to learn about various plans on reopening the office. Previously on Archinect: Architects share their biggest... View full entry
Pvilion, a Brooklyn-based manufacturer of rapidly deployable robotic structures, is working with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on a project to use computer automation to improve its manufacturing process. The partnership comes in response to the growing need for rapidly deployable temporary... View full entry
A new report details how construction costs have changed across 12 U.S. cities since the coronavirus pandemic began. Broken down by market, all of the U.S. cities in the Rider Levett Bucknall report saw at least small gains, except for Chicago, which experienced a 1.29% decrease in comparative costs from October 2019 to October 2020. — Construction Dive
According to Construction Dive, the new report by construction consultancy firm Rider Levett Bucknall signals a 2.03% increase of the national average for construction costs. The survey tracks the RLB Comparative Cost Index for major cities across the United States and found the biggest cost... View full entry
More than 50 countries are racing to vaccinate their populations to fend off the rising death toll of a third wave of infections. To supplement the existing network of hospitals, medical clinics, pharmacies and other healthcare facilities, many are establishing mass vaccination sites capable of processing crowds — often sports arenas, convention centers and stadiums, but also parking lots and deserted shopping malls. — Bloomberg CityLab
Bloomberg CityLab takes a look at how large sports, cultural, and civic facilities are being converted into mass vaccination sites in cities around the world. View full entry
The pandemic has underlined how broken the UK’s model for urban development is. [...]
It is hard to see now amid the depression and anger, but the pandemic did briefly show cities acting on the basis of general human need: rough sleepers being housed, mutual aid groups being set up, evictions being suspended. Yet the possibility of any long-term change is rapidly being lost.
— The Guardian
Tribune culture editor Owen Hatherly's new housing opinion piece for The Guardian. View full entry
As California hits a bleak coronavirus milestone this month, with nearly 10% of the population infected, organizers of Desert X in the Coachella Valley have announced that the forthcoming edition of the outdoor sculpture exhibition will be postponed until lockdown restrictions have been lifted in the state. — The Art Newspaper
Desert X would have opened for its third edition on February 6th, offering both digital and in-person experiences. "In light of the urgent health crisis and surge in cases of Covid-19, the only responsible way forward to protect our community, health care system, artists, visitors and all those... View full entry
While the news cycle in October was mostly dominated by the upcoming elections and ongoing pandemic, other aspects of life continued. In the world of architecture, these were the stories that captured our collective attention... The Challenges of Academia Lesley Lokko resigns as Dean of CCNY's... View full entry
