L’Ecole de Choix isn’t the only new project in town. Just up the road, a 180,000-square-foot hospital designed partly pro bono by Chicago-based Nicholas Clark Architects is slated to open this summer.

One rarely sees a new building when traveling through Haiti. While aid groups have tossed up temporary shelters in Port-au-Prince and outlying areas since the deadly January 2010 earthquake, ramshackle structures still dominate the impoverished country. Yet standing on the dusty fringe of Mirebalais, a town 37 miles north of Port-au-Prince, is a collection of handsome new buildings that comprise L’Ecole de Choix, or the School of Choice, which presently houses 200 students, from pre-kindergarteners through fourth-graders (expansion plans are in the works). Designed by a local firm in collaboration with a Chicago architect, the campus is a welcome sign

Photo © Aric Mei Architects are making slow but steady progress in this troubled Caribbean nation, over two years after a deadly earthquake leveled countless buildings and left more than a million homeless. Herv' Sabin, now 35 years old, fondly recalls his childhood in Port-au-Prince, where he spent his days studying, playing soccer, and watching films at the neighborhood movie theater. The streets were clean; the city felt safe. “I had everything a kid could want,” he says, noting that he was oblivious to the rising political tension that spurred countless Haitians to flee the country. “I didn’t really see

Headmaster Vivianne Vieux is clearly thrilled with the new addition to the free private school she runs in the coastal town of Jacmel. “It’s a piece of art,” the exuberant administrator exclaims, gesturing toward the 2,100-square-foot structure shaded by palm trees. “It’s beautiful!” Featuring natural elements such as stone and bamboo, the two-classroom building certainly stands apart from the average Haitian schoolhouse'uninspired structures made of concrete block. Completed in November 2011 and designed by Architecture for Humanity (AFH), the project exemplifies the nonprofit firm’s mission to create safe and dignified buildings for impoverished communities. “If you’re going to do a

Established after the 2011 disaster, the MIT Japan 3/11 Initiative is giving students invaluable experience while also helping devastated communities. Photo courtesy MIT Last summer, a team of students and faculty members from MIT traveled to Minami-sanriku, Japan, to survey damage caused by the March 2011 tsunami. The trip was spawned by the MIT Japan 3/11 Initiative, a program launched after the Tohoku catastrophe. Click to view additional images. The $2,000 project is a “humble start,” says Kanda. “It is a seed for more to come.” Click to view additional images. Related Links: Extensive Coverage: Rebuilding Japan When a team

Two years after a massive earthquake devastated Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, signs of the disaster remain, particularly in the dense downtown district.

Photo courtesy Brian Snelson/Wikipedia In February, architects from around the globe will meet in Havana to discuss a master plan that aims to preserve the city’s rich cultural heritage. Related Link: New Film Celebrates an Unsung Icon of Modern Cuban Architecture For decades, Havana has charmed foreigners who visited the Caribbean city well-known for its sultry music, world-class cigars, and cacharros, the vintage American automobiles imported to the country prior to the 1959 revolution. The urban landscape is like few others: Located on Cuba’s northern coast, this city of 2.1 million people is endowed with a range of architectural styles,

On an unseasonably warm December day, Phoebe Beierle is making the rounds at various facilities in the Boston public school system.

The architecture and design profession lost many notable figures in 2011. We profile some of the leading minds who left an enduring mark on the community and the world at large. Post tributes to these innovators and others who passed away this year in the comment section below. Ray Anderson Photo courtesy Interface Flor Ray Anderson, the founder and chairman of Interface who passionately advocated the business case for sustainability, died at his Atlanta home on August 8 after a 20-month-long battle with liver cancer. He was 77 years old. Born in Georgia, Anderson founded his company in 1973, producing