ASMUSSEN'S CULTURE HOUSE Austrian-born artist and scientist Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) developed the "spiritual science" of anthroposophy — "a path of knowledge aiming to guide the spiritual element in the human being to the spiritual in the universe." He saw all natural phenomena as interconnected spiritually and dependent on the larger whole. To explore the integrative and holistic ideals of anthroposophy, Swedish architect Erik Asmussen built the Rudolf Steiner Seminary, at Jδrna, Sweden. Its social and cultural focus is the Culture House (completed in 1992), an expression of art, craft, spirituality, and functionality. — Editor — Published 2006.0301
	SAVING CONCRETE ENERGY With the growing awareness of the environmental harm of greenhouse gases, one major culprit in the construction industry is beginning to attract attention. The production of Portland cement, a key ingredient of concrete, releases substantial amounts of carbon dioxide (C02) — 8 percent of greenhouse gases worldwide. The United States consumes 110 million tons (100 million metric tons) of Portland cement annually and China now produces and places five times that amount. — Published 2006.0222
	HOUSE BY UNIT A Nestled on the edge of a town in southwest Germany is the Fleischmann House. Its owner, a photographer, craved open, visually quiet surroundings to counteract the visual bombardment of his profession. One-third studio, two-thirds open-plan dwelling, the house is a sustainable abode flavored by Japanese tradition. The building plan is rectangular. Maki Kuwayama, of unit a architects, describes both the exterior architecture and interior design as "simple and clean... not so much a style as a lifestyle choice." — Published 2006.0222
	CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM Designers of the new Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Ontario could have merely created a protective envelope for Canada's wartime artifacts. Instead they designed a monumental structure to inspire a nation by integrating artistic symbolism with pragmatic innovation. — Published 2006.0125
	ENGINEERING CCTV To support the rapid expansion of China Central Television (CCTV), an international design competition was launched in 2002 for a centralized headquarters building in Beijing. Winning the commission was Rem Koolhaas (Office for Metropolitan Architecture, OMA), teamed with engineering firm Arup and the East China Architecture and Design Institute as both architect and engineer of record. Koolhaas imagined a building whose three dimensional form brings CCTV's staff and functions into a "continuous tube." This is part of the story of the engineering challenge. — Editor — Published 2006.0111
	PIANO TONE The High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia now bears the signatures of two living masters. Richard Meier designed the original in 1983; the expansion by Renzo Piano opened in November, 2005. The new addition reinforces Piano's reputation as a designer of cultural palaces that are distinctive without being ostentatious — and spare without an overly minimalist chill. — Published 2005.1130
	MEASURING UP WRIGHT What would you do if you were asked to build a house on a rocky island with only five pencil drawings to go by? This was the challenge given to Thomas Heinz, AIA, a renowned Frank Lloyd Wright scholar. The house he was asked to model and execute was designed by Wright in 1950 but never built. — Published 2005.1026
	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
	SWISS AWARD TO CANADIAN PROJECTS On September 30, 2005, the Swiss Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction honored three North American projects in its annual awards program. The Holcim Foundation, in collaboration with five of the world's leading technical universities, promotes sustainable approaches to environmental design. The awards highlight projects that go beyond technical solutions to consider process, human behavior, and visionary city planning. — Published 2005.1012
	WHERE PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Blacksmithing is such a fundamental craft that in French, the familiar proverb, "practice makes perfect," takes the form, "c'est en forgeant qu'on devient forgeron," or literally in English, "it's by forging that one becomes a blacksmith." — Editor — Published 2005.1005

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