RETHINKING LAW FIRM CULTURE

Located in a corporate highrise in Los Angeles, the new headquarters of one of that city's leading litigation law firms is a workplace to be envied. Beyond the functional needs of the expanding firm, the law firm was interested in a new space to promote openness and camaraderie. They hired architecture and design firm Felderman + Keatinge to design a bold environment that would depart from traditional law-firm culture. Next week Los Angeles writer Allison Milionis will describe the interior design that resulted.

PDF ACROBATICS

Anyone who uses a computer these days is probably familiar with the Portable Document Format (PDF) used for viewing digital documents such as tax forms or brochures that look just like their paper equivalents. Less well known, perhaps, is that architects can convert their own work into PDF files and send visually accurate, read-only versions of drawings to their clients and consultants. Next week Boston writer Evan Shu will explain how and why to use Adobe Acrobat to organize and distribute architectural documentation.

DESIGNING IN THE TROPICS

The sun is one of the most abundant resources in the tropics, and diverse technologies already harness its energy successfully. However, as a design determinant, it is not sun but shade that informs architecture in tropical latitudes, where shade shapes space and conditions behavior just as light does in cold climates. Next week Costa Rican architect Bruno Stagno will share a few insights about how this principle has guided his design work.