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AUSTRALIAN ARCHITECTURE AWARDS 2011
On a tiny site measuring only seven by six meters (23 by 20 feet), a compact new home rises four and a half stories amidst the urban fabric of Surry Hills, an inner-city suburb of Sydney, Australia.
Designing for himself and his partner, Sue Bassett, architect Domenic Alvaro achieved an unexpected sense of expansiveness within this small space through the use of large precast concrete panels and plate-glass windows, with minimal additional interior detailing. Published 2012.0125
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HIGH-RISE SUSTAINABILITY
A high-level assessment of the impact of the urban tower on the natural environment would conclude that low land use and possible higher density are the chief advantages, with high energy usage being the chief disadvantage. Concepts of density and of energy usage are relative, and should be examined by comparing high-rise buildings with their low- or mid-rise alternatives. Published 2012.0104
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ANATOMY OF METABOLISM
The exhibit "Metabolism, the City of the Future" at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo is a major retrospective looking at Japan's most widely known and perhaps least understood modern architecture movement.
Subtitled "Dreams and Visions of Reconstruction in Postwar and Present-Day Japan," the exhibit throws up images depicting a sci-fi world of floating cities, metropolises in the sky, and soaring geometric shapes and patterns repeated over and over with little apparent correspondence to the psychological needs of humans. Published 2011.1214
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AIA'S BEST NEW BUILDINGS FROM CHICAGO
A glass dome rises from a lawn on the University of Chicago campus. The ellipsoidal structure by Murphy/Jahn — a counterpoint in form and materials to the eclectic buildings around it — is a refined tip of the iceberg for the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library. Published 2011.1207
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STANLEY TIGERMAN: ARCHITECT AS CHAMELEON
A bedrock belief in the classic theology of modern architecture was that architects always had to be original. Architects were to create a new built world that divested itself from the past, from classical architecture and its decoration, and invent brand-new, innovative buildings. In many ways, for a modern architectural designer, being original could be more important than being good. Published 2011.1005
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NOTES FROM MANHATTAN: HIGH LINE TO WTC
New York on the cusp of fall: the light has that very yellowy tint that only happens this time of year, and the air seems clear as crystal. A quick jaunt around Manhattan Island — literally one afternoon, just before the tenth anniversary of September 11th — reveals new, continuing, and still-becoming works of architecture. Published 2011.0907
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DESIGN BY ARTS CORPORATION
The Practice in 20-Dozen Words
In 2000 Mike Latham formed Arts Corporation, a multimedia design firm that integrated his varied interests in architecture, art, and technology. The firm serves as the backbone for Latham's work in architecture, furniture design, and product design, and a springboard for his innovative work in sculpture and film. Published 2011.0817
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SAN FRANCISCO ROOFTOP APARTMENT
This apartment, within an old paint factory in San Francisco, was created when the owner decided to add a home to his studio. It was important to separate the work area from the personal, which occupies a new level built atop the original rectangular structure. Tanner Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects designed the addition and renovation project. Published 2011.0810
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UP ON THE ROOF
More than half of all the single-family homes in the United States were built in the last three decades of the 20th century, and it is estimated that half again of the current total number of dwellings — about 80 million — will need to be built in the next three decades of the 21st century. Published 2011.0727
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CALIFORNIA HOUSES OF GORDON DRAKE
Over and over again, Gordon Drake declared that it was his avowed intention to design decent homes for people on minimum budgets. It is natural enough, therefore, that he will be best remembered for his small homes designed for California living.
One kind of assessment of his work can be approached through looking at the things that he used. Published 2011.0713
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