Articles by Laura Raskin

All in the Family: Architectural DNA

May 16, 2012

Where there’s an architect, there are probably a few more—from the same gene pool. Architects beget architects, so it seems. Eliel Saarinen had Eero Saarinen. Two of Frank Lloyd Wright’s sons, Lloyd and John, became architects. Walter Gropius’s father was an architect. And if not begotten, then nearly so: Maya Lin’s architect aunt, Lin Huiyin, helped conduct the first comprehensive study of architecture in China. Charles Eames was the nephew of architect William Eames. Henry Smith-Miller, of Smith-Miller + Hawkinson Architects, could (and perhaps should) write a book about his family of architects, which stretches back, with baroque twists and

Laura Raskin

May 15, 2012

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Image courtesy of SWA SWA has designed the public open spaces for Suzhou Center. Click to view more images. Related Links: China News Old Factories Get New Wrapping in Shanghai EMBT Designs Zhang Da Qian Museum in Neijiang International landscape architecture firm SWA has been working in the city of Suzhou since 2003, providing landscape design and planning services for a number of projects, including the Gao Xin District and all 45 acres of Suzhou Industrial Park Times Square. Having proven its ability to weave contemporary, pedestrian-friendly design into a city with a rich 2,500-year history of canals, gardens, and

What appears to be two ranch houses is one wedge-shaped volume connected by a bridge on the upper level. The house is situated on a former horse ranch.

Genius Loci Beach House by Bates Masi + Architects

Montauk, Long Island, New York

Laura Raskin

April 16, 2012

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On one of the highest elevations in Montauk on Long Island, a beach house hugs the hill to make way for the views.

Laura Raskin

March 29, 2012

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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

Yangliu Village Housing

Taiwanese architect and 2011 Curry Stone Prize winner Hsieh Ying-Chun helps a Chinese village rebuild for the better after an earthquake, using local expertise and materials.

Laura Raskin

March 16, 2012

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On May 12, 2008, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake rocked the Sichuan Province in Western China, killing 68,000 people.

Center for the Advancement of Public Action

Three new buildings on the Bennington College campus incubate public action by fostering both discussion and quiet contemplation.

Laura Raskin

March 16, 2012

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Of the three new buildings that compose Tod Williams and Billie Tsien’s Center for the Advancement of Public Action (CAPA) at Bennington College in Vermont, it is the program-less “Lens” that best represents the iconoclastic institution where students have been designing their own curricula since 1932.

Oguaa Football for Hope Centre by Architecture for Humanity fellow David Pound

Cape Coast, Ghana

Laura Raskin

March 16, 2012

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One of 20 football facilities that Architecture for Humanity is designing across Africa for the nonprofit Play Soccer, the Oguaa center is a place for disadvantaged youth to learn soccer, health, and social skills.

Laura Raskin

March 8, 2012

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At New York’s Center for Architecture, an exhibition of models quietly constructed in Iraq shows 20th-century dreams for the city. Image Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, Inc. Venturi, Rauch and Scott Brown, Project for the Competition for a National Mosque of Baghdad, 1982, Baghdad, Iraq. Click the image above to view additional image from City of Mirages: Baghdad, 1952-1982. Related Exhibition: In addition to the Baghdad exhibition the Center for Architecture is simultaneously showcasing current work in the greater Middle East. On view through June 23, CHANGE: Architecture and Engineering in the Middle East, 2000-Present, strikes a hopeful note on

Laura Raskin

February 15, 2012

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The dome is a marvel, but as an adult, Chesler was more struck by the Mid-Century modern building beneath it, designed by Gropius prot'g' John Terence Kelly.

Matthew Marks Gallery

No Shades of Gray: Ellsworth Kelly has been collaborating with architects since the 1950s, and his latest project with Peter Zellner turns an L.A. gallery into public art.

Laura Raskin

January 23, 2012

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When architect Peter Zellner first unveiled his design for the new Matthew Marks Gallery in West Hollywood, it was met with enthusiasm from the planning department and the mayor. But the city has strict design guidelines on the books: New buildings must have windows and architectural detail. The gallery was, well, an “ice cube,” says Zellner, and Marks was in uncharted territory, choosing to make his West Coast debut in the scruffy neighborhood between La Brea and Fairfax Avenues rather than the established art scene in Culver City.

Credits: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 AIBD P-CE; 0.1 ICC CEU

Upon course completion, participants will possess a deeper understanding of glass railings to help ensure that safety, aesthetic, and performance objectives are achieved.

Credits: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 AIBD P-CE; 0.1 ICC CEU

Explore how propane-powered systems and whole-home generators can improve energy resilience, reduce electrical loads, and lower long-term residential costs.