The American Institute of Architects and the American Library Association have announced nine winners of the 2007 Library Building Awards. These biennale honors, jointly sponsored by both associations, recognize the finest in library design. This year’s winners range from public institutions and school libraries, to Bill Clinton’s Presidential Library. The winners are: Courtesy Polshek Partnership Architects. William J. Clinton Presidential Center for the William J. Clinton Foundation, Little Rock, by Polshek Partnership Architects. Courtesy P&T Architects and Engineers Shunde Library for the City Construction and Development Center of Shunde District, Foshan, China, by P&T Architects and Engineers. Robin Hood Foundation
AA investor watchdog group is questioning Norman Foster’s recent buyback of shares in an employee trust, which occurred prior to the proposed sale of his practice to private investors. The U.K.’s Telegraph reported on April 1 that the deal could net Foster “hundreds of millions of pounds.” But the Employee Share Ownership Centre wants to investigate how the trust was valued, and whether or not all of Foster’s employees knew of its existence. The Telegraph reports that Foster’s practice is estimated to be worth as much as $1 billion. The Boston Globe came out swinging in favor of developer Steve
In a move that it touts as “predestined,” the Kimbell Art Museum today announced that it has engaged Renzo Piano to design an expansion. Early in his career, the Italian architect worked for Louis I. Kahn, who designed the original structure that opened in 1972. The Kimbell is widely viewed as a masterpiece, displaying Kahn’s genius for infusing interior spaces with soft daylight. But at 120,000 square feet, the popular Fort Worth museum is now unable to house both its permanent collection of modern art as well as special exhibits. In 1998 it purchased land across the street, which will
Hitoshi Abe begins his new job today as the chair of the Department of Architecture and Urban Design at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).
If you think that Richard Rogers winning the 2007 Pritzker Prize is akin to his receiving a lifetime achievement award, the 73-year-old architect contends that his finest work is yet to come. “One’s best building, one hopes, will be the next building. The next mountain range is very exciting,” he told the U.K.’s Independent on March 30. And though the Pritzker was the only remaining architecture prize he hadn’t already won after a much lauded career, Rogers modestly claims that he wasn’t expecting it. “It was a wonderful surprise,” he told the Financial Times on March 29. Santiago Calatrava unveiled
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) honored the winners of its 2006 Design Awards at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., today. The agency bestows these awards to recognize public projects that exhibit innovative design in range of categories from modernization and preservation, to sustainability and engineering.
Last month’s partial collapse of the Rafael Viñoly-designed David L. Lawrence Convention Center, in Pittsburgh, led to the local Sports & Exhibition Authority facing tough questions at a city council meeting on Monday. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that investigators are questioning a decision made in 2005 to omit protective coverings at the expansion joints where the building’s floor beams meet its frame. Since February, workers have been retrofitting these coverings— according to the original blueprints— in preparation for the Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show that opens today. (See also RECORD's coverage.) The fate of Paul Rudolph’s Blue Cross/Blue Shield office
Brooklyn was the nation’s third-largest city, still a few years away from joining New York City, when the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse opened in 1892.
The Architectural Billings Index (ABI) improved slightly in December, adding 0.1 points for a score of 55.4, extending its gains to three months after a sharp drop earlier in the year. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) notes that December marked the 34th month in a row that the ABI has boasted a score above 50 points—its best performance since its last long-term positive run between April 1998 and December 2000. Any score above 50 indicates growth; the AIA compiles the number based on surveys sent to 300 architecture firms that mainly work in the commercial sector. Another healthy