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ROTTERDAM VERANDA
Can a parking garage be sexy? The new Veranda Parking Garage in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with its soft curves and elegant detailing, seems about as sensuous and inviting as a garage can be. Designed by the firm of Architectenbureau Paul de Ruiter b.v., part of the Veranda's allure, like most things sexy, is in what you can't see. In this case, it's the extraordinary story of the building's construction. — Published 2005.1012
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SWISS RE TOWER BY FOSTER AND PARTNERS
During construction, London's newest highrise conjured up many emotions from visitors and locals alike: here was a building that would bring a major change to the skyline. It became affectionately known as the "Gherkin," but was it worth it? Was it a white elephant? — Published 2005.0504
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TALKING HISTORY
Art and architecture evolved throughout history in societies that drew strength from their cultural and spiritual traditions and from the places they belonged to. These sources, which one might take as factors that separate peoples, are exactly the ones that can link them together in harmony. The same tree that symbolizes life in the Cabala appears in Tantra Asana art; the same red thread the people of Tibet wear on their wrist for good luck is put on baby's pram in the Jewish tradition. — Published 2005.0406
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TAIWAN ON TOP
The official opening of the Taipei 101 Tower in December 2004, makes it — for now — the world's tallest building. In the 20th century, competition for this title was largely waged in Chicago and New York, but it has recently migrated to Asia. — Published 2005.0302
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COMMERCIAL QUALITIES OF MONTRÈAL
When a business community learns to appreciate the value of design excellence, an entire city can benefit. This is the lesson of the Commerce Design Montréal competition, which concluded its tenth annual round earlier this year. Twenty projects in the French-Canadian city demonstrate that design and business can help each other thrive. — Published 2004.0721
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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
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DESIGN FOR BUSINESS 2001
"Good design is good business." This is the maxim that drives the annual Business Week/ Architectural Record Awards. Each year the awards honor projects worldwide that demonstrate a creative confluence of management and architecture that supports successful enterprises. — Published 2001.1219
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ERSKINE'S MILLENNIUM VILLAGE
Innovation and sustainability are the two key drivers for the new Greenwich Millennium Village in southeast London. It is an ambitious mixed-use development being built according to a master plan by architect Ralph Erskine using the latest sustainable methods and materials.
The £250 million project, being constructed in phases over a five-year period, saw its first occupants in late 2000. For the first phase, Erskine was also design architect, with EPR as production architect. — Published 2001.1128
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COLLISION IN NEW YORK, 1945
It's been said that the World Trade Center Towers, tragically destroyed on Spetember 11, 2001, were designed to withstand the impact of a speeding jet airplane. Why would architects and engineers in the 1960s take such an unlikely event into account for their design requirements? — Published 2001.1031
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RADIO SPACE TAKES OFF
It may look like Captain Kirk's command station as he navigates the Starship Enterprise through a TV episode of Star Trek. In reality, it's XM Satellite Radio, Inc.'s new broadcast operations center. The high-tech facility was beamed up by Studios Architecture out of a century-old printing plant in Washington, DC. — Published 2001.1024
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