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

Once torn by war, Rwanda has made great strides in recent years, but poverty persists. For a remote region that had no doctors, a new hospital is providing vital services—and hope.

Meatpacking District, Manhattan Renzo Piano Building Workshop Status: Under Construction Image courtesy Whitney Museum/RPBW Like every Manhattan resident, the Whitney Museum has long griped about the need for more space. In the mid-1980s, the institution unveiled plans for a 10-story Michael Graves'designed addition to its famous Marcel Breuer home, which opened in 1966 on the Upper East Side. The project sparked considerable opposition and was abandoned. Other schemes followed, by Rem Koolhaas and then Renzo Piano, but none stuck. In May 2010, the museum's board voted to build an entirely new facility, by Piano, in Lower Manhattan's Meatpacking District. It

Melrose, South Bronx Grimshaw Architects, Dattner Architects Status: Under Construction Image courtesy Phipps House, Jonathan Rose Companies, Dattner Architects, Grimshaw Architects The notorious South Bronx has come a long way since the 1970s, when burnt-out buildings and drug dealers were common sights. While poverty is still prevalent, the area has seen a flurry of development in the past decade, with a number of residential, commercial, and public projects either finished or under construction. One such project is Via Verde, or the Green Way ' an affordable housing complex rising on a 1.5-acre remediated brownfield in the Melrose neighborhood. Conceived by

Williamsburg, Brooklyn Rafael Vi'oly Architects, Beyer Blinder Belle Status: Searching for additional investors Image courtesy Rafael Vi'oly Architects With its large, bright yellow sign and front-row seat along the East River, the 155-year-old Domino Sugar plant has long served as a symbol of New York City's industrial heritage. But like so many manufacturing facilities here, the plant was shuttered, in 2004, presenting developers a sweet opportunity to acquire waterfront property in the desirable Williamsburg neighborhood. Real estate values here have skyrocketed in the past decade, and condo buildings, galleries, and restaurants are emerging at warp speed. Some luxury residential units

Midtown Manhattan, West Side Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates Status: Awaiting tenant commitments Image courtesy dbox City officials and developers have long imagined a dazzling future for the airspace over the gritty, 26-acre West Side Rail Yard, near Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan. Starting in the late 1990s, the city proposed constructing a platform over the below-grade portion of the rail yard and building a stadium on the site for the New York Yankees. That initiative, along with succeeding plans to build arenas for the New York Jets and 2012 Olympics, never came to fruition. The city eventually shifted gears and

New York Harbor Team led by West 8 Status: Under environmental review Photo © A Frieden In one sense, Governors Island is treasured real estate: Located a half-mile from Manhattan's southern tip, the 172-acre island, a former military base, offers stunning panoramic views of New York City and its waterways. But the tree-dotted island lacks sufficient infrastructure (no potable water, for starters) and can only be reached by boat. Moreover, its land deed prohibits residential development. Photo © Jerry L. Thompson (Top); Courtesy West 8 Team (Bottom) In 2006, the city and state launched a competition that asked designers to

Fort Greene, Brooklyn Various firms Status: Under construction Image courtesy H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture In 2000, the city drew back the curtain on its plans to develop a cultural district around the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), a thriving performing arts center established in 1861. The 6-acre master plan, conceived by Office for Metropolitan Architecture and Diller Scofidio + Renfro (who were both replaced by WORKac in 2005), called for performance venues, mixed-income housing, and ample public space. The $650 million endeavor was to be financed through public and private dollars, with BAM Local Development Corporation, a nonprofit planning group,