NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

When you hear the words “Academy of Sciences,” what do you think of? Musty rooms with dark wood paneling and overstuffed furniture? Think again. The recently opened New York Academy of Sciences headquarters, designed by architect Hugh Hardy on the 40th floor of SOM’s new 7 World Trade Center tower, is a colorful, dynamic environment (photo by Mark LaRosa). Next week, ArchitectureWeek contributing editor Michael J. Crosbie will explain how the 40,000-square-foot (3,700-square-meter) interior sets the 190-year-old institution on a trajectory into the future.

AIA/UK RECOGNIZES EXCELLENCE IN DESIGN

The United Kingdom chapter of the American Institute of Architects has announced the recipients of its annual awards for design excellence. One of those honored is Light House in London, by Gianni Botsford Architects (photo by Hélène Binet). The awards jury cited the residence for achieving “a sense of openness in a really constrained site... a model of backlands development...” Next week we'll dig deeper and look also at the two other top award recipients.