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Woods' "Labyrinthine Wall," a protective wall abstraction for Bosnia. Lebbeus Woods, the visionary draftsman and educator considered by many to be the conscience of the architectural profession, died at home in New York City on Tuesday morning at the age of seventy-two. The causes were natural, but observers could hardly fail to note that his death came with Hurricane Sandy’s inundating waters still flooding New York. No architect had devoted more energy to the consequences of catastrophic urban failure than Woods. The last of the great paper architects, Woods achieved cult-idol status among architects for his post-apocalyptic landscapes of dense

Image courtesy EMC Writing on her blog on October 29, Susan Eisenhower, a granddaughter of President Dwight Eisenhower, endorsed President Obama for re-election. Even though the blog post made no mention of her high-profile opposition to Frank Gehry's design for the national memorial to President Dwight Eisenhower, Susan Eisenhower's endorsement could have more effect upon that fight than the one for the White House. Eisenhower is, like her grandfather, a lifelong moderate Republican. In 2008, reacting to the GOP's rightward drift, she became an independent and endorsed Obama. Perhaps not coincidentally, the Obama administration has been receptive to Eisenhower's concerns

The crane atop One57, the rising $1.5 billion residential tower designed by Christian de Portzamparc opposite Carnegie Hall, has fallen over in the winds of Hurricane Sandy, leaving it dangling dangerously 1,000 feet over West 57th Street in the heart of Manhattan. Firetrucks and police cars have swarmed the area and closed off several blocks to all pedestrians and traffic as the winds increase. Terry McGettigan, a tower crane expert in Seattle with 36 years of operating, maintenance and inspection experience, told Record's sister publication, ENR, in a phone interview that the crane, believed to be a Favelle Favco Model

This story originally appeared on ENR.com Photo courtesy Wikipedia The Statue of Liberty and Liberty Island. The Statue of Liberty reopens today, Oct. 28, with a celebration of its 126th birthday and the substantial completion of a one-year, $30-million upgrade to meet current life-safety codes. The majority of the renovation work was in the 145-ft granite pedestal that Lady Liberty stands on, with further work on the rails and protective glass on the stairs leading up to the crown. The project team is putting the finishing touches on a few elements including commissioning of the new HVAC system and on

RECORD chats with SOM’s Partner in Charge of Urban Design and Planning about the firm’s master plan for the Great Lakes. Photo © Jill Paider Photography/Courtesy SOM The Great Lakes and surrounding environs could sink well below the definition of “great” if this unique but often abused region of North America is ignored. That is the informal warning issued by Vision for the Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Region, a master plan recently crafted by the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). Philip J. Enquist, leader of the firm’s global city design practice, spearheaded the project. For drafting

The Making of a Landmark, New York Style Image courtesy dbox for Foster + Partners/L&L Holding Company An interior view of Foster + Partners' winning design for 425 Park Avenue.

The three-year-old crowdfunding website Kickstarter could very well be called a design incubator.

Photo © Sasha Brück/Wikipedia Columbine High School’s library was redesigned after the 1999 shootings. What do you do with a building that's been the site of a mass shooting? Tear it down? Remodel it? Turn it into a memorial for the victims? How do you make a decision? Nearly three months after the horrific shooting at an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater, which left 12 people dead and dozens injured, the theater remained closed. A chain-link fence covered with green privacy fabric surrounded the Century 16 theater, located next to a shopping mall. In August the theater owner, Texas-based Cinemark Theatres,

Opponents of a vaiduct connecting Panama City to outlying suburbs say that it will destroy the atmosphere of a neighborhood protected by UNESCO World Heritage status. Courtesy facebook.com/CintaCostera3 A rendering of the Cinta Costera, a planned ring road around Casco Viejo, the oldest section of Panama City and a UNESCO World Heritage site. More than 300 years after it was settled, Casco Viejo, the oldest section of Panama City, is a picturesque, if sometimes slummy, neighborhood protected by UNESCO World Heritage status. But the limits of that protection are unclear. Residents of Casco Viejo, including several American property owners, have

Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates and Thomas Phifer & Partners As the culmination of an international competition, a team led by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA) and Thomas Phifer and Partners has been chosen to design a 1.5-mile-long linear park in downtown Austin. The competition jury’s selection, which was announced on October 18, hinged on the team’s elegant vision for the transformation of the blighted banks of Waller Creek into a chain of large outdoor gathering spaces. The urban park is expected to be the capstone for a massive public works project intended to spur dramatic redevelopment of 15 blocks in