A WATERFALL IN DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER

Arthur Erickson's new Waterfall Building in Vancouver, British Columbia is an innovative urban live/work development. This example of New Urbanism is actually five separate small buildings — a concrete and glass complex constructed around a central courtyard. The developer wanted to create a high-density, light-filled "lifestyle laboratory" for artists, designers, filmmakers, and writers. Next week Guy Babineau will show us around the building and reveal Jane Jacobs's assessment of it as well.

EXPLORING CUSTOM FURNITURE

For anyone who has decided to bypass the warehouses of mass-produced merchandise and hire a skilled cabinet maker to create custom furniture, there are many questions to consider. How do you find the right craftsperson? What kind of wood do you choose? How do you negotiate terms? For first-time custom furniture buyers, such questions can be as demanding as for first-time home buyers. Next week Kerry Pierce will guide us through the process and show some delightful examples along the way.

2002 AIA HONOR AWARDS

Libraries, museums, and other civic spaces took center stage when the AIA recently announced its 2002 Honor Awards. In the United States, these awards are the profession's highest recognition of excellence in design, and they extend to the work of American architects worldwide. One winner, the new Sony Center in Berlin by Chicago architect Helmut Jahn, FAIA, is described as "not a building, but part of the reconstruction of the city." Inside is a new type of covered urban forum for a changing cultural and social interaction. Next week ArchitectureWeek will look at this and other award winners.