WARM, WELCOMING, AND WIRED

It's tricky to design a local-feeling hotel that's part of a large multinational resort chain. For the new W Hotel in Mexico City, the key seems to be finding a balance between the chain and the boutique, between the similar and the distinct. The architecture firm Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz (KMD) Mexico, working in conjunction with New York-based interior designers Studio GAIA, recently tackled this challenge. Next week, Leigh Christy will show how they have made the hotel a fishbowl of activity for locals as well as a temporary home for business travelers.

HELPING BUILDINGS SURVIVE HURRICANES

The southeastern United States and the entire Caribbean region have been devastated by hurricanes throughout the summer of 2004. Typical damage caused by Hurricane Frances is shown in the photo by Mark Wolfe/FEMA. Another symptom of global climate change? In any case, builders, architects, and researchers are looking for ways to make buildings better able to withstand high winds and high water. Next week Florida writer Jennifer LeClaire will explore some of the new technologies.