CRAFTING CONCRETE COUNTERTOPS The virtue of concrete is its versatility. It can be creatively adapted to any setting or any style — modern or traditional. Its hardness, strength, and mass express the timelessness of natural materials such as granite and marble. Its plasticity allows a wide range of details to be incorporated into designs, from hard-edge contemporary to ornate traditional. This versatility makes concrete universally appealing as a finish material, not just for structural applications. — Published 2003.0521
	PRECAST IN MANY FORMS Precast concrete is an architectural material with a unique combination of strength and versatility. In the hands of an imaginative designer and an expert fabricator, it can assume a rich variety of forms, textures, and colors, while performing an array of structural and decorative roles. In selecting four projects for its 2003 awards program, the Architectural Precast Association sought to demonstrate the imaginative application of these properties and to highlight the benefits of collaboration between architect and fabricator. — Published 2003.0507
	ARCHITECTURAL WEAVING Weaving is most often associated with textiles, but it is also relevant to architecture. It is a construct and a craft that can purposefully and aesthetically order building systems. Just as a thread can be pulled from a woven fabric and a new one inserted in its place, so too can building and urban systems be removed, replaced, or added when the whole is conceived as an exposed woven tapestry. — Published 2003.0423
	GREEN ROOF RETROFIT The 1925 art deco-style Montgomery Ward Catalog Building in Baltimore, Maryland has just undergone a rehabilitation. The adaptive reuse project by DMJMH+N, an architecture/ engineering firm in Washington D.C., restored the facade of the landmark building and installed a 30,000-square foot (2800-square-meter) "green" roof. — Published 2003.0409
	LONG-SPAN STRUCTURES When is a span a long span? One answer is: when, as a consequence of the size of the span, technical considerations are placed so high on the list of architectural priorities that they significantly affect the aesthetic treatment of the building. — Published 2003.0326
	DEVELOPING BEIJING After a 30-year career of land planning, architectural design, and real estate development in the United States, I'm now living in Beijing. Watching the rapid urbanization of one of the world's great cities gives me a sense of déjà vu. Local planners and developers may be making some of the same mistakes we have made in North America. — Published 2003.0305
	BUILDING PETRONAS TOWERS The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, now the tallest buildings on earth, are among the architectural wonders of the world. The story of their construction is one of many challenges, and the resulting design, by Cesar Pelli & Associates, reflects a melding of East and West. — Published 2003.0219
	NEW CURVE IN SYSTEM CEILINGS Design for the school cafeteria has come a long way since the 1960s and 1970s when sterile, unimaginative "lunch boxes" were the norm. Today, school designers and administrators are more aware of how aesthetics can affect the learning environment. As a result, architects are increasingly incorporating expressive design elements into the construction of school rooms, including cafeterias. — Published 2003.0205
	AIR-FORMED CONCRETE DOMES Throughout history, structurally efficient domes have been built from masonry, wood, concrete, and even ice. But there's still plenty of room left in dome technology for invention and construction efficiency. New ways to form, reinforce, and insulate "air-formed" concrete domes have been a primary focus of my architectural practice for about 25 years. — Published 2003.0122
	CULLINAN THROWS A CURVE As the sun rises on a damp, misty morning in the heart of England's South Downs, you can hear the large shimmering giant creak as it awakens. These organic curves are a rarity — the Downland Gridshell is only one of five such structures in the world. It was designed by Edward Cullinan Architects, engineered by Buro Happold, and short-listed for the 2002 Stirling Prize. — Published 2003.0108

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