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The United States plans to withdraw from UNESCO, citing financial reasons, as well as what it said was anti-Israel bias at the U.N.’s educational, cultural and science organization. — the Washington Post
This morning, the U.S. notified the organization of their intention to withdraw at the end of 2018. Unesco, the United Nations cultural organization, supports a variety of programs promoting education, natural sciences, social/human sciences, culture and information around the world, but is... View full entry
![<a href="[https://www.flickr.com/photos/mariaeklind/33806652861/in/photolist-TvnW6c-TAd5eY-VeQgk7-VinmRg-XzqBfY-Sqkgpu-V6Ekrr-TvnThg-SqkhN1-Sqke35-TsXiqQ-UH8o3m-TQarqR-TGSHSz-TAgwRQ-UH7e9b-VhJBPc-YA96BL-SAn7fH-U5sbZE-T4FfWc-TvnVsP-V6CSJk-VeQaQu-YRrGUD-N33PuE-N2LySp-VuidpP-SChADK-Vuh7Bi-V3Tjdh-V3UEyq-U1PgcY-NFeAZw-VhKJtT-VhJL4t-JZD8ER-Tf3gEm-L3tWLL-NrhgWF-U1Tuq3-UU8GpL-TQapip-Kby5AP-KYF3Bw-UH8m1A-UH84HL-VeLcrj-MKUkAA-VhKGXX]">[Maria Eklind/Flickr]</a>](https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/lm/lmne1q7uig5suy4u.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=514 "<a href=\"[https://www.flickr.com/photos/mariaeklind/33806652861/in/photolist-TvnW6c-TAd5eY-VeQgk7-VinmRg-XzqBfY-Sqkgpu-V6Ekrr-TvnThg-SqkhN1-Sqke35-TsXiqQ-UH8o3m-TQarqR-TGSHSz-TAgwRQ-UH7e9b-VhJBPc-YA96BL-SAn7fH-U5sbZE-T4FfWc-TvnVsP-V6CSJk-VeQaQu-YRrGUD-N33PuE-N2LySp-VuidpP-SChADK-Vuh7Bi-V3Tjdh-V3UEyq-U1PgcY-NFeAZw-VhKJtT-VhJL4t-JZD8ER-Tf3gEm-L3tWLL-NrhgWF-U1Tuq3-UU8GpL-TQapip-Kby5AP-KYF3Bw-UH8m1A-UH84HL-VeLcrj-MKUkAA-VhKGXX]\">[Maria Eklind/Flickr]</a>")
There has never been a more important time in society to celebrate what unites us rather than divides us, and that can be through culture and, more simply, through the creation of public spaces where people can come together. — CNN Style
Amanda Levete reflects on the Brexit referendum and the election of Donald Trump. She argues for the responsibility of architects to create spaces of intersections and conversations across thresholds in the contemporary political climate. View full entry
The Trump administration has awarded contracts to build four border wall prototypes using non-concrete "other materials," U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Thursday.
The contracts came a week after the administration announced four companies that will build prototypes of concrete border walls. In all, the eight prototype walls will cost about $3.6 million.
— The Hill
Adding to the four firms already selected to build border wall prototypes last week, Trump now also contracted another round of companies that will specifically build non-concrete prototypes of his favorite campaign promise. By encouraging 'other materials' border wall designs, Trump hopes to... View full entry
First, given their robust physical characteristics, like, reinforced concrete, between 18-30 feet high, the concrete border wall prototypes are designed to deter illegal crossings in the area in which they are constructed.
Second, the concrete border wall prototypes will allow CBP to evaluate the potential for new wall and barrier designs that could complement the wall and barrier designs we have used along the border over the last several years.
— U.S. Customs and Border Protection
On Thursday, CBP announced that it had awarded contracts to build several 30-foot-high concrete wall prototypes, which are supposed to inform future design standards and will likely continue to evolve to meet the U.S. Border Patrol’s requirements. The four companies that will build the... View full entry
Hurricane Harvey has been battering the Gulf Coast for days bringing in record floodwaters devastating much of southeast Texas. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has estimated that 30,000 people are in need of emergency shelter and more than 450,000 will need the help of federal aid for... View full entry
The infrastructure council, which was still being formed, would have advised Trump on his plan to spend as much as $1 trillion upgrading roads, bridges and other public works. Its cancellation follows Trump’s announcement Wednesday that he was disbanding two other business advisory panels. — Bloomberg
After multiple CEO's began quitting both the American Manufacturing Council and the Strategic and Policy Forum in protest of Trump's response to Charlottesville, the 45th President has decided to not move forward with the Council on Infrastructure, still in the process of being formed. The council... View full entry
As tensions with North Korea flare in light of the news that they may have successfully produced a miniaturized nuclear warhead that can fit inside its missiles, everyone is scrambling to determine how seriously to take them. Back in May, when North Korea began testing nuclear weapons with growing... View full entry
A draft government report on climate says the U.S. is already experiencing the consequences of global warming. The findings sharply contrast with statements by President Trump and some members of his Cabinet, who have sought to downplay the changing climate.
The document, which was leaked ahead of publication and reported by The New York Times on Tuesday, says Americans are seeing more heat waves and rainfall as a result of climate change.
— NPR
The draft report confirms previous assessments that global warming, as observed over the past decades, is indeed caused by human activity, and climate change is already showing affects on the United States' weather and economy. "That statement is directly at odds with statements from Trump and... View full entry
As City—Michael Heizer’s vast Land Art installation in the Nevada desert—nears completion, the fate of the federally protected land surrounding it could soon be decided. Ryan Zinke, the US Interior Secretary, visited the state on Sunday, 30 July, as part of a review of 27 national monuments ordered by President Donald Trump, which could result in some of these lands being reopened to development. — theartnewspaper.com
"A number of museums banded together to call for the site’s preservation," The Art Newspaper explains the background of City's current surroundings (previously also on Archinect), "and in 2015, Obama created the Basin and Range National Monument, which covers 704,000 acres in southern Nevada’s... View full entry
Just a few hours ago, President Donald Trump announced that the United States will withdraw from the non-binding Paris Agreement intended to mitigate climate change. The President of the American Institute of Architects Thomas Vonier, FAIA has issued a statement in response, reaffirming its... View full entry
For those not already opposed to President Trump’s proposed border wall for ethical reasons, a big hurdle is its (likely) staggering cost. The sheer length of the thing makes it pricey, and the irregular terrain and harsh climate of some of the regions bisected by the US/Mexico border would... View full entry
Some 20 businesses rose to the top of a pool of around 460 companies that submitted initial proposals for the US/Mexico border wall so desired by President Trump and his supporters. But, due to federal procurement rules, the names of these businesses are still under wrap. Even the exact number of... View full entry
The government won't identify companies until contracts are awarded around June 1 — and even then, only the winners — but some bidders released plans on their own — Yahoo News / AP
Although many political agendas have trickled into the realm of design, the border wall continues to be a hot topic for architects. Since the inception of this project, social media has highlighted the "We Won't Build Your Wall" campaign, which has been prevalent at a number of architectural... View full entry
Last week, the Trump administration submitted its budget to Congress for the 2018 Fiscal Year. The budget included slashing several programs, many of which will affect community projects.In response, the AIA has issued a statement:"This budget includes many cuts that will have severe long-term... View full entry
This post is brought to you by Reality Cues. Architecture is historically complicit with the policies of those in power, both symbolically and functionally. It offers not only representations of power, but also vehicles for enacting power in its most grandiose, oppressive, and physically enduring... View full entry
