NEW JEWEL BOXES FOR WASHINGTON D.C.

The New York architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox is known worldwide for its skyscrapers, but two of its newest projects are relatively low-rise buildings. The corporate headquarters (pictured) for USA Today and its parent, Gannett Company, presents an interesting glass massing to motorists passing near suburban Tyson's Corners. The Institute for International Economics occupies a more urban setting in downtown Washington's staid neighborhood of Beaux Arts embassy buildings. Next week William Lebovich will describe how each new KPF project provides its own architectural expression within the glass box form.

SUBURBAN RENEWAL: THE EDIBLE LANDSCAPE

All over the United States, farmland is being taken over by suburban developments. But not all of the productive soil is being lost to lawns and pavement. In one modest suburb in Eugene, Oregon, a homeowner has transformed an ordinary yard into a fruitful, sustainable mini-farm, complete with a solar-heated house, ponds built from recycled driveway concrete, and rainwater-irrigated fruit and vegetable crops. Jan Spencer will describe how he transformed his property and how he benefits from his "edible landscaping."

SWITZERLAND'S PLAYGROUND FOR ARCHITECTURE AND IDEAS

In the west of Switzerland, strange figures have appeared this summer: a rusty cube of over 100 feet (30 meters) in height in the Lake Murten, the three giant saucers hovering over the shore, and a blurry shape at the end of Lake Neuchâtel. The Three-Lakes region has been host to the country's sixth national exhibition. Unlike its predecessors, which date back to 1883, Expo.02 is not an attempt to reinforce a national identity but is intended to be a playground for testing cultural boundaries and paradoxes Sabine von Fischer will show us some of the architectural ideas at play.