NEW APPROACHES TO LABORATORY DESIGN

Even dedicated scientists like to work in a comfortable, humane environment. So architects are adopting a new approach to lab design. A recent example, designed by Ewing Cole Cherry Brott, is the Fox Chase Cancer Center Prevention Pavilion, which opened this April in Philadelphia.

BUILDING SCALE MODELS WITH HIGH-TECH METHODS

Some day in the next millennium, architects will be able to put design information into a machine that will automatically construct a complete building. At a much smaller scale, this is already feasible. Today, architects are using "rapid prototyping" technologies to build physical models directly and automatically from computer files.

HOW TO FIND HELP FOR MARKETING YOUR FIRM

Even if your architecture firm is small, you might consider hiring a public relations consultant to give your practice a boost. How do you find a PR consultant? What questions should you ask in hiring one? And how do you know if you're getting what you pay for? ArchitectureWeek contributing editor Michael J. Crosbie quizzes public relations consultant Jane Cohn.