A TRIBUTE TO JIMI HENDRIX IN METAL AND GLASS

A few weeks ago a new rock-and-roll museum opened in Seattle, Washington. Its architecture is as much part of the story as Jimi Hendrix, and other musicians celebrated in the interactive exhibits. The new "Experience Music Project" is the creation renowned California architect Frank Gehry. The structure's form was inspired by electric guitars, and its exterior of stainless steel and painted aluminum symbolizes the energy and fluidity of music. Photograph copyright Experience Music Project.

REBUILDING A MASTER OF THE ARTS AND CRAFTS

In the early 1900s, Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen designed the campus for the Cranbrook Art Academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Rooted in the Arts and Crafts movement, the school is considered an outstanding example of Saarinen's work and a tribute to the artistic community. Now, students at the at the College of Architecture and Design at nearby Lawrence Technological University are building "Virtual Cranbrook." From careful field measurements, they are creating 3D models and animations of Saarinen's entire campus.

URBAN LIFE IN THE NEXT CENTURY

In his newest book, E-topia, William Mitchell presents a futuristic view of the built environment and how it will change under pressure from an increasingly computer-dominated society. Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mitchell places technological development in a broad historical perspective. Next week, ArchitectureWeek reviews the book and Mitchell's challenge: it's up to architects to direct change toward richer rather than more fragmented urban environments.