PIXELPARK'S OFFICE IN PARIS

The German multimedia company Pixelpark wanted its Paris headquarters to be a visual interpretation of the company's philosophy. At the same time it was important to make the new space comfortable for the 160 employees, some of whom often spend 12 hours a day in their office. So Pixelpark asked the architecture firm Edge to translate the company's activity into expressive design and a stimulating workspace. Next week, Paris-based writer and architect Christian Horn will show us around this space that was designed and renovated in just six months.

STRIVING FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND BEYOND

In April, the EnvironDesign6 conference brought 1200 people to Seattle, an acknowledged center of sustainability ideas and projects. Among other events, the local AIA chapter's Committee on the Environment organized its annual "What Makes it Green" exhibit and discussion, featuring 26 projects from around the northwest United States. One of these, pictured, is the animal health care facility at the Point Defiance Zoo, designed by the architecture firm Boxwood. Next week Seattle writer and designer Ross Leventhal will describe the conference, the lessons learned from exemplary projects, and the messages of speakers such as Sim Van der Ryn and William McDonough.

HISTORIC GARAGE GOES HIGH TECH

For 68 years the industrially functional but aesthetically minimal one-story brick Clark & Sorrell Garage in downtown Durham served the automotive repair needs of Ford owners in Durham, North Carolina. But over those decades, Durham changed, becoming the "City of Medicine." Now, the old garage building has also changed, reopening in 2002 as a research and development facility for medical and scientific start up companies. As writer William Lebovich will show, not only has the building's function become cutting edge, so has its interior aesthetic.