DESIGNING FOR MASSIVE CHANGE

"Massive Change: The Future of Global Design" is an ambitious new exhibition on the dominion of contemporary design that has just begun a three-year international tour. Next week ArchitectureWeek contributor Katharine Logan will guide us through this huge installation illuminating the current state of design, from the challenges of an ever-expanding built environment and an increasingly modified nature to the possibilities of composting plastics and aerated super-insulating glass.

GOING WIRELESS

Does it feel like the air is extra charged these days? Not only is our society being transformed by cellular telephones, remote control devices, and global positioning devices, the airwaves are also filling with wireless networks. In many cities, you can go to some public place — a park or a library, for instance — open a laptop equipped with an appropriate adapter, and log into the Internet without physically plugging into anything. Next week Evan H. Shu, FAIA will discuss the free world of "WiFi."