Below is a roundup of the news stories either featured or mentioned in the April 2009 print edition of RECORD. The indicates that you can only read the full story online.
Shortly after becoming chancellor of Syracuse University in 2005, Nancy Cantor introduced her Scholarship in Action initiative, which aims to meld academic study with community redevelopment efforts. As part of that wide-ranging effort, the Syracuse University School of Architecture, led by dean Mark Robbins, spawned a local design-build workshop, as well as a Gluckman Mayner–designed renovation of an old furniture warehouse in downtown Syracuse that now contains classrooms, a cafe, and an art gallery. Images courtesy Syracuse University R-House (top); Live Work Home (middle); Ted (above) The most recent undertaking in this series of efforts is the competition "From the
The MacArthur Foundation recently announced it is injecting $32 million into the preservation and creation of affordable housing in the U.S. The organization is giving $9.5 million worth of grants, plus an additional $23 million in low-interest loans, to programs in 12 different states that approach the issue from various angles. MacArthur President Jonathan Fanton, during a February 26 press conference, cited a number of alarming statistics regarding affordable housing: a net loss of 1 million affordable homes over the last ten years, an 80 percent decline in government subsidies, and a standing deficit of 12 million units. “For many
The eight recipients of the 2009 AIA/ALA Library Building Awards were announced on March 5. The biennial awards, presented by the American Institute of Architects and the American Library Association, honor exemplary library projects by architects licensed in the U.S. Recipients will be recognized during the ALA annual conference in Chicago on July 13.
Correction appended March 31, 2009 Years ago, the Garrett-Dunn House, a 19th century Italianate structure in Philadelphia credited to the architect Thomas Ustick Walter, who also designed the dome on the U.S. Capitol, was slated for demolition. Despite its dilapidated condition, preservationists succeeded in getting the house listed on the city’s historic register and convinced a developer to incorporate the house into a luxury condominium project. While it wouldn’t be preserved in a technical sense, the landmark would live on. Photo courtesy National Trust for Historic Preservation (top). Image courtesy Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners (above). The fate of
For the reopening of the BMW Museum in Munich this past June, the upscale auto manufacturer’s designers dusted off GINA Light Visionary Model, a concept they had begun toying with in 1999. Although the last iteration of the idea was completed in 2001, the vision is no less futuristic today. GINA’s signature element is its namesake skin, a polyurethane-covered Lycra that replaces sheet metal by stretching over the aluminum frame. “The fascinating thing is that it produces a formal vocabulary of folding, which is something we don’t know in cars,” BMW’s director of group design Christopher Bangle says of the
Correction appended on March 31, 2009 Whether it’s word of mouth or official government statistics, architecture employment news remains bleak. Average monthly paid employment for architects dropped from 209,000 in 2007 to 199,000 in 2008, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Also according to federal statistics, January’s payroll at architecture firms was down 18,400 jobs, or 8 percent from the recent monthly high of 224,500 in July 2008, notes Kermit Baker, AIA chief economist. And it’s gone downhill since. “We’re still four or five quarters away from a significant design recovery,” he says. While architects commiserate, brainstorm, look
UNStudio, the Amsterdam-based architecture firm headed by Ben van Berkel, is embarking on its second project in New York City. In late January, the Battery Conservancy announced that the firm will design a new public square and pavilion for Battery Park, located in the southern tip of Manhattan. Named the New Amsterdam Plein & Pavilion, the project is scheduled to be completed this fall. Images courtesy Battery Conservancy UNStudio is designing a new public square and pavilion for Battery Park, located in the southern tip of Manhattan. During a recent interview, van Berkel described the recent announcement as “special news”
Graphs courtesy AIA The Architectural Billings Index (ABI) rose slightly in February, to 35.3, after dipping to all-time low score of 33.3 in January. A score above 50 indicates an increase in billings, and below 50, a decrease. The index, one of the profession’s leading economic indicators, reflects a nine- to 12-month lag time between architectural billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects produces the index based on surveys sent to architecture firms. Kermit Baker, the AIA’s chief economist, says that despite the small uptick in February, architects are likely to see a “light demand for new construction
Amanda Levete Correction appended March 31, 2009 Amanda Levete, the former wife and business partner of the late Czech architect Jan Kaplicky, has announced the formation of a new firm that will carry on the exploratory spirit of their celebrated Future Systems office. Kaplicky, 71, died of a heart attack on January 14. Amanda Levete Architects, based in London, has 35 employees, nearly all from Future Systems, and commissions ranging from a bridge in Dublin to the new London headquarters for Rupert Murdoch’s media empire and a mammoth luxury hotel and shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand. The March 12 announcement
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