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Archaeologists are working with other firefighters to protect several historical guard stations using, what's essentially a protective foil wrap.
Crews rushed this weekend to cover five historical cabins at the Placer Guard Station. "We ordered this wrap," said archaeologist Ward Stanley. "It looks like tin foil.
"It's pretty simple, you just wrap the house in a shingle-type fashion so it's overlapping going down so the stuff that goes down doesn't get into the cracks," Stanley said.
— abc30.com
h/t BLDGBLOG View full entry
"The people of Glasgow and many people far beyond were horrified when a few weeks ago fire ripped through the Art School, gutting its priceless library.
The UK government has already made a £5m contribution to the Mackintosh Appeal to help ensure that the building is restored to its former glory.
And we are today making an additional £5m contribution to support the School's new Graduate and Research Centre." — UK Chancellor George Osborne
— bbc.com
This past May, a fire destroyed much of the historic Mackintosh library at the Glasgow School of Art, a modern masterpiece by Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Now, as part of an increase in the UK's funding of Glasgow's life sciences, business and arts sectors, the School has the... View full entry
A $700,000 home was teetering over the edge of Texas' Lake Whitney — until officials set it on fire.
The home, which had been gradually crumbling into the lake for weeks, was set on fire shortly after 10 a.m. local time after authorities deemed it the safest and cheapest option. Officials had considered pulling the home closer to land using a giant net — deemed unsafe — or letting it fall into the lake on its own — too expensive to clean up.
— mashable.com
The GSA said that retrieving the archives and collections from inside the building was its “first priority”. [...]
Firefighters were able to save around 70 per cent of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed building’s contents during the blaze.
But the famed Mackintosh library, which contained hundreds of rare periodicals and collections, was destroyed, along with countless works of art and the roof of the west wing.
— express.co.uk
Previously:Glasgow School of Art on fire....UPDATE: Glasgow School of Art fire View full entry
Today's tragic developing story is the massive fire engulfing the historic Glasgow School of Art building, the masterpiece by Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. News updates and tweets (#gsafire) are pouring in left and right, and we'll try to collect the latest developments in this... View full entry
A German architect accused of improperly installing a fireplace in his Hollywood Hills mansion, leading to a firefighter’s death in February 2011, is expected to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter Friday. — LA Times
Architect, Gerhard Becker, is accused of involuntary manslaughter in Los Angeles in the death of a firefighter in February 2011. He is expected to plead "no contest" and serve a 6 month long sentence. Becker was accused of constructing fireplaces in a 12,000 square foot residence in the Hollywood... View full entry
Authorities in Brazil's largest city, Sao Paulo, have fought a major blaze at a landmark building designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer.
A large plume of smoke billowed from the Latin America Memorial, a cultural centre which hosts an art gallery, an auditorium and other facilities.
— bbc.co.uk
One expert in the UAE has estimated that 70% of the high-rise buildings there have panel facade cladding made of a combustible thermoplastic core held between two sheets of aluminium. — BBC News
Bill Law, a BBC Gulf news analyst, writes about how fears of a "towering inferno" disaster in the Gulf are growing after fires left residential buildings heavily damaged in the United Arab Emirates cities of Sharjah and Dubai. The panels have been prohibited in the UK and USA for some time and... View full entry
A German architect charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of a veteran firefighter last year will next appear in court Dec. 12, authorities say.
A judge ruled Wednesday that Gerhard Becker will face trial in the case. Prosecutors allege he negligently installed outdoor fireplaces at his Hollywood Hills home, a decision they say ultimately led to the death of firefighter Glenn Allen.
— latimesblogs.latimes.com
Previously:Architect charged for the death of a firefighterAIA|LA Statement on Tragic Death of LA Firefighter View full entry
It is believed 70 per cent of the buildings in the UAE have some form of facade cladding that has a combustible thermo-plastic core between two sheets of aluminium. — thenational.ae
The fire engulfing Moscow’s Federation Tower has been extinguished. About 300 square meters of the yet-to-be-completed skyscraper were set ablaze, but the centrally located building has been evacuated and no victims have been reported. The fire broke on the building's 67th floor (250 meters above the ground) and spread to several sections on the 66th and 65th floors. Fourteen people working at the floors hit by the firestorm were evacuated. — rt.com
via the forum View full entry
Last week's LA Times article, "Architect of Hollywood Hills mansion damaged in fire, is charged in firefighter's death," stirred discussion, particularly among architects, as the individual who designed the home was not a licensed architect. Aside from requesting that the LA Times retract the word "architect" from the article, the [AIA|LA], in conjunction with [AIACC] Executive Vice President, Paul Welch, Hon. AIA, have released the following statement... — AIA|LA
Previously: Architect charged for the death of a firefighter Statement from AIA|LA... Editor, The recent Los Angeles Times article concerning the negligent activities of an individual purporting to be an architect, and how those activities resulted in the tragic death of Los Angeles Firefighter... View full entry
[Gerhard Albert] Becker... built an 18-foot "fire trough" through the home despite being warned of the dangers it may cause. It was described as an oversize indoor fire pit.
They said the attic was equipped with plastic pipes for fire sprinklers. The fire melted the pipes, flooding the attic and filling the insulation with water. The weight of the insulation appears to have caused a large section of the ceiling to collapse, injuring Allen and five other firefighters,
— LA Times
This seems to be a case of incompetence and stupidity tied to trying to save a few pennies. PVC pipe for fire sprinklers - might as well revoke his license already. But how can an architect afford a 12,500 sf house in the Hollywood Hills? oh, 'The home was intended for use in a reality show for... View full entry
One of France's most important landmarks of modernist architecture, La Cité Radieuse housing estate in Marseille, built by the architect Le Corbusier, has been damaged by fire.
Fire services fought for over 12 hours to put out a blaze that began on Thursday afternoon in a first floor flat in the nine-storey concrete complex which is protected by special heritage status in France.
— guardian.co.uk
The fire broke out early Wednesday morning in the institute's architecture school on Östermalmsgatan in central Stockholm with the roof of the main lecture hall quickly filling with smoke.
Firefighters battled throughout the day to bring the blaze under control and prevent it spreading to other parts of the university's buildings and there are fears that there is a risk of a building collapse.
— The Local