HIGH CONCEPT MEETS INDUSTRIAL REALITY

Australian architect Andrew Maynard is bursting with theories. He develops concepts such as "malleable space" into architectural "products" such as a mobile bedroom unit. He acknowledges such conversions are rarely smooth: “Reality is always getting our floaty idealized concepts dirty, and that is half of the fun.” Next week architect and writer Leigh Christy will explain why Essex Street House, Maynard's latest experiment in malleable space, is earning him worldwide attention for both its floaty concepts and its dirty reality. (Photo by Peter Bennetts)

AIA ANNUAL HONOR AWARDS

In January 2007, the AIA announced 29 recipients of the organization's annual honor awards. One of these is the Meinel Optical Science Research Building at the University of Arizona in Tucson, by richärd+bauer architecture. The cast-in-place concrete structure is sheathed in a copper alloy treated to a reddened bronze to recall the color of the campus brick. The jury appreciated that the “living wall changes throughout the day as the soft folds cast slightly different shadows, animating life at different levels.” Next week we'll look at some of the other award-winning projects. (Photo by Bill Timmerman)