HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM ARCHITECTUREWEEK

All of us at ArchitectureWeek wish you a joyful Solstice, Ramadan, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanza, and a Happy New Year for 2002. In observance of winter holidays, ArchitectureWeek No. 79 is a two-week jumbo issue. ArchitectureWeek No. 80, including the articles previewed here, will be released in the first week of January, 2002.

A STAR IS BORN IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

The Portland, Oregon architect Brad Cloepfil and his firm, Allied Works, are rapidly gaining recognition as rising stars of American architecture. Cloepfil surprised many by winning a competition over better-known competitors — such as Rem Koolhaas and Herzog & de Meuron — for the prestigious commission for the Forum for Contemporary Art in St. Louis, Missouri. Choosing to work in a city with a brief architectural history, he finds inspiration for his work in the spatial qualities of the landscape of the Pacific Northwest. Next week in an interview with journalist Brian Libby, Cloepfil explains his background and his design philosophy.

A LIBRARY AS HAIKU

With what the jury called "the regeneration of Northwest architecture," AIA Seattle celebrated its 50th annual awards program this fall. The theme of "Emerging Voices" reflected the need for continuous revitalization of the forms, materials, and processes that create the spaces where we live and work, in an ever-changing physical, cultural, and social context. One of the honor award winners was Maple Valley Library (pictured) by Johnston Architects & James Cutler Architects. The jury called this building "a haiku... stunning in its spare near-perfection... a demonstration that public buildings can achieve quality and still meet modest budgets.

ARCHITECTURAL ACOUSTICS DESIGN GUIDE

From the theaters of ancient Greece to those of the 21st century, architectural acoustics has been a key consideration in design. Only within the past century, however, have we been able to scientifically understand and predict the behavior of sound both indoors and outdoors. It is through this understanding that acoustics has evolved from a black art into an established field of engineering. Next week we'll look at a new book by James Cowan that explains the basic principles of acoustics and offers examples of how they have been effectively incorporated in current architectural design.