After plunging to 37.7 in June, the Architectural Billings Index rose to 43.1 in July. The inquiries score was 50.3, the fifth straight month it has climbed above 50. (A score over 50 indicates an increase, and below 50, a decrease.)
Caroline Baumann has been named the acting director of the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, in New York City. She replaces Paul Warwick Thompson, who has taken a job as rector at London’s Royal College of Art. Jeffrey L. Bruce, a Missouri-based landscape architect, is the new chairman of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. The Toronto-based group, founded in 1999, aims to increase awareness about the economic, social, and environmental benefits of “living architecture.” The AIA is accepting proposals through September 1 for its Upjohn Research Initiative, a program that provides funding for applied research projects. Four grants, between $15,000
From a wall made of beer bottles to a traveling prayer room that evokes a covered wagon, the recipients of the AIA’s 2009 Small Project Awards run the gamut. The 20 winners were announced in May and recognized at the association’s annual convention in San Francisco. Now in its fifth year, the awards program is divided into three categories: objects (up to $50,000 construction budget); structures (up to $500,000 construction budget); and “accessible” residential designs. The jury included: Louis Smith (moderator), AIA, Microtecture; Kenneth Workman, AIA, RWA Architects; Sanford Steinberg, AIA, Steinberg Design Collaborative; Eric McRoberts, AIA, RLPS; Katherine Austin,
The British architect Richard Rogers recently made headlines when he lambasted Prince Charles for interfering with the democratic planning process. Specifically, Lord Rogers was displeased with the prince's involvement in scuttling one of the 75-year-old architect's major commissions, Chelsea Barracks, which called for the construction of a dozen-plus glass-and-steel buildings in west London.
Two homeless shelters, an affordable housing complex, and a neighborhood renewal scheme are the recipients of the 2009 AIA/HUD Secretary Awards. Announced in May, the winners were selected by the AIA’s Housing and Custom Residential Knowledge Community in conjunction with the Office of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Awards, listed below, were bestowed in three categories: community-informed design, creating community connection, and excellence in affordable housing design. Photo courtesy MVE & Partners Irvington Terrace, by MVE & Partners, is a 100-unit, low-income complex in Fremont, California. Community-Informed Design Homeless Assistance Center Dallas, Texas CamargoCopeland
Photo courtesy Robert P. Madison In 1954, Robert P. Madison, FAIA, opened Ohio’s first firm owned by a black architect. Ed Feiner, FAIA, former chief architect of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), has joined the Washington, D.C., office of Perkins+Will as principal. Feiner founded the GSA’s Design Excellence Program and was instrumental in developing the agency’s green-building standards. Robert P. Madison, FAIA, who in 1954 opened Ohio’s first practice owned by a black architect, was chosen to deliver the commencement address at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Madison, a World