BEST OF BUILD BOSTON Build Boston, the largest regional conference and trade show for the design and construction industry in the United States, recently demonstrated again why it has earned such preeminence. More than 14,000 architects, designers, construction and facility managers, and owners attended the 27th Build Boston conference, hosted by the Boston Society of Architects in November 2011. The trade show floor boasted some 300 vendors — up 6% over last year — who plied their products with the usual vigor. — Published 2012.0111
	AIA EDUCATION DESIGN AWARDS When Canada's Royal Conservatory of Music set about expanding its midtown Toronto campus, a careful balancing act was required. The project combined construction of the new Telus Centre for Performance and Learning with the progressive restoration of historic McMaster Hall. The conservatory also sought to energize a new cultural district for the city in conjunction with major cultural facilities nearby, such as the Royal Ontario Museum and Gardiner Museum. — Published 2011.1116
	BNIM - AIA FIRM OF THE YEAR To become one of the first two buildings to receive full recognition under the Living Building Challenge, the Omega Center for Sustainable Living in Rhinebeck, New York, had to meet a stringent set of criteria, including generating all its energy from renewable resources, and capturing and treating all water used onsite. — Published 2011.0511
	AIA NATIONAL DESIGN AWARDS 2010 Among the brick buildings and live oaks at Rice University in Houston stands the Brochstein Pavilion, a cleanly patterned, rhythmic composition of glass and metal. With indoor and outdoor seating shaded from the Texas sun, this structure by Thomas Phifer and Partners offers a casual gathering space in the central quad, inviting activity while blending into the existing campus fabric. The pavilion was among the 28 projects recognized by the American Institute of Architects in its 2010 AIA Institute Honor Awards. — Published 2010.0210
	INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE International practice sounds glamorous and fun, but is it something that your firm should consider? Overseas work can be expensive, disruptive, and a serious distraction. Some firms have even destroyed their domestic practice by diverting too much energy and too many resources to foreign work. — Published 2008.0326
	AIA HOUSING AWARDS 2008 Urban Infill 02 is a prototype for affordable single-family housing designed by Johnsen Schmaling Architects for a small urban lot in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Two interlocking modular forms compose the house: a two-story wood-clad cube and a bar-shaped, single-story concrete block. — Published 2008.0326
	SAROFIM RESEARCH BUILDING The firms of BNIM Architects and Burt Hill have partnered to design a new facility at the Texas Medical Center. The six-story Fayez S. Sarofim Research Building is now home for the Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM). The building's elegant design is, in several ways, a departure from that of conventional research facilities. — Published 2006.0913
	ENERGY CONCERNS MAINSTREAM In March 2006, architect and planner Bob Berkebile, FAIA addressed an overflow audience at the Building Energy '06 conference in Boston. He gave a stirring call to arms, saying that this was a powerful moment in human history. — Published 2006.0419
	AMERICAN LANDSCAPE AWARDS 2005 Before world attention became riveted on the devastated landscapes of the Gulf Coast of the United States, a happier announcement celebrated design excellence in other landscapes, both public and private. In July 2005, the American Society of Landscape Architects selected the recipients of its 2005 Professional Awards. Top honors went to a city park in Houston, Texas, a public promenade in Seattle, Washington, a residential garden near Chilmark, Massachusetts, and an urban analysis for Charleston, South Carolina. — Published 2005.0907
	NATURALLY COOL CONVENTION CENTER Echoing the shape of bridges arcing over the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the new David L. Lawrence Convention Center. A sail-like roof is suspended from steel cables over the four-story riverfront building. The dramatic form designed by architect Rafael Viñoly Architects is more than visually striking, however. The sweeping roof channnels river breezes and creates a degree of natural ventilation that is extraordinary for a building of this type and size. — Published 2003.1008

Burt Hill