The Architect's Newspaper - News Channel

Protest> Pee-Wee's Plea

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Casey Lynch calls on Los Angeles to give small developers a chance.:

Changing demographics and an array of trends are quickly positioning infill development as the “new normal” in real estate. But what is less commonly discussed is that small-scale development is the future of infill. In dense but sprawling cities like Los Angeles, opportunities for development are structurally limited by the existing built environment: our roads and transit systems, and a number of external ingredients such as rent control and Proposition 13, a 1970s era law that limited property taxes, and thus, city revenue. What is more, our many village-like, niche neighborh (Continue reading.)

Editorial> Cooper Union's Tragic Compromises

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Alan G. Brake laments the university's end to free education, a move that challenges the institution's identity.:

At press time, the New York design community is celebrating the inaugural NYCxDesign and the city is concluding a trio of international art fairs, all while one of the city’s greatest art, architecture, and engineering institutions is in the middle of a meltdown. The president and trustees of the Cooper Union voted to abandon the school’s commitment to tuition free, merit-based education—arguably the distinguishing characteristic of the school’s greatness and international reputation. Hundreds of students, alumni, and activists have occupi (Continue reading.)

Fabrikator> Memory Cloud Taps Texas Tradition

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Re:site and Metalabbs site-specific installation for Texas A&MMs 12th Man Memorial Student Center uses 4,000 networked LEDs to create an animated display that speaks to tradition as well as to the future.: (Continue reading.)

Feature> City Lights

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Lighting designers are applying the skills of their profession to further the goals of urban design, creating safer, more stimulating, and better functioning cities.:

Cities rarely stand still. It is in their nature to evolve, expand, and, in some cases, contract. Whichever way they go, cities are always reinventing themselves, often one neighborhood at a time. Outdoor lighting can be a crucial part of this metamorphosis. Across the U.S., urban regeneration projects are stimulating activity in derelict infrastructure, defunct waterfronts, neglected plots of land, and dilapidated buildings. Though not completely erased, the use of fluorescent tubes and glaring security lights has been scaled back and in their place is a growing appreciation for sensitive, (Continue reading.)

Review> Soaring Ideas

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The National Building Museum explores the historic work of the Guastavino Company at the intersection of architecture and technology.:

Places for the People: Guastavino and America's Great Public Spaces
National Building Museum
401 F Street NW
Washington, D.C.
Through January 20, 2014

Constant innovation, revolutionary tech (Continue reading.)

Man with a Plan

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Rock Ventures chief plots the revival of downtown Detroit.:

In March, Detroit’s Rock Ventures presented a vision for a revitalized urban core built around public spaces, while the city’s elected officials conceded to the state’s appointment of an emergency financial manager.

Rock Ventures chairman Dan Gilbert proposed the plan alongside the Downtown Detroit Partnership and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation. Gilbert carries considerable clout in the local real estate market, where his companies own more than 3 million square feet of commercial space. Rock Ven (Continue reading.)

Making a Connection

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

AIA calls for pedestrian bridge at Downtown Los Angeles Regional Connector station.:

In an effort to build in pedestrian safety and connectivity at AECOM’s Bunker Hill Metro Station southwest of 2nd and Hope streets—part of LA’s upcoming Regional Connector Transit Corridor—Will Wright, director of Government and Public Affairs at AIA Los Angeles, has suggested costing out a two-level elevator with a pedestrian bridge. The $1.367 billion, 1.9-mile underground light rail project, set to open in 2019, will connect the Blue, Gold, and Expo lines in downtown. The stop is being planned one block west of the upcoming Broad Museum. The proposed bridge would (Continue reading.)

Studio Visit> BAM Architecture Studio

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

New York-based firm employs a business-centric approach to design.:

BAM Architecture Studio takes great pride in its ability to solve complex design problems through focused attention, providing solutions that satisfy the client. This ability to deliver pleasing programs has catalyzed rapid growth in the firm. Launched in 2000 (November 16 at 9:00 a.m. to be exact), BAM now boasts more than 31 employees spread throughout two offices, one in New York City and the other in Durham, North Carolina. The principals are even considering opening an office in California.

The firm’s co-founders include husband-and-wi (Continue reading.)

In Construction> Goldstein Entertainment Complex

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Nicholson Architects is building a night club tucked under a tennis court overlooking Los Angeles.:

James Goldstein, the one-of-a-kind owner of John Lautner’s famous Sheats Goldstein House in Beverly Hills, is building what might be the first ever nightclub under a private tennis court. For code reasons it’s being called a “rec room,” but you get the idea.

The project, which is being designed by LA firm Nicholson Architects, has been in the works for more than a decade, held up by cranky neighbors, challenging codes, and a litany of other reasons. But now it’s starting to become very real.

The beautiful blue hard tennis court itself—with (Continue reading.)

Space Time Continuum

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Milwaukee's greenest building draws on the city's past.:

Juli Kaufmann of Fix Development came to Milwaukee-based Continuum Architects + Planners with a tall order: Turn a formerly industrial brownfield into a “radical green” model of environmental sustainability. “We went in with the highest hopes and aspirations,” said project manager Dan Beyer, “but we also had a budget.” The firm may not have reached the Living Building Challenge net-zero philosophy that guided their design, but Continuum’s Clock Shadow Buil (Continue reading.)

DesignX> 4D Printing & Bio-Molecular Self-Assembly

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

3D printing guru Skylar Tibbits moves into the fourth dimension with upcoming workshop at ICFF.: (Continue reading.)

Fabrikator> LMN Architects' Sound Cloud

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

A system of 946 unique panels shapes the sound of music at the University of Iowa.: (Continue reading.)

Focus on Fabrication> Rigidized Metals

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Meet the makers who are transforming the production of environments and objects.:

Rigidized Metals
Buffalo, NY

Founded in 1940, Rigidized Metals specializes in rolled metals with deep-set patterns. These highly textured surfaces are created with the help of three massive rolling machines, each of which weighs nearly 40 tons. According to the company, they know of only one other machine of that size and capability in North America, and it is put to use for industrial products, such as tread plates. Though metal is of (Continue reading.)

Focus on Fabrication> Kreysler & Associates

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Meet the makers who are transforming the production of environments and objects.:

Kreysler & Associates
American Canyon, CA

William Kreysler founded his eponymous design, engineering, and fabrication shop in 1982 after 10 years of managing production for the largest sailboat manufacturer in Northern California. During this tenure, he became aware of the properties of reinforced plastic and composites and how they could be utilized beyond boat building. “I hoped we could find a way to use the materials for what (Continue reading.)