XM SATELLITE RADIO READY FOR TAKE OFF

It may look like Captain Kirk's command station navigating the Starship Enterprise through a TV episode of Star Trek. In reality, it's XM Satellite Radio's new broadcast operations center, designed by Studios Architecture in a refurbished printing plant in a depressed area of Washington, DC. This 150,000-square-foot (14,000-square-meter) facility houses 76 studios, gearing up to broadcast 100 channels throughout the United States. The technical and cultural challenges of this makeover were immense, as Brian Libby will report next week. But the architects have now made the high-tech radio station ready for take-off.

TADAO ANDO'S NEW ART CENTER

This month, the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts unveils its long-awaited new building in St. Louis, Missouri. This will be the first public structure in the United States by the celebrated Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Intended as a serene setting for the contemplation of art and as a significant contribution to revitalizing the urban landscape of historic St. Louis, the building is a deceptively simple composition of space and light. Ando thinks of the building as a "place of mutual discovery." Next week ArchitectureWeek will discover why Ando believes these new spaces will inspire, stimulate, and possibly even expand the consciousness of art viewers.

PHOTOVOLTAICS FOR KIDS

At the Children's Museum of Rome, a transparent photovoltaic roof brings new levels of meaning to children's everyday experience of playing in the sun. The museum has a mandate to heighten awareness of the quality of urban life through "a transparent guided itinerary" of everyday activities. The new roof by Abbate e Vigevano Architetti gives form to this mandate. The pattern of PV panels, exposed junction boxes, and brightly colored cables introduce the story of solar energy production to children exploring the exhibits below. Next week ArchitectureWeek assistant editor Katharine Logan will guide us through this solar wonderland.