DOWN UNDER LOUVERS While architects in the Northern Hemisphere have been appropriately fixated on manipulating southern orientations of buildings in pursuit of climate-responsive architecture, those "Down Under" have been giving the same attention to north-facing facades. In the new Business School for Auckland University of Technology (AUT) in New Zealand, the architecture firm JASMAX has designed a northwest facade that puts on a visual show in response to the daily sun path. — Published 2006.0920
	EDGY IN LA In June 2006, downtown Los Angeles was overrun with architects in town for the National AIA Convention. When not exploring the burgeoning city center and notable regional architecture, these visitors were eagerly learning about the "next new thing" for the profession. This year's convention combined big names and varied themes to create a full agenda of educational seminars, architectural tours, trade exposition booths, and business meetings. The event drew a record 25,000 registrants to the Los Angeles Convention Center. — Published 2006.0719
	TEN YEAR HOUSE Any telephone user knows how frustrating it is to be "on hold." When an entire design project is put on hold, however, the challenges multiply. Building codes may change, and the architects may develop new design approaches. When the Santa Monica, California firm of Pugh + Scarpa saw a residential design process stretch out to ten years, they treated it, finally, as an opportunity to inject an old project with new ideas. — Published 2006.0315
	INNOVATION AT IRVINE For residents of Los Angeles, California, the county line to the south is often referred to as "the orange curtain." Stereotypes of Orange County depict a different world politically and architecturally: "red" versus "blue," suburban versus urban, predictable versus vivacious. The orange groves after which the county is named have all but disappeared, replaced by office parks and subdivisions of million-dollar houses. — Published 2005.0518
	W HOTEL MEXICO CITY From the opening of its first hotel in New York City in 1998, the chain of W Hotels has been marketing itself to young, hip business travelers, who became a substantial customer base during the "dot.com" boom of the late 1990s. — Published 2004.1006
	GEHRY'S DISNEY CONCERT HALL Crowning Bunker Hill in downtown Los Angeles, the stainless steel curves of the Walt Disney Concert Hall (WDCH) by Frank Gehry shine in the Southern California sun. They shine in quick flashes glimpsed through nondescript high-rises, throwing fortuitous reflections among the shadows. The taller forms stretch up and out toward the city, while the lower forms bend down toward passersby. — Published 2003.1217

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