http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/ Full issue contents of ArchitectureWeek - The magazine of design and building en-us Wed, 21 Jun 2006 23:59:00 GMT Wed, 21 Jun 2006 23:59:00 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss ArchitectureWeek Editorial System editor@architectureweek.com editor@architectureweek.com http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/news_1-1.html As the awards jury worked to choose among nearly a thousand entries for Residential Architect magazine's Project of the Year, they pondered several criteria: how to add or replace housing where it's needed, with sturdy construction, pleasing architecture, and daytoday livability. Wed, 21 Jun 2006 23:59:00 GMT http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/news_1-1.html http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/news_2-1.html The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced in May its 2006 list of the 11 "Most Endangered Historic Places" in the United States. These buildings have been damaged or threatened by hurricanes, terrorists, development pressures, or simple neglect. The organization issues this list to bring public attention to heritage structures that might be preserved if rescued in time. Wed, 21 Jun 2006 23:59:00 GMT http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/news_2-1.html http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/news_3-1.html In celebration of Earth Day, the Committee on the Environment COTE of the American Institute of Architects annually selects ten buildings that demonstrate exemplary "green" design and construction methods. The AIA's 2006 "Top Ten Green" buildings successfully integrate architecture, technology, and natural systems. Wed, 21 Jun 2006 23:59:00 GMT http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/news_3-1.html http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/design_1-1.html The newly opened Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects, Inc., combines the best features of traditional European grand opera houses within a thoroughly modern envelope. With a worldclass opera company in each of Canada's three largest cities, it may come as a surprise that none claims a purposebuilt modern opera house. Until now. Wed, 21 Jun 2006 23:59:00 GMT http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/design_1-1.html http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/design_2-1.html A grand pedestrian promenade behind the front facade of the new Grande Bibliothque of the Bibliothque et Archives Nationales du Qubec BAnQ links directly with the Metro, creating a 24hour public thoroughfare tied into the fabric of the local community. The new library, in Montral's Latin Quarter, houses two major collections: a large national reference library and an extensive lending library. But the 355,000squarefoot 33,000squaremeter, fivestory glazed structure serves more than books. Wed, 21 Jun 2006 23:59:00 GMT http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/design_2-1.html http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/design_3-1.html Contemporary residences by Australian and New Zealand architects share several common themes, most notably a sense of environmental stewardship and a desire to blend with the surrounding landscape, whether it's a historic urban street or a protected coastline. These architects favor indooroutdoor rooms and often zone houses into pavilions. "Green" features abound, including natural ventilation, use of natural materials, photovoltaic panels, and rainwater collection systems. And often, the location itself is spectacular and framed in views from the interior. Editor Wed, 21 Jun 2006 23:59:00 GMT http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/design_3-1.html http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/building_1-1.html Inside the glass box of Toronto's Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts is the curvilinear R. Fraser Elliott Hall. Belying the elegance of the decor is a thoroughly researched and executed acoustical design. The stacking of the balconies, the selection of materials, the texture of the basketweave plaster shell, and other carefully considered characteristics coordinate to optimize musical performance and listening enjoyment. Wed, 21 Jun 2006 23:59:00 GMT http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/building_1-1.html http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/building_2-1.html "Downtown L.A." may not be an oxymoron much longer, because when the construction dust finally settles, the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, California will have its own urban center. Ten years ago nobody would have believed it, but since an adaptive reuse ordinance was adopted in 1999 to eliminate many regulatory barriers, construction investment in downtown L.A. has ballooned to 12.2 billion. This according to a study released in February 2006 by the Downtown Center Business Improvement District DCBID. Wed, 21 Jun 2006 23:59:00 GMT http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/building_2-1.html http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/building_3-1.html When you hear "modular classroom building," what do you think of Cheap gray boxes on cinderblocks Tacky trailers covered with vinyl "brick" siding Such makeshift classrooms can be seen next to schools and colleges all across the United States temporary solutions to space shortages that seem to hang around for years. Wed, 21 Jun 2006 23:59:00 GMT http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/building_3-1.html http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/tools_1-1.html An important milestone in software development for the building industry over the past decade has been the establishment of Industry Foundation Classes IFCs freely available, nonproprietary data model specifications. Now the IFCs are being applied toward automating code checking and other kinds of complex analysis. Wed, 21 Jun 2006 23:59:00 GMT http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/tools_1-1.html http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/environment_1-1.html In the debate over the "greenness" of building materials, vinyl has become a divisive topic. The U.S. Green Building Council conducted what it termed an exhaustive study of the environmental impact of vinyl and decided to drop recommendations to avoid the use of vinyl in its LEED certification program. As a result, the USGBC has found itself at odds with some environmental groups. Wed, 21 Jun 2006 23:59:00 GMT http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/environment_1-1.html http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/environment_2-1.html More than just resourceefficient buildings, projects from Venezuela, Germany, Italy, and Canada recently chosen as recipients of the first global Holcim Awards demonstrate "sustainability" as integration with their larger urban, social, and technological context. They were recently selected from 15 finalists after a series of regional competitions with more than 3,000 submissions from 118 countries. Wed, 21 Jun 2006 23:59:00 GMT http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/environment_2-1.html http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/environment_3-1.html Fiftyoneyearold Kengo Kuma, among the bestknown Japanese architects of his generation, tends to use each of his residential commissions to explore a single building material. In a dense Tokyo neighborhood, for example, he designed the socalled Plastic House. Wed, 21 Jun 2006 23:59:00 GMT http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/environment_3-1.html http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/culture_1-1.html Volunteers of all types dedicate themselves to improving the human condition. Some architects, for instance, donate their time pro bono to groups that could otherwise not afford the design and advocacy services needed to improve their built environments. Wed, 21 Jun 2006 23:59:00 GMT http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/culture_1-1.html http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/culture_2-1.html When Germanborn architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed the famous twintower Lake Shore Drive Apartments in Chicago, these modern icons, also known as the "Glass Houses," took their place in line along a lakefront history exhibit of the city's residential architecture. Editor Wed, 21 Jun 2006 23:59:00 GMT http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2006/0621/culture_2-1.html