Fred A. Bernstein

Romaldo “Aldo” Giurgola was born in Rome, Italy, and died this week in Canberra, Australia, the site of his most famous work: a government complex surrounded by bermed earth that made it possible for visitors to walk on and around the building.

When he was named director of the 15th Venice Architecture Biennale, Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena asked curators to focus on projects that “improve the quality of the built environment and life and consequently people’s quality of life.”

Architects often find competitions — which require large amounts of work for little or no pay – exploitative. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey did little to improve that situation when, on March 11, it announced a competition to replace Manhattan’s 65-year old Port Authority Bus Terminal.

After reviewing the portfolios of six finalist firms, the State Department has chosen Studio Gang Architects to design a new U.S. Embassy in Brasilia.

The United States got in and out of World War I in well under two years. The U.S. World War I Centennial Commission hopes it can move as quickly. Yesterday, it chose a design for the National World War I Memorial by Joseph Weishaar, a 2013 graduate of the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas.

Lincoln Center spent more than $1 billion on a series of renovations by Diller Scofido + Renfro, while leaving two of its largest buildings untouched. Now it plans to spend $500 million to renovate the interior of David Geffen Hall.