Photo courtesy Stephen Sandstrom (left) / S'ren Simonsen (right) Utah Rep. Stephen Sandstrom (left) and S'ren Simonsen (right). Thomas Jefferson may be the most celebrated American architect, albeit an amateur one, to lead a political life, but he certainly wasn’t the last. According to the American Institute of Architects, there are currently about 1,250 AIA members serving in elected and appointed positions, including six mayors, 55 city council members, 135 historic preservation commissioners, and 226 planning commissioners. But oddly, there are no architects currently serving in the U.S. Congress, and according to the AIA, there was only one during the
Finalists include Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Michael Maltzan Architecture, and Snøhetta, among others. Image courtesy Trust for the National Mall Click to view the shortlist of proposals for Constitution Gardens. Click to view the shortlist of proposals for the Washington Monument Grounds at Sylvan Theater. Click to view the shortlist of proposals for Union Square. Related Links: Finalists for National Mall Competition Announced National Park Service Begins Campaign to Reconceive Mall Gehry Hopes to Meet With Eisenhower Family to Allay Concerns While the proposed Eisenhower Memorial by Frank Gehry has dominated headlines in recent weeks, another project in Washington, D.C.,
Surviving Progress paints a bleak view of humanity’s future Photo courtesy First Run Features The Sao Paulo skyline as shown in the film. Related Links: Review: How Do I Love You, Mr. Foster? Review: New Eames Film Tepid Tribute Review: Imploding the Pruitt-Igoe Myth Questioning whether progress has actually occurred in the past 200 years is an audacious task in a film of less than 90 minutes. But directors Mathieu Roy and Harold Crooks make a noble attempt in their documentary Surviving Progress, which opens in New York on Friday and nationally on April 20. The film, based on the
Two other officials reportedly “removed,” including Robert Peck, head of Public Buildings Service. The head of the U.S. General Services Administration, Martha Johnson, resigned on April 2 and earlier removed the leader of GSA’s Public Buildings Service and another senior official from their jobs, an Obama administration official says. The shakeup was sparked by an inspector general’s report blasting GSA for “excessive and wasteful” spending and failing to follow federal contracting rules on a 2010 conference whose price tag exceeded $822,000. Related Links:Peck Returning as GSA Buildings Chief The Obama administration official said the two GSA executives removed were PBS
Image courtesy EMC The memorial is slated to be built on Independence Avenue, across from the National Air and Space Museum. Related Links:Gehry Chosen to Design Eisenhower Memorial How Architects Can Land a Government Contract Frank Gehry hopes to meet with members of the Eisenhower family and work with them to assuage their concerns about his proposed memorial design, says the Eisenhower Memorial Commission (EMC), which is spearheading the $112 million project in Washington, D.C. The family has not responded to the invitation, other than to say they will confer before considering their next move, according to a March 30
According to construction-economics data from McGraw-Hill Dodge, the housing market has started to turn the corner. Multifamily construction, in particular, is showing new signs of life. Source: McGraw-Hill Dodge Analytics Click the image above to view a full presentation of these stats [PDF].
Image courtesy Abruzzo Bodziak Architects Emily Abruzzo, of Brooklyn’s Abruzzo Bodziak Architects, worked with Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation (CHLDC) and New York Sun Works to design an educational greenhouse for an empty lot. Image courtesy Vamos Architects Evan Bennett, a principal at Vamos Architects, helped conceive Destination Nostrand, a proposal to transform an avenue in Brooklyn peppered with shuttered storefronts into an appealing destination through temporary street furniture, creative window displays, and porch-like spaces in front of vacant shops. Ask desigNYC executive director Laetitia Wolff about her organization’s mission, and she’ll give you a straightforward answer: “To improve the
HOK and the USGBC partner to build a new orphanage and children's center in a slowly recovering Haiti. Image courtesy HOK Click on the slide show button to view more images. Though Haiti has been out of the media spotlight in recent months, efforts to rebuild infrastructure and facilities in the struggling nation march on: More than two years after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the country in January 2010, organizations in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors are ramping up their long-standing involvement in the country’s revitalization. Much of the new work by groups like Architecture for Humanity and Studio
Francis Kéré takes the top prize for a secondary school in his rural Burkina Faso village. The 2012 Global Holcim Award winners were announced today, with Berlin-based architect Diébédo Francis Kéré taking the Gold Award and $200,000 for a secondary school he designed for his native village of Gando, Burkina Faso. As Kéré’s practice has grown (with current projects in countries ranging from Switzerland to China) he has remained dedicated to improving conditions in his 6,000-person village. He has designed, raised funds to build, and coordinated the construction of public buildings from a primary school—for which he won the Aga
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