ENGINEERING A HOUSE IN CHILE

Designing a house for an engineer presents an opportunity to experiment with constructive and spatial complexity. That was the experience of FACTORIA Design and Construction Ltd., a design/build firm in Concepcion City, Chile. They also found that the overlapping layer of social complexity led to a satisfying process of synthesis. Next week we'll visit the house and see how the layers were resolved.

BUILDING SUSTAINABILITY INTO HISTORIC STRUCTURES

As a research organization dedicated to studying the effects of human activities on the environment, the Woods Hole Research Center wanted to make their own home a demonstration of best practices. They chose the architects of William McDonough + Partners to convert a 19th century summer home in Falmouth, Massachusetts to show how modern building construction can "harmonize with a habitable earth." The result is a showcase of sustainability, economy, ecology, and equity.

THE 2003 WOOD DESIGN AWARDS

Thirteen projects representing some of the best architectural design and building craft the United States and Canada have been selected for the 2003 Wood Design Awards. For instance, the outdoor classroom pavilions (photo by Mark LaRocca) in New York City parks demonstrate structural and decorative strategies for integrating human-made structures into natural ecology. Next week we'll take a closer look at these pavilions and other Wood Design Award recipients.