RECENT TRENDS IN BUILDING TALL

Ever since the 1980s, architects of highrise buildings have searched for variety in geometric massing and silhouette, coupled sometimes with a striving for height for its own sake and not just as a way of increasing floor area on a restricted site. There have emerged structurally efficient megastructures, such as in the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank by Foster and Partners. Such megastructures act as supports to carry floors and walls arranged with as much freedom as on large open floors. Next week writer Rowland J. Mainstone will explain this and other structural strategies for building tall.

REPORT FROM LIGHTFAIR INTERNATIONAL

Le Corbusier famously said that architecture's forms are revealed in light. For many architects, however, how electric and natural light are projected, splashed, and cast onto and into buildings is an inexact science, an imperfect art. Seeking to hone their skills in this area of expertise motivated thousands of architects, engineers, and lighting designers to attend the 14th annual Lightfair International in New York last month. Next week Brian Libby will illuminate a bit of what they learned there.

SETTING FIRE TO THE HEART OF PROVIDENCE

During the past decade, Providence, Rhode Island has been able to incorporate its past into its future. Concentrated efforts to restore historic buildings and redesign the public realm have helped to revitalize the downtown area. The new Waterplace Park has become a popular gathering spot for both visitors and locals. Next week Becky McWilliams will describe the new urban park, its "WaterFire" summer show, and the history that led to its creation.