RENZO PIANO GOLD MEDAL Renzo Piano first captured the attention of the architecture world as co-designer of the Centre Pompidou in Paris with Richard Rogers, an epochal building that dramatically established the still-reigning high-tech modern style of architecture. Piano's subsequent projects, including several gorgeous museums and other beautiful buildings around the world, have steadily reinforced his reputation as a profound designer, sensitive practitioner, and master craftsman of building. — Published 2008.0123
	OUR ORGANIC AIRPORT U.S. airports are being continually retrofitted to meet the latest demands of security and growing passenger volumes — gathering climate crisis notwithstanding. One result of ad hoc remodels is an overcrowded, inconvenient, frustrating experience for travelers. To seek solutions to these problems in a new airport design paradigm, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) initiated a competition for a million-square-foot (93,000-square-meter), 24-gate facility dubbed 38 N 82 W Regional Airport. The students who won the competition describe their process — working with a variety of digital media — for designing an airport that improves traveler experience while providing a distinctive, legible spatial structure and minimally invasive security. — Editor — Published 2007.0523
	RICHARD ROGERS STIRLING PRIZE The prestigious Stirling Prize has been awarded to the Barajas Airport in Madrid, designed by Richard Rogers Partnership in association with Estudio Lamela Arquitectos. The prize is given annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and cosponsor, The Architects' Journal. Now in its 11th year, the prize is named after the architect Sir James Stirling (1926-1992). — Published 2006.1025
	HOW BOTTA BUILDS Creating an edifice draws on an almost mystical process of imagining and materializing something from nothing, of developing original thought forms and manifesting them in the physical environment. Swiss-born Mario Botta provides a unique perspective on this creative process. He is best known in the United States for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and is considered one of the world's foremost architects for churches and museums. — Published 2006.0830
	MADRID TAKES FLIGHT In 1930 Le Corbusier wrote: "the beauty of an airport is in the splendor of wide open spaces" and added that the most appropriate architecture would emphasize "sky, grass, and concrete runways." Barajas New Area Terminal (NAT) in Madrid, a joint venture between Richard Rogers Partnership (London) and Estudio Lamela (Madrid), lives up to that height of inspiration. — Published 2006.0215
	PARIS AIR TERMINAL COLLAPSE REPORT On May 23, 2004, a portion of roof at the Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris collapsed, killing four travelers and injuring three more. Ten months later, an investigation of the innovative vault construction has resulted in a report citing probable causes. — Published 2005.0427
	DEVELOPING A SPEC HOTEL In a somewhat unusual approach, British developer Bondcare (Heathrow) Ltd. began designing a hotel "on spec" before finding an owner. The speculative approach, more often used in office or apartment buildings, could indicate a "change is in the air" for hotel developers, who normally team up with an operator before design begins. — Published 2002.1016
	ENVIRONMENTAL GRAPHIC DESIGN AWARDS 2002 The Society for Environmental Graphic Design has announced the results of its 2002 awards program. Environmental Graphic Design embraces many design disciplines including graphic, architectural, and industrial design, all concerned with the visual aspects of wayfinding, communicating identity and information, and shaping the idea of place. — Published 2002.0612
	NEW HUB, NO HUBCAPS The Edward H. McNamara Terminal in Detroit, Michigan opened to passengers on February 24th. This major new terminal, for Northwest Airlines' largest hub, is designed to reposition Wayne County's Detroit Metropolitan Airport as a world-class facility, with architecture demonstrating the latest in passenger amenities. — Published 2002.0313
	ART TO GO WITH ARRIS There's no longer any question that large architectural projects call for sophisticated computer-aided design systems for their execution. But sometimes very small projects do too. As recently demonstrated in the new San Francisco Museum of Modern Art store at the San Francisco International Airport, a top-of-the-line design system can work very well to control the design quality — and cost — of a small architectural gem. — Published 2001.0905

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